Baldur’s Gate 3 continues its journey with yet another hotfix from Larian Studios, marking the 23rd installment. This latest update not only addresses crashes and bugs but also bids farewell to the era of ‘free lunches’ while ironically paving the way for more literal instances of culinary generosity.
In this patch, Larian Studios has addressed two significant issues. Firstly, players will no longer be able to outsmart merchants using a trick akin to a Matryoshka doll, where items are stashed in containers to deceive shopkeepers. Secondly, the game will no longer implode if you decide to hurl a Black Pudding Platter at someone.
Before this hotfix, cunning players had found a loophole in the merchant system, exploiting it by purchasing multiple items but only paying for one by placing them inside containers.
The merchants of Faerûn found themselves unable to discern multiple items within the same container, resulting in players essentially getting away with paying for only a fraction of their purchases. However, these days of clever manipulation are now a thing of the past, as Larian Studios states, “The tradespeople of Baldur’s Gate have also had a word with our people, and we both agree that container-based antics, while amusing, are damaging the economy.”
So, while the metaphorical “No more free lunches” rings true in the sense that players can no longer hoodwink merchants into giving away items, there’s a literal twist. Now, the game won’t crash if you decide to treat NPCs to a Black Pudding Platter, effectively increasing the number of literal free lunches available in the game world.
But amidst all this philosophical pondering, let’s not forget the practical improvements brought by the hotfix. Alongside these changes, players can expect numerous crash fixes, scripting errors rectified, and various other minor repairs. In essence, it’s business as usual for a hotfix. For a detailed rundown of the patch notes (including some light Act 2 spoilers), see below.
