The Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Mods You Should Know About

Top Five Mods for Baldur’s Gate 3 Worth Trying

While we are still in the early months of Baldur’s Gate 3, the modding community has been actively developing and deploying game-ready mods for the player base to utilize. Larian Studios, the game developer for Baldur’s Gate 3, has voiced their support for the modding community and will continue to deploy game enhancements, some of which we have already seen in several patch releases this Fall.

We will dive into our recommendations for the best Mods released for Baldur’s Gate 3 but I need to make a few assumptions.

First, you are familiar with modding video games or other cRPGs such as Skyrim or Larian Studios’ previous game, Divinity Original Sins 2. Second, you are familiar with NexusMods.

If either of these notes above seems confusing, I recommend researching some more information on mods before coming back to this article. NexusMods is currently the only supported Modding service for Baldur’s Gate 3 and there are recommended or required utility mods to help the game properly support gameplay changing mods like the ones in our list.

1. Party Limit Begone

As the title of this mod suggests, Party Limit Begone significantly increases the total allowable size of your party. Typically in Tabletop Role Playing Games (TTRPGs), there may not be a
party size limit because the Game Master, or Dungeon Master, can simply increase the number of enemies or ramp up the difficulty for each encounter based on the number of players in the party.

This becomes a challenge for developers in Computer Role Playing Games (cRPGs) because most encounters and the intricate dialogue options are hard-coded. We give the developers at Larian Studios a break because they created such a robust storyline, but thanks to Mod Author SildurFX, you now have the option to control up to 16 players in your party at once and this mod increases the multiplayer limit to 8 total players!

SildurFX has been continuously providing updates for the mod since its release in early May 2022 during the early access for Baldur’s Gate 3. If you are looking to catch more of the dialogue interactions in your next solo playthrough, or if you have more than 3 friends you wish to play with at the same time, Party Limit Begone is a must for your next campaign.

NexusMods – Party Limit Begone

2. 5e Spells

For those familiar with the entire list of spells from Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, this mod might be a new requirement for your next playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3. 5e Spells provides over 70 unimplemented spells into the world of Baldur’s Gate 3.

In order to expand on the production spell list, this mod requires the Script Extender created by Norbyte. Additionally, there are limitations on higher-level spells so presently no 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th-level spells are implemented in this mod.

Number of Spells Added

• Cantrips – 20
• 1st Level – 13
• 2nd Level – 21
• 3rd Level – 15
• 4th Level – 5
  5th Level – 9

The modding community is working very closely with this mod’s creator, DiZ91891, to continue identifying bugs and providing regular updates to the mod.

At the time of writing this article, DiZ91891 provided a new release on 10/10/23 while the mod had been originally created during Baldur’s Gate 3’s early access back in November of 2020. DiZ91891 has also committed to providing additional 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th-level spells once the game allows for this addition.

If you’re looking for more spell-casting options in your next playthrough, 5e Spells is definitely worth a try!

NexusMods – 5e Spells

3. ImprovedUI ReleaseReady

One major wish from the player base of Baldur’s Gate 3 is for enhancements to the standard user interface (UI) implemented by Larian Studios.

The ideal UI almost always varies by each player, something mod author Djmr was looking to provide. The results of utilizing this mod include additional UI options so that you have access to the exact UI experience of your dreams.

While this mod makes several UI changes available, here are some of the highlights:

• Origin Character Customization
• Tweaks to how dialogue is displayed
• Show all items as labeled (done as standard by pressing the ALT key)
• Smaller Minimap or Remove Mini Map
• Action Resources are displayed with the action
• Redesign the Origin Hireling Characters
• Optional Feat Access at Level 1
• Works with several other mods adding content like feats, spells, etc.

A full list of the changes and customizable options can be found in the description of the mod page on NexusMod, link below. If you’re longing for a change in the user interface experience, I highly suggest giving this mod a try.

Mod author, Djmr, originally published this mod in September of 2022 and has consistently provided improvements, the latest of which was released in early October 2023. If you have additional suggestions for UI changes, the posts section of this mod page is a great place to share thoughts and ideas with the mod author.

NexusMods – ImprovedUI ReleaseReady

4. Tav’s Hair Salon & Vessnelle’s Hair Collection

One of the most common mods for computer role playing games like Baldur’s Gate 3 focuses on expanding the visual aspect of creating custom characters. I have surfaced two mods that do a great job expanding on the fairly limited hairstyles provided in the base game. The purpose of these mods are to provide variety between your custom character and the non-player controlled characters you will encounter during your journey throughout Baldur’s Gate 3.

Both hairstyle mods provide brand-new hairstyles primarily for Humans, Elves, Drows, Githyankis, Half-Elves and Tieflings. These additions do not alter the vanilla hairstyles implemented by Larian Studios.

One limitation of the mod is that additional hairstyles do not include physics when your character moves and typically will clip through headgear like hats and helmets. Consider this mod primarily as a cosmetic change for expanding the uniqueness of your custom character, most often noticed during dialogue sequences.

Tav’s Hair Salon was created by mod author Toarie and was originally in April of 2021 with the latest update on September 30th, 2023.

Vessnelle’s Hair Collection was created by mod author Vessnelle and was originally uploaded in August of 2023 with the latest update on September 25th, 2023.

NexusMod Page – Tav’s Hair Salon
NexusMod Page – Vessnelle’s Hair Collection

5. Artificer & Other New Classes

Perhaps the best way to experience something new within the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 is to download a mod that provides a brand new class. Larian Studios provided the original 12 classes found in Dungeon and Dragons 5th edition, which left many players longing for the Artificer.

For those unfamiliar, the Artificer is the only official player class for 5th edition Dungeon and Dragons released after the official release of the Players Handbook by Wizards of the Coast. In any case, mod creator KiderionLykon provided us with the Artificer class and all official subclasses for your next playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Artificer Character Selection

The Artificer class revolves around providing utility and support to your allies with access to new skills and abilities. There are four subclasses included in this mod which further expands on those new utility and support skills. Here’s a summary of each class and what their playstyle is like

• Alchemist – Create elixirs and potions to support your allies.
• Armorer – A martial-focused subclass who can be a metal-clad frontline or a stealthy fighter.
• Artillerist – Typically a ranged explosives expert who may dabble with magical cannons.
• Battle Smith – A melee subclass focused on infusions and fighting alongside their companion.

Along with Artificer, several additional classes can be added to the world in Baldur’s Gate 3, thanks to the modding community! Once I started exploring alternative class options, it felt like a new experience exploring the same interactions in Baldur’s Gate 3 again.

While new classes may not completely change the encounters or story, they provide a different experience for advanced players. Here are some of my favorites for your consideration:

• Blood Hunter
• Death Knight
• Demon Hunter
• Harlequin
• Magus
• Red Mage

The Artificer class was originally updated on September 2023 with the latest update of October 2023.

NexusMod Page – Artificer Class and All Subclasses
NexusMod Page – Blood Hunter
NexusMod Page – Death Knight
NexusMod Page – Demon Hunter
NexusMod Page – Harlequin
NexusMod Page – Magus
NexusMod Page – Red Mage

In Conclusion

Baldur’s Gate 3 mods are a testament to the creativity and dedication of the gaming community.

They offer players the opportunity to shape and enhance their gaming experiences, and the community is expecting an extension to the longevity of a game due partially to mods.

It is essential to understand that the reason the community believes so strongly in modding Baldur’s Gate 3 is the history between modders and Larian Studios.

There are years of success stories between the community and the developing team at Larian Studios which should continue to expand on how players enjoy Baldur’s Gate 3 for many years to come