Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming deluge of new subclasses is practically as exciting as all the entirely new games we're about to get in February, and we're starting to get reports trickling in from loose-lipped Patch 8 stress testers about how those new subclasses work in action. One thing that really stands out to me among the r/BG3builds scuttlebut is the complete 180 Eldritch Knights have made.
The previously "just okay" Fighter subclass is looking to be completely overpowered if Patch 8 goes live as currently structured, but there's reason to believe the interaction making them go crazy will be nerfed before the patch's full release. This new hotness mostly relies on pre-existing mechanics, with the specific implementation of a new spell being what throws things into disarray:
- Booming Blade, a beloved cantrip from D&D 5E tabletop that adds a debuff and, eventually, flat damage to a melee attack, new in Patch 8.
- Fighter's Improved Extra Attack, granting three weapon attacks in one round at level 11.
- Eldritch Knight's War Magic, which lets you attack with a bonus action after casting a cantrip.
In tabletop, Booming Blade uses up your entire action for a round to cast, even if you have Extra Attack or its upgraded variation. In the BG3 Patch 8 stress test though, you can Extra Attack with Booming Blade, which will also trigger Eldritch Knight's War Magic. At higher levels, Booming Blade's BG3 incarnation does at least 1d8 thunder damage according to a screenshot from user _Veni_Vidi_Vigo—if tabletop progression holds, that should be up to 2d8 damage by the end of the game.
That means Eldritch Knights get the equivalent of Paladin's first level Divine Smite without expending any resources, while also getting a crispy four attacks per round before adding in effects like Haste—that's a level of attacks per round usually reserved for specific dual wielding builds.
This would certainly be a fun build to run, but it just seems way too good, like "homebrew cheat mod" good. As it stands currently, Eldritch Knight would be a tank and damage dealer that completely outclasses everything else in the game, with no sacrifice, drawbacks, planning, or equipment restrictions. Add in a one level dip of the new Hexblade subclass and you're also an effective party face too. PCG staff writer Harvey Randall and I both agree this doesn't seem to be working as intended, and a number of fellow traveler BG3 build sickos on the subreddit have made similar arguments.
Ideally, Booming Blade would be a full-round, no Extra Attack action like most other spells in the game, cutting back the Eldritch Knight's War Magic barrage to a more sensible two attacks. In tabletop, the new Bladesinging subclass is able to cast a single cantrip per round in place of an Extra Attack, and that's a mechanic I wouldn't mind seeing implemented alongside a general Booming Blade-Extra Attack nerf—the Bladesinger would be limited to one Booming Blade and one attack per round, similar to a nerfed Eldritch Knight, and this could add some zest and synergies to an interesting, but not overwhelmingly powerful subclass.
In the base game, Eldritch Knight is a perfectly fine, replacement level subclass. There are better ways to build a spellsword, while the Fighter's other subclasses largely outclass it. The notable exception is that Eldritch Knights can form the basis of good throwing weapon builds, thanks to their Weapon Bond ability making any thrown weapon return to them.
Even in the "worst case scenario" though, an unbalanced uber build in a singleplayer game isn't the end of the world—it'll just require a little extra discipline for players not to optimize the fun and variety out of Baldur's Gate 3. Whatever happens, I still can't wait for BG3 Patch 8, and there's a ton of other sicko builds I'm itching to try.
