Baldur's Gate 3 Patch Nerfs Booming Blade, Buffs Eldritch Knights

A new Baldur’s Gate 3 patch is in stress testing, bringing 12 new subclasses and major changes to Booming Blade. The cantrip is now limited to once per turn, nerfing some multiclass power builds while boosting Eldritch Knights.

The update reworks Booming Blade, a popular cantrip that allowed melee spellblade builds to stack extra damage. Previously, players could abuse it with Extra Attack for free bonus damage. That’s no longer the case.

Patch notes confirm:

“Limited the Booming Blade cantrip so it cannot be used more than once per turn.”

This change prevents players from spamming Booming Blade multiple times per turn, making it less of an obvious must-pick for melee builds. However, it’s still a great choice for Arcane Trickster Rogues, who only attack once per turn anyway.

Eldritch Knights Just Got Buffed

While Booming Blade took a hit, the patch unintentionally buffs Eldritch Knights. The Fighter subclass has a feature called War Magic, which lets them make an Extra Attack after casting a cantrip.

The patch notes also mention:

“Fixed War Magic being active before Extra Attack, forcing the player to use a bonus action before getting access to other Extra Attacks.”

This suggests that using Booming Blade as part of an attack routine will still allow an extra attack via War Magic. In other words, Eldritch Knights can now mix Booming Blade into their combo for even more damage than before.

Sorcadins Indirectly Nerfed

One of the biggest D&D 5e multiclass power builds - the Sorcadin (Paladin/Sorcerer) - is now weaker.

Previously, Sorcadins could use Quicken Spell to cast Booming Blade as a bonus action, then attack again using their main action, stacking Divine Smites. But since Booming Blade is now capped at once per turn, this trick no longer works.

That said, Sorcadins are still strong - they just lost one of their most broken mechanics.

Booming Blade: Still a Top-Tier Cantrip

Despite the nerf, Booming Blade remains powerful. It still deals bonus thunder damage if enemies move, making it ideal for locking down foes. Plus, since Baldur’s Gate 3 already tweaks how D&D 5e mechanics work, the spell remains an essential tool for spellblade builds.

The patch might shake up the meta, but one thing is clear – melee casters are still a force to be reckoned with.