Getting Started with Baldur's Gate 3 Modding

Baldur's Gate 3 has two parallel modding paths in 2026: the official Larian Mod Manager built into the launcher, and the community BG3 Mod Manager + Script Extender stack. Most new modders should start with the official path and graduate to the community tools only when a mod you want isn't available officially.

This guide covers both, starting with the official path because it's where 80% of mod-using players live.

Path A — Official (Larian Mod Manager)

This is the recommended path for casual modding.

Step 1 — Launch the Larian Launcher

When you start Baldur's Gate 3 from Steam or GOG, the Larian Launcher appears first. On the launcher, the Mods tab opens the official mod browser, which pulls from Mod.io as the backend.

Step 2 — Subscribe to mods

Browse the Mods tab, click Add to load order on any mod you want. The launcher downloads it, validates compatibility with your game version, and queues it for the next game launch.

Reorder mods via drag-and-drop in the Load Order sub-tab. Heavier-impact mods (rule changes, class additions) usually want to load after smaller QoL mods.

Step 3 — Launch the game

Click Play on the launcher. The game loads with your mod set active. A "Mods" indicator appears on the main menu.

Step 4 — Saving

Mod-enabled saves are flagged distinctly from vanilla saves. Removing a mod that added new content (subclasses, items, story branches) from your active load order can corrupt those saves — back up before disabling content mods.

That's the entire official path. For most players this is enough.

Path B — Community (BG3 Mod Manager + Script Extender)

Use this path when you want:

• Mods that aren't on Mod.io (Nexus-only mods).
• Script Extender Lua mods.
• More granular load order control.

Step 1 — Install BG3 Script Extender

BG3 Script Extender (BG3SE) is a community-built Lua runtime by Norbyte. Required for any mod that adds substantial scripted logic.

Download the latest release. Install per the README — typically dropping DWrite.dll (the loader) into the BG3 binaries folder, plus a settings file.

Step 2 — Install BG3 Mod Manager

BG3 Mod Manager is a separate community tool, predating Larian's official Mod Manager. It handles .pak mod files (the Larian native format).

Configure it to point at your BG3 install and to your %LocalAppData%/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/Mods/ directory.

Step 3 — Install community mods

Most non-Mod.io BG3 mods ship as .pak archives from Nexus Mods. Drag them into BG3 Mod Manager's left pane. Drag-and-drop to active load order on the right.

Save and export. Launch BG3 through Steam/GOG (not Larian Launcher's mod browser this time — the official launcher will detect the active mods and load them).

Common gotchas

• Mods downloaded from Nexus don't appear in Larian Mod Manager. Larian's mod browser only reads Mod.io. Use BG3 Mod Manager for Nexus mods.
• "Game version mismatch" on launch. A Larian patch updated the game. BG3SE needs an updated release; some mods may need updating too. Wait a day or two after big patches.
• Save game refuses to load. A previously-installed mod that contributed to that save is now missing or disabled. Re-enable it, then save into a fresh slot before disabling.
• Two mod managers fighting. Mixing the official Larian Mod Manager with BG3 Mod Manager produces inconsistent state. Pick the path you want for the bulk of your mods, use the other path only for specific exceptions.
• Multiplayer with mods. All players need the same mod set. The host's mod list is canonical; joiners with mismatches get warnings.

BG3 is one of the friendlier RPGs to mod because Larian put real engineering into the official toolchain. For most users, the in-launcher Mods tab is enough. The community tools exist for the long tail of content that doesn't fit Mod.io's stricter rules.