How BG3’s new toolkit works and everything else you need to know about mod updates

Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7 brought a major new modding option to the table, and it could change what the future of the game looks like. As developer Larian Studios prepares to eventually step away from the ongoing work on Baldur’s Gate 3Putting more tools in the hands of the community helps ensure that the game will be able to live for much longer. The new toolkit will still have some major restrictions, but it makes changing some aspects of the game much easier than before.

The widespread popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3 Quickly attracted a modding community It’s been full steam ahead since the game’s launch, and modders have been going a long way even without an official toolkit. Although it is not as open to transformative overhauls as a game The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Yes, there was a lot of room to change character appearances, unlock certain restrictions in progression, add in missing from DNDAnd more. With the long-awaited release of Patch 7, there should be much more to come.

Powerful software with limitations

Unlike other updates to Baldur’s Gate 3, The Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit is available as a separate application for free on SteamAs indicated in the patch notes available on the official Baldur’s Gate 3 Website. To ensure it shows up in their library, modders may have to enable the Toolkit DLC in the Baldur’s Gate 3 Properties menu on Steam and ensure that tools are selected to appear in the library view. Right now, the toolkit is only available for PC users, but Larian has plans to bring it to Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Larian has provided step-by-step instructions for creating mods in the toolkit on the mod.io website, although the process can still be intimidating for those who haven’t had prior experience with modding. These include examples of how to make some basic mods, like spells, dice and classes. A currently incomplete tutorial for creating VFX requires a more involved process. The full list of mod types supported by the toolkit can also be found on this site.

Veterans of Larians Divinity: Original Sin Gamers may already be familiar with elements of this approach thanks to Larian’s previous modding tool, the Divinity Engine, which features a number of core similarities and uses the same proprietary Osiris script for scripting mods. Larian has positioned the new toolkit as less extensive but easier to use than its predecessor. There aren’t tools for large-scale changes like level editing and new quests, so this still won’t open the door to a flood of additional story content or overhauls.

An in-game Mod Manager makes BG3 mods accessible

Browsing a website is not necessary

The new toolkit is achieved through an in-game mod manager for Baldur’s Gate 3Which makes it possible to browse mods created and uploaded by the toolkit. The interface provides various options to filter and sort mods by both overarching and specific categories, along with a general search function. Installed mods can be enabled, disabled and uninstalled through the mod manager, and players using the same mods can participate in multiplayer campaigns with mods enabled, as long as everything synchronizes through a mod verification menu.

As for mods uploaded to the official mod manager, Larian has laid out a basic set of guidelines for what content is acceptable. Content must be original work or have the appropriate permissions for use, so using the work of others or injecting copyrighted material without clearance won’t fly. The same goes for elements lifted directly from other Larian Studios games. material that is “Discriminatory, racist, obscene, defamatory, offensive, or likely to adversely affect the reputation or goodwill of Larian Studios“is off the table, and”Malicious code” or otherwise damaging content is obviously banned.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is not removing any mod compatibility

Past mod favorites should still work with BG3

The new modding solutions are not intended to overwrite work that the community has done and will continue to do outside of the official solution, and the patch notes explain that Larian has made efforts to ensure that mods using the Baldur’s Gate 3 Script Extender should continue to work. Mod authors have been part of the testing process for the toolkit and patchAnd the official mod manager already has a selection of mods available.

Modding platform mod.io is an integral part of Larian’s solution, however It will still be possible to turn to sites like Nexus Mods for other options. Some third-party mods may still cease to function after the update, a normal consequence of patches, and there may always be incompatibilities or problems caused between specific mods available through the mod manager and other platforms.

The new modding options are far from the only major change in Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7, which also adds new evil endings, a dynamic split-screen feature, fresh challenges in Honor mode, and more. As usual, there is also a long list of bug fixes, so the game should be more stable than ever before (installing mods always comes with a risk of upsetting the balance, of course). It’s an exciting time to be a fan of Baldur’s Gate 3And official mod support just so happens to be the most game-changing part of the patch.

Sources: Baldur’s Gate 3 (1, 2), mod.io