Patch 8 Brought Me Back to Baldur's Gate 3

Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead for Act I of Baldur’s Gate 3

Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3 brought me back to one of the best games ever made—and I can’t believe I waited this long. My partner, Jaye, and I dove into console mods, picking our favorites (looking at you, Mystra’s Spells), and spent an hour in character creation.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I drew inspiration from a D&D campaign I played in high school. Back then, my character Wilhelm was a tween Hexblade Warlock. My parents had gifted me the Heroes of the Forgotten Realms book, which added the Hexblade class into our tabletop world. I was thrilled, of course. I remember his mini, too: small, holding a dagger, and dressed in a black cloak. While my friends rolled adults, I loved imagining this scrappy kid finding family among an adventuring party.

Fifteen years later, I brought him back—grown up now, about my age. Jaye rolled a Bladesinger Wizard, his blade crackling with arcane energy. We adjusted radial menus, prepped spells, and made sure our little tadpole friend was still wriggling in our skulls.

Reuniting with Old Friends

This wasn’t our first BG3 run. Saving Shadowheart, freeing Lae’zel, unleashing Withers, and clearing goblins outside Emerald Grove felt like greeting old friends. But experimenting with new subclasses was fresh all over again. My Warlock in medium armor and a shield felt like a Fighter wielding dark magic. The lowered crit chance with the Hexblade’s Curse was evident. Every hit of maximum damage had us cheering from the couch.

We gathered our friends: pulled Gale from his unstable portal, rescued Karlach, and slew her pursuers. We gave Scratch our scent to follow to camp and listened to 25 minutes of dialogue from Wyll. We met Kagha, muted the TV for Alfiera's song, and impressed Mol (I was particularly proud of my rolls on that one).

Unexpected Choices

At Waukeen’s Rest, we spoke to the dead and stole a humble dowry. We traded with the Zhent and made a bargain with the hag, Auntie Ethel, one of my favorite characters. We had completely new experiences from our past dozen playthroughs of Act I. Jaye put Protection from Evil and Good on Mayrina, and Auntie Ethel retreated into her lair without her. We were surprised it worked, and sat captivated as we heard new dialogue, marveling at the depth of every choice we were making.

Afterwards, when Auntie Ethel was defeated, Mayrina left in peace, shocked at her own actions. Without any other place to meet her again (as far as I know—and pleeeease send me a message if you do), it was up to our own imagination how the rest of Mayrina’s story would unfold.

Wilhelm speaking to the dead.

The Underdark Awaits

In the Underdark, we met more of our old friends. We asked Omeluum to remove our parasite with rare mushrooms from a mage’s tower, but it was unsuccessful. In exchange for a magic ring, we sold knowledge of the nautiloid, mind flayer warships from an age past. Karlach’s Giant subclass turned battles against hook horrors into slapstick chaos as we hurled smokepowder barrels and returning weapons across the cavern. Each fight reminded us why we’ve never stopped being fascinated by this game. Baldur’s Gate 3 felt brand new again.

Embracing Chaos

Before long, we faced Nere. Things went a little sideways. My Hunger of Hadar spell damaged the deep gnome group enough that they turned on us and forced our hand. We accepted that their storyline wouldn’t play out as we had experienced it before later in the game. We let chaos reign. No reloads here.

The Unpredictable Journey Ahead

I’m not sure where this playthrough will end. Maybe I’ll roll poorly and spark camp-wide bloodshed. Maybe I’ll fail the saving throw that keeps me from becoming a mind flayer. But I don’t care. Because every crit, every botched persuasion check, every wild new discovery—I’m sharing it with Jaye. Whether I’m Hexed, Charmed, or Eldritch Blasted off a cliff and deleted off the map—he’ll still love me, and we’re having an incredibly good time.

Join the Adventure

So grab a friend or lover, order another controller, and start fresh. Make them play with you. It's how I met Jaye, and we're here two years later, still playing. Try a new class, romance someone unexpected—or yes, fuck a bear. It’s all in the hands of the d20, and it’s guaranteed to be an unforgettable adventure.

And remember, every choice you make leads to a new story. So why not make it a wild one?