BG:EE Mod Guide

Improving Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition Summer 2021 Mod Guide - organized including links, descriptions, and installation instructions.

Essential Mods

Modmerge[github.com] for STEAM or GOG users - you will need to install this to use some of the mods below, including the other essential ones.

Installation: make sure you have baldur's gate and baldur's gate 2 installed. Run them both once and then quit. Extract the file, make sure it is inside of your game installation folder (thanks Divic), and then right click the modmerge.exe and click "Run as administrator". Click yes when windows confirms and follow the installation prompts.

The Baldur’s Gate 1 NPC Project[www.gibberlings3.net] - This mod adds tons of dialogue and content to the NPCs of Baldur’s Gate, particularly eligible party members. It adds a few romance tracks (Ajantis, Branwen, Coran, Dynaheir, Shar-Teel and Xan), and enriches the story. If you want my personal recommendations on romances added with this pack? Coran and Dynaheir.

Installation: download and extract bg1npc-v26.zip to your Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition installation folder (the folder which contains the CHITIN.KEY file)(example installation path: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition”). Double click setup-bg1npc.exe. Press Y to open the readme and review the modules. Follow the prompts to install the modules. You can choose to speed up the conversations if you want them to pop more often. I get through the game really quickly, so I usually change the speed to 15 minutes, but 30 minutes might be better for the average gameplay speed. This mod will ask you about portraits - decide now if you want to use your own custom portraits or the ones the mod provides. If you don't want the custom portraits from this mod, don't install the portraits for Kivan & Deheriana, and Coran (two separate prompts). Those are the only components I don't install from the mod.
*** One thing to note - this mod has an expanded Sarevok's diaries, as does Unfinished Business. You might want to check and see which version you'd like to install.

BG1 NPC Project Music Pack[www.gibberlings3.net] - trust me, you want this.

Installation: double click the bg1npcmusic-v6.exe file. Confirm the install path is where your game is installed. Install option 1 for the best experience.

BG1 Unfinished Business mod[www.pocketplane.net] -restores cut items and content, including quests, dialogue, and encounters.

Installation: extract bg1-unfinished-business-v16.4.zip to your Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition installation folder (the folder which contains the CHITIN.KEY file). Double click setup-bg1ub.exe and follow the prompts to install.

Companion Mods

Ajantis BG1 Expansion[www.gibberlings3.net] - adds a friendship track and more romance content for the BG1NPC Project romance for Ajantis.

Installation: extract the ajantis-bg1-expansion-modification-17.zip into your Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition installation folder (the folder which contains the CHITIN.KEY file). Double click Setup-AjantisBG1.exe. Follow the prompts.

Garrick’s Infatuation[www.gibberlings3.net] - allows Gorion’s foster daughter to explore a closer acquaintance with her very first biographer through a series of 25 conversations and flirtations.

Installation: run garrick_flirt-Beta_4.exe. Microsoft might confirm with you that you want to run the program because the author is unknown - click More Info and then Run anyway. It will extract to your installation path (confirm it). If it gets stuck on the black cmd box for several minutes (hangs) just X it out and double click the setup-garrick_flirt.exe in your installation folder. Follow the prompts to install.

Coran’s BG Extended Friendship Talks[www.gibberlings3.net] - This mod expands Coran’s Friendship talk sequence, adding up to eighteen (18) new banters with the protagonist (and one potential comment by Garrick) for a player character who is not in an active romance with him.

Installation: run coranbgfriend-v5.exe. Microsoft might confirm with you that you want to run the program because the author is unknown - click More Info and then Run anyway. It will extract to your installation path (confirm it). If it gets stuck on the black cmd box for several minutes (hangs) just X it out and double click the setup-coranbgfriend.exe in your installation folder. Follow the prompts to install.

Companion Portraits

I've been primarily using this portrait pack for my most recent playthrough[www.nexusmods.com].

BG1 NPC Portrait Pack[www.nexusmods.com] - I'll be transparent here; this is my pack and how I prefer the NPCs to look. If there is no replacement portrait, it's either because I've never seen one I like, or I prefer their original portrait.

If you don’t like either of those, here’s another portrait pack[www.shsforums.net] I recommend that is more artistically unified.

Installation: extract the desired .bmp files into "...\Documents\Baldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition\portraits". If you don't have a portraits folder, feel free to make one. It has to specifically be named "portraits".

Additional Mods

Romantic Encounters[www.gibberlings3.net] - BG1RE aims at populating BG1 with romantic encounters, intense dialogues, unexpected private dinners, romantic traces of long lost times, and real quests that all deal with true love, fulfilled or unfulfilled. WARNING: this mod can include adult content and triggering encounters if they are installed. They are, however, completely optional.

Installation: extract the baldurs-gate-romantic-encounters-modification-bg1re-7.0.zip into your Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition installation folder (the folder which contains the CHITIN.KEY file). Double click setup-bg1re.exe. Please check the readme if you don't want to install specific encounters - some are adult in nature and some are even triggering. Follow the prompts to install.

[lythacore]

I will give DLCMerger a try next time I play. I usually write these guides as I'm doing it myself so I remember all the small steps.

[Neuromæncer]

Hi, first of all, great guide and great mods listed here.

Instead of modmerge, I'd rather recommend DLCMerger, which is much newer and is less confusing to use and still does the same thing as original modmerge.

Link here: https://github.com/Argent77/A7-DlcMerger

[lythacore]

guide updated. new portrait pack recommendation.

[lythacore]

Thyfate, you can still export your character with these installed, but it won't carry any mod flags over. However, if you romance Xan, there is a mod that allows you to recruit him in BG2 and set the correct flags to continue your romance from BG1.

You can install them at any time, but if you have already encountered the characters that are modified, they are unlikely to have been affected. It is best to install them before you start your save.

[Thyfate]

Is it possible to export your character from BG1EE to BG2EE with those mods installed?

Also, can I install them without creating issues on an already "progressed" save (just got to the mines)?

[lythacore]

I do plan to finish up and release one for BG2!

[halo3junkiee]

Thanks for making this hope you make a BG2:EE guide as well :)

[Dainank]

Hi, please add me. I have another MOD you could add to the list ty.

[lythacore]

guide updated.

[lythacore]

guide updated.