There are already hundreds of mods for Baldur’s Gate 3, but we’ll pick out some of the best and tell you what they do and how to install them.
Already by design, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a massive role-playing game. However, in the vastness of the Internet you can also find quite a few fantastic mods that even improve, expand or further adapt the title to your personal taste. We’ll introduce you to 16 particularly exciting modifications and explain everything there is to consider when installing them.
Table of Contents
New class and group size
Party Limit Begone
We have already written about this extremely useful mod, but in short: it simply extends the party member limit. So you can roam around like in Baldur’s Gate 2 with six or even more characters.
Installation: In the mods folder in the game directory.
Artificer class and all subclasses
This mod adds the thirteenth D&D class, the Artificer. This is a very specialized mage who turns objects into weapons using his intelligence-based abilities. (We’ve already reported on this mod as well), check there for even more info.
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Cosmetic: colors and hairstyles
(Tav’s Hair Salon)
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Extra Dyes for the Fashionable Folk of Faerun
This is not only a few new colors, but also the useful property of infinite yield. You can use each of these colors an unlimited number of times. So you don’t have to buy new colors all the time, which can be expensive and time-consuming.
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Equipment, spells and weightless gold
5E Spells
You hereby expand your spell repertoire with quite a few new spells from the official D&D rulebook.
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Basket Full of Equipment
A lot of new armor for all slots of your inventories: heavy, medium and light armor.
Installation: Into the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Gold Zero Weight
Gold Zero Weight. Finally carry around endless amounts of junk with you!
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Miscellaneous
(Better Hotbar 2)
Various variants of the hotbar that make better use of the available screen space and give you more slots to trigger abilities or items without fuss.
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Better Maps All-In-One
By the same author as the mod before. You get freedom of choice how your map will look like thanks to this mod.
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
Immersive AI
According to the author, he has written a completely new AI for all imaginable NPCs and monsters. These should not only act more cleverly in combat, but also simply according to their nature.
Installation: In the mods folder in the Windows user folder
How do I install mods for Baldur’s Gate 3?
We can’t explain how to install each mod individually at this point, but luckily the ways are similar. Here we will show you the basics, which you then only need to apply to the corresponding explanation in the mod description.
Different directories
Unfortunately, installing mods in Baldur’s Gate 3 is not as simple as in Bethesda titles, for example. There are different paths and, moreover, in some cases there are entries to be made in files. This seems to have something to do with packed or unpacked mods. The majority now use .pak archives.
There are two relevant mod folders:
- X:\Users\……………..\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur’s Gate 3\Mods.
- X:\…………………\Baldur’s Gate 3\Data\Mods
From experience, most mods use the former, but there are exceptions, which we point out on the first page for each mod. But in general, the whole process can be simplified as well: So here are two indispensable tips that will make all of the following mod installations easier for you.
1. BG3 mod manager, the easiest way
In almost all situations (the free BG3 mod manager) will help you. With its help you can not only unpack mods directly from the zip archive into the right folder, but also make necessary entries in configuration files. And the manager helps you to adjust the load order, which may be necessary depending on the mod used.
And the best: The manager even updates itself automatically.
Our recommendation: Even if the setup sounds simple, as soon as a mod mentions the manager, use it.
2. important mods to start modding
Not mandatory, but recommended: Even if by far not all mods recommended here have the same requirements, it is recommended to simply install the following pre-mods, since they are simply needed as a basis by an enormous number of others.
- (Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Fixer) – via Modmanager or in Mods folder in AppData.
- (Script Extender Launcher) – this file must be moved to the bin directory in the installation folder. There you will also find the .exe files of Baldur’s Gate 3.
- (ImprovedUI ReleaseReady) – via Modmanager or in Mods folder in AppData.
- (Native Mod Loader) – must go to the bin directory in the installation folder and overwrite the original files there. There you will also find the .exe files of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Why should I install the mods? Do I absolutely need them? No, you may not need any of these four mods at all, because not every fan creation we list requires them. But many do.
And most importantly, the ImprovedUI also makes a few improvements out of the box, without any mods saddled on it, without changing the faithful operation or appearance itself.
