Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 7: A Million Mods and Counting

The release of Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 7 has ignited a modding frenzy. Within 24 hours of its September 5th launch, over one million mods were installed, according to Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke. This figure has since exploded, surpassing three million installs according to mod.io founder Scott Reismanis. Vincke himself described the modding community's response as "pretty big."

This surge in modding activity is fueled by Patch 7's significant additions: new evil endings, enhanced split-screen, and Larian's own integrated Mod Manager. This in-game tool simplifies the process of browsing, installing, and managing community-created content.

Existing modding tools, accessible via Steam, empower creators to build custom narratives using Larian's Osiris scripting language. These tools allow for custom script loading, basic debugging, and direct mod publishing.

Cross-Platform Modding on the Horizon

A community-developed "BG3 Toolkit Unlocked" has even unlocked a full level editor and reactivated previously restricted features within Larian's editor. While Larian initially held back full access to its development tools, citing their focus on game development rather than tool creation, the community's ingenuity has pushed boundaries.

Larian is actively developing cross-platform modding support, acknowledging the complexity of ensuring compatibility across PC and consoles. The PC version will receive this support first, with console support following after a period of testing and certification.

Beyond modding, Patch 7 boasts numerous improvements: refined UI, new animations, expanded dialogue options, bug fixes, and performance enhancements. With further updates planned, the future of Baldur's Gate 3 modding looks incredibly bright.