There’s a new Baldur’s Gate patch coming, and while details are a bit light, we do know that Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch #4 will do away with old saves.

In the pre-patch announcement blog, developer Larian Studios noted that the team is working hard (since patch #3) on the upcoming update for the early access of Baldur’s Gates 3. While no official release date has been given, nor any specifications on all the changes they have made, the team did confirm that anyone running on saves created from patch #3 or prior will cease to function in this upcoming update. 

Yep, you read right, so if you’ve already invested hundreds of hours into the current build and want to play on the new patch, prepare to have to re-roll those characters. Though all is not lost, however, as Larian Studios did also confirm that they would, much like past branches, be offering the option to continue to play on the current build. Instructions for that can be found below, though if you have already done it before then it won’t be any different this time around. 

As for when we’ll hear more about Baldur’s Gates Patch #4, the team announced that they will yet again be hosting another Panel From Hell that will be streamed on February 17 at 10am PT. 

We’re getting ready to go back to hell! Join us February 17th at 10am PT as @LarAtLarian, @JeremyECrawford and the Larian crew bring you The Panel From Hell 2! https://t.co/S1RlVpJ8yw pic.twitter.com/2PQ5HZuQ4Z

— Larian just launched Patch 5! (@larianstudios) February 11, 2021

We’ll probably get a good look at Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch #4 along with other tidbits of information around the development, so stay tuned!

How to keep playing on Patch 3:

The secondary branch will be the previous version, but the primary branch (default download) will be the latest version. To access the secondary branch, do the following:

• Right click on the game in your Steam library
• Select properties
• Click the BETAS tab
• In the list under “Select the beta you would like to opt in to”, select patch3
• Close the properties menu

                          

If you do the above steps, you are all set to continue your current playthrough.

If you are unsure whether you want to update to the new patch, we recommend disabling automatic updates now, so that you have the choice to manually update to the new patch or opt-in to the secondary branch once the patch arrives. To disable automatic updates follow the below steps:

• Right click on the game in your Steam library
• Select properties
• Click the Updates tab
• Select “only update the game when I launch it” in the drop down menu

                          

You can already move to the beta branch now, if you’d like to protect your save file and continue on the current version. Note: save files are not ‘deleted’ from your computer; they’ll remain in your folder, but you’ll only be able to load saves specific to their respective versions.

Important note: If you want the option to go back to the previous patch, it’s best to make a new in-game profile and backup your local saves from the previous patch. You can do the following before or after updating to the latest version:

• Before starting a new playthrough, create a new profile by clicking the profiles button on the top left of the main menu. All your progress in the new patch will then be saved under this profile while your old saves are safe in the previous profile.
  
  
• As an extra safety measure, you can manually back up your savegames:
  Go to /Documents/Larian Studios/Baldur’s Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/
  Find the folder that is named after the profile you used in the previous patch
  Copy and paste this entire folder into a backup location
  
  
• If you want to revert back to the previous patch, follow the instructions above and activate your old profile
  
  
• If you have somehow lost your progress by overwriting savegames and want to restore your old backed up savegames simply copy over your old profile folder into its original location again: /Documents/Larian Studios/Baldur’s Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/
  Sync back to the patch2 beta branch with the instructions above and load your old savegames

We know that having to switch branches may be annoying, but this is part of early access. All the feedback we’ve been gathering from your adventures and posts will go right into these patches, so next time you play it’ll feel like an experience you’ve helped to create.

Note: Branching unfortunately won’t be available on Stadia for the moment.