The 14 best Baldur's Gate 3 quality of life and style mods

By James On Dec 22, 2023

although Baldur's Gate 3 is a multi-award winning and highly rated fantasy RPG. You can always download some mods to add even more individuality and customization to your playthrough (if you're playing on PC, that is). Do you wish Astarion was a woman? There's a mod for that. Want more character customization options? There are a lot of of mods for that. And if the actual gameplay isn't exactly what you want, there are dozens of mods for that too.

Search available mods for Baldur's Gate 3 can be time-consuming, especially if some mods look the same even though they function in distinctly different ways. That's why we've put together the following list of the best BG3 mods to improve your gameplay experience.

Before downloading any of the mods below, be sure to download it Smiling Leader BG3 Mod manager. Check out LaughingLeader's guide to setting it up or, if you want more guidance on how to set up mods without interrupting your game, check out Reddit user lilpidgeons' quick and easy tutorial start. You will also need non-cosmetic modifications Norbytes Baldur's Gate 3 Script extender, which comes with an installation manual. Be careful with the latter: every time Larian Studios releases a patch BG3, you must wait for the script expander to update before loading your save file. If you don't, you run the risk of breaking the whole thing and having to start all over again. While Larian is very generous with post-release patches based on player feedback (for example, introducing new epilogues and kiss animations), these updates will wreak havoc on custom games.

If you want to install pre-release era mods, check out Chance Santana-Wees' Baldur's Gate 3 Mod fixer to force the story to be recompile and make those mods work with the full game. If you're having trouble loading the game after Patch 5 because you had mods installed before the update, try this workaround by blightedmods. Now that you're ready to start modifying your Baldur's Gate 3 experience, here are the best mods to improve your game.

Mods that improve the quality of life in Baldur's Gate 3

Improved UI ReleaseReady

Image: AlanaSP, ShinyHobo, Djmr, Zee/Nexus mods

This mechanics mod changes the user interface to improve custom games for a smoother, better experience overall. In addition to improving character creation options, EnhancedUI ReleaseReady also removes in-game warnings and provides optional files based on player feedback to replace other UI elements. At the time of writing, the creator has released a Patch 5 compatible update, so it works with the current version of the game.

WASD character movement

Vanilla Baldur's Gate 3, players move characters by clicking the mouse around the map, which may feel clunky or difficult to manage for PC players accustomed to using the WASD keys on their keyboards. If you prefer to use keyboard controls, Ch4nKyy's WASD Character Movement mod is a must have. At the time of writing, this mod has been updated for Patch 5 compatibility.

Performance enabler

If you have a modified version of Baldur's Gate 3 on Steam or GOG you might find that you don't unlock achievements, which is a problem for PC gamers who both want to customize their playing experience and still unlock those shiny badges. Do not worry: DK's Achievement Enabler restores the ability to unlock Steam and GOG achievements in custom games. At the time of writing, this mod has been updated for Patch 5.

Notifications about camp events

An image of a Baldur's Gate 3 character with an exclamation point above his head, courtesy of the Camp Event Notifications mod.

When you're grinding hard BG3 and if you don't stop often enough for a long break, you may miss camp-specific events and dialogue scenes that are only available at certain points in the story. To avoid losing rich character and story moments, you can enable this Notifications about camp events, a mod that adds visual notifications for when to opt for long nights of rest at camp. Kvalyr's original mod is in English, and there is a Korean language version by bk0n9.

Show approval ratings in dialogue choices

A series of dialogue choices a player can select in Baldur's Gate 3; each includes an overview of which characters each will approve or disapprove. It is thanks to the Show Approval Ratings in Dialogue Choices mod.

Dialog options Baldur's Gate 3 are determined by class and skills, and each provides a different outcome in conversations with NPCs. If you're concerned about maintaining or deteriorating certain relationships, it's worth downloading Knapper234's approval ratings mod, which lays out exactly how what you say will elevate or degrade you in the eyes of your companions. This allows you to make more informed decisions in the dialogue wheel, potentially eliminating the need to save scum for each cutscene.

Mods that change the appearance and clothing in Baldur's Gate 3

Unique tailor-made Tav appearance

If you want your Tav to have a completely unique look as you make your way through Faerûn, look no further than this mod by kartoffel, which adds new and unique facial makeup and tattoo textures, body textures and models, and optional upscaled body tattoos. There are a plethora of additional mods you can add to this for an even more polished look. Check out the bug discussion topics as Larian releases patch updates: This mod is great, but sometimes requires extra patience.

Customer Compendium – Unlocking NPC options

A custom Baldur's Gate 3 character, courtesy of the Customiser's Compendium - NPC Options Unlocker mod.

Into the NPCs Baldur's Gate 3 are hot, and if you wish your Tav could share certain physical traits with his companions, you're not alone. If you want your Tav to have the curly locks of Astarion or even the sleek, pushed-back hair of Mystra, you can unlock NPC customization options with this mod by AlanaSP. You may experience some awkward moments at camp if you're dressed like your romantic interest, but rest assured they won't notice.

Strong feminine heads

A portrait photo of a custom femme character in Baldur's Gate 3, courtesy of the Strong Female Heads mod.

If you play a femme Tav, you may have discovered that most face presets and heads don't fit well with the “strong” body type, which doesn't feel great considering how limited these body types are to begin with. place. Dufresne's Strong Female Heads mod helps curb this frustration, which can be enormous depending on how you want your Tav to look. Adding two new body type 3 facial presets to the game, this mod works for tieflings, humans, drow, elves, and half-elves, and will make your Tav look significantly better in every part of the game, from the creator of the character to cutscenes.

Vessnelle's hair collection

This hair collection mod adds tons of new hair options for humans, elves, half-elves, tieflings, drow, and githyanki (mostly femme). We also recommend Tav's hair salon from Toarie, which adds new hairstyles for body types 1 and 2. Unfortunately, Toarie's hair mods appear without icons in the character creator, requiring you to click on each hairstyle to get an idea of what it looks like. You can fix this problem by downloading Icon and racing patches for Tav's hair salon by perseidipity.

Horns of Faerun

Just like the vanilla hair options in Baldur's Gate 3, the horn options may feel limited for players making tieflings. That's true this expansion mod from Aloija comes in and adds several new horn options from various NPCs in Faerûn to the character creator. You can make it as luxurious or simple as you like, with color options for further customization.

CovenElf's tattoo and makeup collection

A portrait photo of a purple-skinned woman in Baldur's Gate 3. They have silver constellation tattoos on their faces, courtesy of the CovenElf's Tattoo and Makeup Collection mod.

For this customization modCovenElf has collected a collection of original tattoo and makeup designs, as well as tattoo and makeup designs inspired by media such as World of Warcraft. While there are currently a small number of options available, CovenElf plans to expand the collection to at least 44 different designs.

Basket equipment to camping clothes

Shadowheart and Gale in Baldur's Gate 3 wear cute outfits, courtesy of the Basket Equipment to Camp Clothing mod.

If you don't care how stylish your Tav is, don't worry about downloading this mod. like you Real If you care how stylish your Tav is, take a look AnteMaxx's Camping Clothes Basket Gear Mod immediately. This allows you to replace your equipment slots and boots with camping clothes and shoes, but keep your bonuses when you travel and fight. Alternatively, you can show your Tav and companions a lot of skin AnteMaxx's Basket of Equipment (NSFW version)which adds nearly 1,000 pieces of gear and armor for humanoid races, which may include topless, skimpy, or naked components.

Cloaks of Faerun

There are simply not enough coats available in vanilla Baldur's Gate 3! If you're feeling a serious lack of options for your majestic style, Araelynn's Cloaks of Faerun mod offers more cloak and cape options to spice up your look. These items can be found in certain chests in Faerûn, adding extra flavor to the game's basic looting system. Note: If you have already looted chests before downloading this mod, the chests will not respawn. It's best to install this to a new save file so you don't miss anything.

Noble Trickster's Garments

Are you playing a roguish female character and want to spice up her appearance? ArthurRevan has created perhaps the best look for this class Baldur's Gate 3 with the Noble Trickster's Garments mod. Although it is only available to female drow, tieflings, humans, elves and half-elves with non-strong body types, it has customization options including color and skirt length, making for a particularly excellent look.