Baldur's Gate 3 has added new spells in the Patch 8 update, all of which benefit the latest class that has been added to the game: the bard. The bard class is part of Baldur's Gate 3 and it needed some buffing and psychic attack spells in order for the class to reach its full potential. The bards are primary spellcasters with a lot of healing magic, but they excel at working crowds and drawing the attention of marks so that the rest of the party can do its work.

The Charisma stat used to be one of the worst in D&D, as rarely had a practical effect in combat. D&D 3.0 changed all that, by tying the magic of certain classes to their Charisma score. This meant that bards, paladins, and sorcerers could act as the face of the party, while still being powerful heroes. The bards might be the best front for the party, as they tend to have lots of useful skills when it comes to contested rolls in dialogue, as well as numerous charm and illusion spells that are great as a last resort. This makes the bard a great choice for the protagonist in Baldur's Gate 3, as they can handle all the dialogue options and still keep up in an fight.

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The Patch 8 update for Baldur's Gate 3 has added the bard class and the gnome race, which are the two highlights for many fans. Patch 8 also added a number of improvements to the game, as well as some new useful new features, like swarm AI for large groups of enemies. The Patch 8 update also added some new spells to the game, which mostly exist to flesh out the bard's spell list, and to give them some toys to play with on the battlefield.

The New Spells Added To Baldur's Gate 3 In Patch 8

Baldurs Gate 3 Bard Tree

The buffing spells added in Patch 8 include heroism, which is a Level 1 Enchantment spell that lasts for 10 turns and requires concentration. The target of heroism can no longer be affected by the Frightened condition and they receive 5 temporary hit points each turn, though they don't stack. There is also calm emotions, which is a level 2 Enchantment spell that lasts for 10 turns and requires concentration. The effect of calm emotions makes all humanoids in a selected area immune to D&D's charmed or Frightened conditions. These spells both require concentration, so an enemy attack can potentially break their effect, robbing their target of protection.

The combat spells added in Patch 8 include phantasmal force, which is a level 2 Illusion spell that lasts for 10 turns and requires concentration. This is an attack spell that deals 1d6 psychic damage and if it's struck by another damage type, the damage of phantasmal force switches to that type. There is also vicious mockery, which is an Enchantment Cantrip that deals 1d4 psychic damage to one target and if the enemy fails its save, it has disadvantage on its next attack. Baldur's Gate 3 skips the D&D Cantrip rule, so it's no longer an essential sidearm when using healing word. These spells are a great addition to Baldur's Gate 3 and they really help the bard make a strong first impression.

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