In a surprise update, Larian says it has "probably this time really maybe" fixed Baldur's Gate 3's notorious character portrait bug which somehow survived 32 previous hotfixes
Squashing one of the most annoying (and hilarious) bugs in the RPG

Patch 8 has been out for a few months, and Baldur's Gate 3 fans have noted that the infamous portrait bug that has plagued the game since its 2023 release was never squashed – until now, that is (hopefully, anyway).
A few months back, the long-awaited Patch 8 arrived and brought everything to Baldur's Gate 3, from cross-play to 12 new subclasses, such as the Circle of Stars Druid – but it never fixed the bug that transforms Tavs' and their parties' portraits into what fans hilariously had dubbed "Zoom call" shots. Today's hotfix (or "room temperature fix," as Larian Studios jokingly calls it in the official patch notes), standing as the game's 33rd, is here to save the day, though.
While it addresses various problems, from a plethora of potential crash-inducing things to UI "jitteriness" and other such bugs, it more notably targets the issue that no other hotfix has yet successfully managed to overcome: the strange, soulless portraits that companions randomly don. "Fixed, probably this time really maybe, the weird character portraits," read Larian's notes on Hotfix #33 – and as funny as I always found the bug, I'm honestly relieved.
I may never see another stone-cold, hard stare into the abyss from Shadowheart, but I'd say it's likely better that way. Alternatively, if the fix proves to be like Larian's past attempts, I might gaze into her mindless eyes again. Either way, it's not the only improvement of note – another silly highlight is that "the Gloves of Power no longer get all stretchy-looking when worn by male dwarves who have the Chain Shirt +1 equipped."
As for the future of Baldur's Gate 3 with Patch 8 out, Larian is cooking up its own "two very ambitious RPGs" now, with one of the mysterious projects having been codenamed Excalibur – potentially pointing to an Arthurian game of sorts. Dungeons & Dragons stans don't need to worry, however, as Hasbro is also "talking to lots of partners" about the next Baldur's Gate game already and is working on a separate new D&D game, too.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.