Tips for Mod Users

General Tips for Mod Users

Use a Backup

Right-click on the game in Your Steam Library -> Manage -> Browse local files -> copy the folders bin and Data to another location e.g. C:\BG3versionXX or C:\BG3modded etc.

Benefits

That backup copy will not auto-update. Means you can keep playing with your mods without worrying that mods you use will become incompatible in case of an update. That also means if you messed up with modding you can easily restore the game without the need to redownload the whole 143 GB again.

All you need for that is 30 seconds of your time and enough storage space - even a USB stick can suffice.

Related Guides

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3077201809
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3023295121

Use Mod Profile

Note: Disable Steam Cloud for the game to avoid issues
Right-click on the game in Your Library -> Properties -> Steam Cloud
You could use multiple Windows accounts for beginners to keep things cleanly separated.

Or you go to

%localappdata%\Larian Studios

by copy & paste that line into your Windows Explorer address bar and there you find the folder Baldur's Gate 3

Now, if you rename it to e.g. Alpha-Baldur's Gate 3 the game generates a new Baldur's Gate 3 folder.

The active folder is always the one which is unaltered "Baldur's Gate 3". That means you can easily switch profiles by just renaming them.

Example

you intent to mod your game -> you go rename that folder as described above.

Now you get a new profile which you do mod.

If you want to switch back to vanilla just rename the profile you modded e.g. into Modded-Baldur's Gate 3 and the previously Alpha-Baldur's Gate 3 you rename back to just "Baldur's Gate 3".

Et voilà - you switched from modded profile to vanilla. With that method you can switch between modded and vanilla profile vice versa whenever you need it, having your vanilla savegames and your modded savegames cleanly separated WITHOUT THE NEED to DELETE YOUR MODS.

Benefits

Take for example you usually play modded but your friend wants to play with you vanilla. It can be either a hassle or as easy as described to prepare your game.

And if you ever messed up with mods, you just need to remove the modded profile to restore the game back to vanilla while keeping your vanilla savegames safe.

Browse mod.io

Browse for Mods with Your Internet Browser

Just access the official Baldur's Gate 3 mods selection with your internet browser using

https://mod.io/g/baldursgate3

No account required.

Not even for downloads.



You can comfortably download mods there and place them manually into your game's mod selection by putting them in the folder

%localappdata%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Mods

The mods you put in there will be recognised correctly by the built-in mod manager. The same goes for any third-party mods, such as the popular Nexusmods - although you will need an account to download them, so mod.io may be a better choice.

mod.io Mods and Mods from Other Sources can be Mixed

Just to be clear, you do not have to choose between the options. You just have to make sure that the mods are compatible with each other. Read the instructions and descriptions carefully.

Advantages

I understand that this sounds like more work than simply subscribing to mods via the in-game Mod Manager when logged in. But there are advantages, such as

- no account required
- no auto-updates of mods

Think about it: updates can quickly introduce incompatibilities, even unintentionally. You could downgrade mods, depending on how the mod manager works. But I would not count on it. And what if a mod author suddenly decides to remove a mod from the available selection? Manual downloading gives you full control to deal with such issues quickly and easily, preventing them before they become problems.

Direct Connect

Always use Direct Connect instead of Steam Connect

First thing first: I never had Steam related multiplayer issues. That is because I never used Steam to connect for playing with friends. I always use the direct connection option ingame.




Analysing the forums mentions it leads to the conclusion that is just logical, as Steam attempts a game parity for connection which can be observed with other games in different occassions.

In simple words: mods can cause issues with the connection if you use Steam to connect.

Better: use direct connect and do not use the LariLauncher.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3015166965
(I recommend method C - that way you can choose not to use Vulkan)
That reduce the chances of issues to connect with multiplayer while using mods.

Syncing Mods in Multiplayer

When playing multiplayer with mods, there are two major obstacles that can arise.

The first is the misconception that if a mod works in singleplayer, it will also work in multiplayer.
If you have done everything else correctly and it still does not work, it is best to contact the mod author for help.

The second obstacle is synchronisation: having the same mods and the same order in which they load. Even if you are playing with friends, it can be difficult to ensure that you really have identical versions of mods and the necessary identical mods load order. To solve this problem, use a file-sharing tool such as Dropbox, MEGA or Google Drive.

Go to

%localappdata%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\

Reminder: you can copy & paste these lines into your Windows Explorer's address bar for easy access / alternative copy & paste that line into the Run terminal (WIN+R)



and copy the folder Mods to share it via the tool

then do the same with the modsettings.lsx you can find in

%localappdata%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public

Share these files with your party members, and all they have to do is copy and paste the content into the same locations on their PCs (overwriting their existing files). This way you can be sure that you always have the same versions of the mod files and the same order in which the mods are loaded.

Make sure not to forget to do the same with any mods you have placed anywhere else but the Mods folder - like e.g. Norbyte's Baldur's Gate 3 Script Extender

Note about 'Script Extender

If you use Norbyte's Baldur's Gate 3 Script Extender, make sure to use the correct version ALL. THE. TIME. Most mod related issues are usually related to Script Extender for obvious reasons. Hence you do not find it (yet) with the official mod selection with the in-built mod manager.

On that matter:

If you make changes in your game folder, take note

Naked men and Dark Urge, "Not Found" everywhere, blank GUI - all those are typically results of people having forgotten about files they put in their game folder. They tend to remove the Mods from the Mods folder, but forget about things like e.g. Script Extender among other things

Related Guides

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3159316443
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3126703693

Check Vanilla First

I cannot stop you and I do not want to stop you if you want to file a proper bug report using the official form https://larian.com/support/baldur-s-gate-3#modal

In fact I commend everyone who does it properly by attaching DxDiag report and savegame to make it easily reproducable for developers.

However.

If you use mods, it is most likely your mods are causing the issue. So do not complain before you have reproduced the issue in your vanilla game. Otherwise you are blocking the developers time which they could use to address actual issues.

Related Guides

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3028112456
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3018815871

Getting Back to Vanilla

If you have not used these tips before, and you have already used mods and encountered problems, use this guide to perform a clean uninstall before reinstalling the game. Only by following the steps in this guide can you be 100% sure that your game will return to its vanilla state.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3165940575
By following the tips in this guide, you will never need to use this method, as all you need to do is either load a backup of your game or simply delete the modded version, leaving the original version untouched.

Thanks for Reading!

I hope these tips can help you having an easier and especially frustration-free time while enjoying the game modded.

Happy adventuring!