Baldur's Gate 3's highly anticipated Patch 7 has arrived, and the player response has been phenomenal, especially regarding the sheer volume of mods.
Baldur's Gate 3 Modding: A Massive Success
Over 3 Million Mod Installs Reported
Following Patch 7's release on September 5th, the modding community exploded. Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke tweeted that over one million mods were installed within 24 hours, declaring modding "pretty big." This was quickly surpassed; mod.io founder Scott Reismanis reported over 3 million installs and counting.
Patch 7 introduced significant new content, including evil endings, improved split-screen, and the much-requested built-in Mod Manager. This tool simplifies browsing, installing, and managing mods directly within the game.
Currently, dedicated modding tools are available via Steam, enabling creators to build their own stories using Larian's Osiris scripting language. These tools support custom scripts, basic debugging, and direct mod publishing.
Cross-Platform Modding on the Horizon
PC Gamer highlighted a community-created "BG3 Toolkit Unlocked" (by modder Siegfre on Nexus) which unlocks a full level editor and reactivates previously restricted features in Larian's editor. Larian's initial cautious approach to providing full development tool access ("We are a game development company, not a tools company," Vincke previously told PC Gamer) has clearly been tempered by the enthusiastic community response.
Larian aims to support cross-platform modding, a complex undertaking, according to Vincke. While acknowledging the challenges of making it work across PC and consoles, he confirmed a PC-first approach, with console support following later to allow for thorough testing and certification.
Beyond modding, Patch 7 boasts numerous improvements: refined UI, new animations, expanded dialogue, and substantial bug fixes and performance optimizations. With further updates planned, we anticipate more news on Larian's cross-platform modding strategy.
