Larian Studios will finally be introducing official modding support for Baldur’s Gate 3 in Patch Seven, which is slated to release in Septemeber—so long as the impending alpha and closed beta tests for the feature run smoothly.
Official modding support has been one of the most requested features since BG3 first arrived on PC in August last year. While players can download and install some of the best BG3 mods from sites like NexusMods, they haven’t been officially supported by Larian. As a result, several official patches (like the infamous Patch Four) had broken or corrupted games.
This divide between BG3 modders and Larian should be at an end now though, with an official Baldur’s Gate 3 modding toolkit currently being tested in alpha ahead of an expected Patch Seven release (H/T Eurogamer).
In an official post on Steam on June 3, the devs revealed Patch Seven, which contains the official modding toolkit, had been split into two testing phases: An alpha phase, which has already begun, and a closed beta. In the alpha phase, specific mod developers have been given access to BG3‘s toolkit to bring their existing mods to life, and more will be invited to test the toolkit. In July, up to 1,000 players can sign up for the closed beta to test these mods to ensure that they can be implemented into BG3 and work correctly.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with using unsupported mods from reputable sources. However, BG3 updates can conflict with mods, as we’ve seen in the past. So, having mod devs use the official toolkit means players can have a smoother and more stable gameplay experience while using their favorite mods. So, these testing phases are crucial.
The BG3 developers hope feedback from the alpha and beta tests will help refine the toolkit to make it the ultimate development tool for Baldur’s Gate modders. The best part is this will launch on PC first but will eventually come to Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox at a later date, which means everyone can finally use mods through Mod.io—the webtool Larian is using to make mods accessible for everyone everywhere.
If you want to test the mods, Larian is opening beta registration sometime in July, so keep your eyes peeled and we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
Published: Jun 3, 2024 09:30 pm