How To Install (& Use) Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Manager
Mods have been one of the most lauded creations of the Baldur’s Gate 3 community, but installing them can be confusing and intimidating for players new to modding. If you’re new to mods, worry not! A few setup files must be placed in the game directory, but for the most part, the Manager is plug-and-play.
As you might guess, Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Manager is a mod manager and is the software recommended to install and manage your mods. After installing some essential files, the BG3MM will allow players to create unique characters, play new subclasses, and even play new races not included in the base game. Mods can be installed without the Mod Manager, but it provides a smoother user experience and simplifies uninstalling/deactivating mods.
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What Is Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Manager?
Developed by LaughingLeader on GitHub and as shown by easymode on YouTube, the BG3 Mod Manager is software that organizes and implements any mods you might want to download and use in your game. The first step is downloading the Mod Manager from GitHub and extracting the folders from zip to somewhere you will remember. Next, you’ll want to install the two essential files that make mods work.
The first of the two is called the Script Extender, and files of its type are used with all Larian games to make them moddable. This file can be downloaded from its creator, Norbyte, on GitHub. The instructions for proper installation are also on Norbyte’s GitHub page, but if you’re unfamiliar with the site, they might be confusing. Here’s what you need to do:
- Download the Script Extender file.
- Extract the files from the zip to somewhere you will remember.
- Go to Steam, hit the gear icon on the Baldur’s Gate 3 game page in your library, then go to “Manage,” then “Browse local files.” This will open the game files where they are stored on your hard drive.
- Pull the file called “Dwrite.dll” from the Script Extender download and place it in the “Baldurs Gate 3\bin” directory. The file path will look like this: “c:\Program Files (86x)\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\bin”
That’s all you need for the Script Extender. To ensure it’s worked, look in the bottom left of the main menu when you launch the game. You may have to launch the game more than once, but it will say “Script Extender version XX loaded, built on DATE” once properly installed. The next file you will need is more straightforward to install, and it’s called the BG3 Mod Fixer. This can be found where you will source all of your mods: NexusMods.
How To Use Nexus Mods & The Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Manager
To download from Nexus Mods, you will need to make an account, but that’s as simple as entering an email and password. Next, download Norbyte’s Mod Fixer, which works with the Script Extender to implement mods into Badlur’s Gate 3.
From here, you can drag and drop the zip file from your downloads straight into the Mod Manager window, and a green bar should pop up in the bottom left, saying that the file was uploaded successfully. If not, inside the mod manager, go to “File,” then “Import Mod,” and choose the Mod Fixer file from your downloads.
From here, you can download mods and install them like you did with the Mod Fixer. To make sure they work, be sure to hit the “Save Load Order to File” (Save Icon) and “Export Order to Game” buttons before launching the game. Another thing you can do using the Mod Manager is implement different sets of mods.
If you have one playthrough with a modded subclass in Baldur’s Gate 3 but want to play a different save without it, you can save multiple load orders that let you switch between mods without messing with the game files.
Launch the game through the mod manager using the small
Baldur’s Gate 3
icon in the top bar of the Mod Manager to avoid any warnings from the normal Larian launcher.
Using the Mod Manager might be confusing at first, but in the long run, it’s the best way to organize and implement any mods you want to use in your playthroughs. Let your imagination run wild, and take advantage of some of the coolest mods in Baldur’s Gate 3 that the modding community has to offer. Whether you want to play an artificer or a kobold, there are mods for you, and with the Mod Manager, installing mods is more accessible than ever.
Source: LaughingLeader/GitHub, easymode/YouTube, Norbyte’s Mod Fixer
Baldur’s Gate 3
- Released
- August 31, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
