[2020] Pre-patch Announcement

: You can find the details for this event on the announcement page [url=https://steamcommunity.com/ogg/1086940/announcements/detail/2894088190702891543]here[/url].

Hello everyone!

Patch 3 (which hasn’t been named yet) is just around the corner, and with it comes the first changes that affect story. Unfortunately, this means Patch 3 will introduce the first save incompatibility, transitioning to the new version.

Fret not, however! Each patch will come alongside a secondary branch which will allow you to continue playing the previous version with your existing savegames, until you decide you’re ready to play on the latest version. Maybe you’d like to wait for a few patches to pass, for example, before you re-roll. Totally up to you!

It’ll work like this:

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 patch2
  
• 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.