Baldur's Gate 3's shows off its upcoming photo mode by going haywire with memes

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Larian is still prepping for Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming stress test of Patch 8, which it previously announced would include cross-play support, photo mode, and 12 new subclasses. In the first community update for 2025 Larian has now shared a few additional details about what Patch 8 has in store, before showing off the photo mode's potential via memes.

Community update #32 kicks off with a reminder about said stress test, which players can still sign up for here. Larian is particularly keen to see how players "get on" with crossplay " so that we can make any small changes before Patch 8 is released". The studio also reminds players that, while Mac is included in crossplay support, Mac players "won't be able to take part in the stress test this time."

Next up, Larian shares an array of specific bugs Patch 8 will address alongside the bigger new features it will add. It isn't a long list but, this being Baldur's Gate 3, it nonetheless makes for amusing reading. As of Patch 8 Barcus the gnome will no longer be "Mike Wazowski'd by various items like cauldrons and bottles blocking him off from view when you talk to him at Last Light". In addition, Larian says "we've also reminded Minthara that 'knocked out' does not mean 'dead', so she'll more reliably appear in Moonrise towers."

With the changelog out of the way, Larian reveals a few more details about the photo mode, specifically regarding when and where you can use it. In general play and combat encounters, you can deploy the full suite of photo mode's features. "Position [characters] to your liking, change facial expressions to fit the scene, and play around with the camera, lens and scene settings." During dialogue and cinematics, however, photo mode's features are more restricted. "You won't be able to alter the camera or position your party, but you will have access to a whole bunch of post-processing effects, such as colour-grading settings, frames and stickers."

Yeah, he knows he's got it.

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Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.