How to Mod Baldur's Gate 3 | BG3 Vortex Modding Guide

Hey Y'all -- here's a tutorial for how to mod Baldur's Gate 3 using Vortex as the mod manager! Below are time stamps as well as important links!
Happy Modding!!
Complex-
✨Important Links✨
✨Vortex Mod Manager: www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/1
✨Mod Fixer: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/141
**Mod Fixer May or May Not Be Needed anymore -- there's conflicting reports.
✨Time Stamps✨
0:00 - Intro
1:10 - Installing Vortex
1:39 - Adding BG3 to Vortex
2:36 - Installing Mods via Nexus
3:20 - Installing Mods Manually
3:48 - Activating/Enabling Mods
4:30 - Load Order
5:03 - Editing BG3 Tool in Vortex
5:53 - Uninstalling Mods
6:10 - Tips & Tricks
6:20 - Mod Uninstallation Warning
6:50 - Mods Not Showing in Load Order
7:11 - Mod Requirements
7:28 - Start with One Mod First
7:39 - Replacer Mods
8:17 - Outro
✨Mods in used in Video✨
New Character Creation Presets WIP: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/205
Basket Full of Equipment SFW Version: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/87
Customizer's Compendium: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/10
Tav's Hair Salon: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/213
ImprovedUI ReleaseReady: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/366
------
✨Support The Channel✨
Patreon: www.patreon.com/foodthengames
✨Social Media✨
*Twitch: twitch.tv/foodthengames
*Twitter: foodthengames
*Website: foodthengames.com
______
DISCLAIMER: The gameplay and images associated with these games are taken from their respective games or game trailers or images from social media. All trademarks and registered trademarks present in the gameplay + images associated with the games are proprietary to their development studios and/or publishers. The use of the gameplay and associated content of the games in this video and any present in the thumbnail are believed to fall under the “fair use” clause of the United States of America copyright law.
#baldursgate3 #bg3 #BG3modding

[@FoodThenGames]

**Update: If you're having issues with Vortex and the getting a red error for each of your mods in the upper right corner bell icon, you might need NET8 for the newest version of LSlib to work properly. You can find a link for it and more information here: github.com/Norbyte/lslib/issues/225 *Mod Fixer May or May Not Be Needed anymore -- there's conflicting reports. Test it out either way to see what works for you. I'd personally suggest trying without first, then add it in if you can't get anything to work* If you're having trouble loading into the game try this mod: www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/611 Please remember to mod with caution while the game is getting patched regularly/hot fixed! Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel 🥰 ✨Channel Links ✨ Patreon: www.patreon.com/foodthengames YT Member: kzbin.infojoin Twitch: twitch.tv/foodthengames Twitter: twitter.com/foodthengames

[@giankjojo]

I don't know what mods to use in the first place tbh. btw I'll let you know I've been following your guides for a while and actually used them to succesfully mod all three Dragon Age games, so thank you for putting content out there.

[@dragonoffire9060]

thanks

[@phatmhat9174]

You explain things so well! You're like a teacher. Thank you.

[@MLitey]

So happy that you can use mods for this game.

[@RadiantNova159]

the mod fixer has been replaced with a new one

[@KingZealotTactics]

Imagine what this game will look like after 3 years once modders really get going, maybe the devs will release modding support with tools too.

[@LordDeathNote]

They've already saiad they intend to release tools in interviews some time after the PS release, so hopefully before the end of the year.

[@justelliot4870]

@@LordDeathNote oh nice I wonder if we'll ever get custom companions, like Inigo from Skyrim

[@xZeru001x]

​@justelliot4870 I would say look at divinity original Sins 2 to get a idea of modding that has happened though I assume there might be improvements it will give a baseline.

[@monodoro]

@@xZeru001x BG3 is a lot more popular than divinity, DOS2 Is still a good baseline expectation but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a couple more ambitious modding attempts with BG3

[@ExInfamous]

@@monodoro From what I've heard, BG3 is quite a bit more popular as well. DOS2 peaked at like 100k concurrent players at launch, while Baldurs Gate 3 is just shy of a million.

[@nfc14g]

5:05 DO NOT MISS THIS PART. For some reason they've chosen defaulted as Vulcan, I had to change this also. Great guide, thanks

[@dredgendorchadas6770]

Thank you so much, couldn't figure it out

[@RubberBiscuit93]

It also defaulted to Vulkan for me, I can't get it to change....

[@ashleellewellyn6431]

how do you change it?

[@InoriChan]

Select BG3 directx11 with the button edit @@ashleellewellyn6431

[@dreamowner]

This was what I was missing thank you🙏

[@plume...]

Fantastic guide as always, thanks. The mods on Nexus are starting to come in thick and fast now, it's great!

[@ExInfamous]

Quick, clear, concise. Finding an easy to follow modding video such as yours is always a gem. Thanks so much.

[@markbyrd7710]

I love that her voice is incredibly clear and professional and then her accent peeks through on certain words! Shows she's making effort to be clear.

[@grim_bacon]

simple, concise and clear! tysm for this video because so many ppl are over complicating things and making these long videos and i don't have the patience to sit through them so it's taken me a while to decide to use mods.

[@derigel9783]

OH MY GOD! YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT! Its the first time I EVER modded a game. And it works! All of it! 26 Mods and it runs like molten butter! THANK YOU!!!

[@FoodThenGames]

I’m so happy it worked for you!!!!

[@WhatBigClawsYouHave]

Damn I'm so jealous, everytime I try I can't figure it out and well I can't do anything but play it as is. I'm so dumb.

[@derigel9783]

@@WhatBigClawsYouHave I'm using the Vortex Modmanager. Shit works on everything. It even has drag an drop

[@adrianetornetto8737]

I love you mod tutorials. It is very thorough and simple to understand. I've had this game since 2021, sitting in my steam library. I must have gotten it when it was in beta. But I'm super excited to mod and play

[@kimie_c]

Whenever I need to mod a game, I look for your guides and it ALWAYS works perfectly, so thank you very much!

[@seravee2]

Man my head was seriously hurting from the stress of trying to figuring this stuff out lol. Thank you so much this video solved everything!!!

[@LadyAmalthea0615]

I've been eye-balling the EA hair mods on Nexus since the full release dropped. Glad to see today that they've been updated. As always you have the best modding tutorials.

[@CarlosVal617]

Very detailed and clear out of all the videos that I've searched up. Thank you!

[@Ada-on8yy]

Absolutely love this video, it's been really helpful! You've got a really clear voice, and you're very articulate!

[@Soulmate2216]

You are a LIFESAVER! My mods were working fine with Vortex, then suddenly they weren't, and even though they were enabled, they weren't even showing up in the actual mods folder. It was all because I needed to elevate. Thank you so much!

[@FoodThenGames]

Anytime!!! So glad it’s all working now for you!!

[@Evilsylar101]

This is my first time ever installing mods on a game and well playing on PC. This is super helpful

[@Strawbryfox]

ive been trying to use mods for like 5 months and this video was the first time that i was able to make it work. thank you!

[@aintreallygood987]

you always come through 💕 this is the fourth game your tutorials have helped me with, thank you!

[@FoodThenGames]

Anytime!! I hope you enjoy a modded BG3!

[@chrisrobinson9389]

I absolutely love your videos. I wasn’t paying attention when clicked the video and got super excited when I recognized your voice from a dragon age modding tutorial I watched years ago. Subscribed now though!

[@delilahbuttontog1748]

this was super straight forward and easy to follow along, thank you!!

[@arcticbear9619]

Thank you for sharing this! it was easy to follow and to understand, especially by someone who isn't 100% versed in computer gaming. But, just wanted to let you know, that the mod fixer has changed. I just followed the links, and it led me to the correct one. Thank you again for your video!

[@boopthesnoot1541]

Thank you!! Definitely deserves a like and subscribe. I thought from other comments that my game would like completely break or something but it actually worked and now I can play with all the mods I want. :)

[@nichole9817]

What a great quality video! Thanks for the help!

[@trisadams2224]

been waiting for your video to come out! love your videos thank you for this

[@ugh7645]

Thanks for the tutorial! This is my first time ever using mods so this was super helpful

[@Mikewai]

Oh my goodness I bashed my head off trying to mod for over an hour before I found your video, one watch and I got it! thank you! All i was missing were the multiple "deployment requires elevation" messages.... d'oh!

[@JayJay-qu4nw]

I hope and wish that modders just stick to vortex as a mod manager from now on , it's way easier to apply mods and disable them. And it will easily notify you of newer mods. This can promote modders to upload mods onto nexus more often than to post them unsafely offsite.

[@Aerin1]

Omg thank you. Ive been messing around with it for hours to no avail. And i stumbled upon your video detailing what to do when things dont appear in the loader.. and that was it. Two minute fix. Thank you thank you thank youuuu

[@fireheist6603]

thanks for the clarity in the explanation ♥

[@thestellarelite]

Thank you so much for this! I was hoping mods would start rolling out though I won't do any until my second play through whenever that is like next decade lol

[@f4jjj624]

Finally, a KZbin tutorial that wasn't edited by a 6 year old on a sugar high. Well paced and well written 👍

[@dennisschlueter9386]

thanks for the video, simple, straight to the point and with a very pleasant voice :D

[@ledrakkar8074]

I have never seen a beter tutorial ! Thank you a lot.

[@ellebish0p]

thanks so much for this! finished my first playthrough and i'm so excited to get started on a modded one!

[@br0k3nilluzion]

awesome video !! Would love to see more mods and mod packs installed and running.. Cant wait until adventure pack mods start coming out from the wild. It's going to be fun to see what adventures the community comes up with.

[@Otakudadpool]

Awesome best tutorial for a game I've seen in a long time

[@zojeri]

Glad this worked for most people. I followed this step by step, *made sure to install the requirements of each mod and once everything was done I opened the game. It loaded normally but after 10 seconds it crashed and I got a bunch of messages from the BG3 launcher saying the cause was mods etc and now won't let me open the game. So now I'll have to figure out how to fix it :c

[@Damieboo]

Had the same problem, followed all the mod requirements, made sure there were no mismatches but still getting errors upon startup so I uninstalled everything, deleted all the mod files and my game still won't start, I had to delete everything and redownload. And I live in an area with exceptionally slow internet so not only lost my save files, but have to wait a full day and a half just to play again. Don't recommend trying to mod this game in its current state.

[@dyinginfashion2558]

@@Damiebooyeah I had the same exact issue. I’ve used nexus for several games before and never ran into problems until now.

[@Damieboo]

@@dyinginfashion2558 I eventually got it fixed, sadly Larian never responded back to my support ticket for some reason, but they had a blog(?) post about mod errors with about 6 or 7 possible solutions, I just did all of them and it finally let me play again. Crazy that uninstalling Nexus, deleting the mods, and then additionally deleting any mod info inside BG3's sub folders wasn't enough to stop the errors. Idk what finally fixed it as I did all the suggested fixes, but I am NEVER touching mods for this game again lol.

[@jorgeandresvelazquez106]

@@Damieboo There is a particular hidden folder called LarianStudios in your "user - name - appdata - local - global" folders, inside you'll find a document called modssettings or something like that, if you delete that one friggin horrible document you should be ok to start fresh. Keep in mind you'll have to turn hidden folders on to be able to find it. It took me 20 hours but I finally figured it out lol.

[@yuckymilk6410]

You should fine when you delete it but make sure you delete it from the actual mod files within bg3 though

[@joobahob]

hey!11!11!!!!!! super duper helpful. i sorta had the right idea and I'm the type of person to try to figure it out on my own but I caved, and this video was the one that led me down the right path! My mods work, but they don't appear in the loading order. oh well! Excited to experience the modding community!

[@LordWiseWolf]

I haven’t used Vortex for awhile, had to do a clean wipe and then got sucked into the PS5 with my wife. This guide was more helpful than the official one on vortex. Thank you.

[@scottking5555]

Hey! Also thanks for the direct x 11 info, I would have never thought to do this

[@thatjuliusfellow5664]

sorted comments by new and saw you helping people! Thank you for giving more than the minimum :D

[@shadoboy311]

omg it actually works, most guide as messy but this was clean and useful ,thank you now i can do my 1 character run and not warry about carry weigh , and just focus on dieing coz i am playing tactician with 1 character D:

[@InjuredPelican]

This was extremely helpful. I tried using BG3 Mod Manager but I just couldn't get it to work for me but this was super easy.

[@talentheturtle]

Same here!

[@kaylabridges6055]

@@InjuredPelican I made my first attempt at modding last night, and I thought I HAD to download BG3MM because "tav's hair salon" and "character creator wip" both had it listed under requirements. So I got vortex set up, went to download those mods, saw the BG3MM requirement, clicked on it, and was surprised that it was a wholly separate thing. But I did it anyway because I thought I had to. Got lost, and found another tutorial by Day_Sky to figure out how to use BG3MM. I eventually got Tav HS to work. However, Food then Games responded to my comment and said BG3MM isn't necessary at all. So...how did you delete BG3MM and any mods you had on it without messing up the vortex side of things? If I just delete the whole file will it still work via Vortex? I have 0 mod knowledge and abysmal computer skills.

[@RAC00NFANGIRL]

Thank you girl! I needed this I’m noob when comes to modding and downloading! ^_^

[@CriseExistentielleGaming]

Thanks ! Very clear and simple !

[@aniekasteyn5766]

Thank you for the easy to follow video! helped me as a first time BG3 odder alot :)

[@DarkDay2012]

First time on your videos, your voice gives me major watch mojo girl vibes, which I mean as a compliment. Great editing, clean & crisp audio, wonderful pacing, enunciation, light pleasant tone, detailed. Idk what your other content is yet but I'm definitely here for it, instantly subscribed :)

[@LadyRav3nGaming]

I wasn't planning to mod this game - until now lol. I saw your outfits in the video and now I want them, haha. Oh and yeah, I am now playing this game! I finally figured out the gameplay and have 3 characters (so far) 😂

[@unixtreme]

Just clear the game legitimately once or twice since most mods make the game too easy. Unless that’s exactly what you want! Don’t let me yuck your yum.

[@ArthurTorrias]

I can't wait for the release of the modding framework. I'm loving the game so far but I still wanna play Bladesinger, Chrono Wizard, and Hexblade so much!

[@DJ_LOONIE]

Finally got my mods working perfectly and my controller is working properly now!

[@mzamnesia7190]

ive been gaming for 30 years and never once used any mod on any game but with all teh fun clothes and camera mods ive been seeing for the game ive finally broken down. thank you for this tutorial as so many users online are so vague and talk about mods as if we all know everything "oh this is the trunk of everything!" like what does that MEAN?

[@DaughterOfStardust]

Thank you so much for this video, it's extremely helpful :)

[@aldunlop4622]

I've used Vortex for years and I love it, it's incredibly simply and I've never had a problem. I started using it for Fallout (mostly 4) and Skyrim. Many people will rave about Mod Manager 2, because it came out first so they are hooked on it and will claim Vortex is crap. It is not. Vortex is way easier and works every time, figures out Load Order maybe 99.9% of the time, and even if it doesn't due to conflicts it's simple, you just have to read the instructions and do a little more work.

[@MushMunkey]

Thank you. I spent the first 80 hours organically but it's time I change the dice color and perhaps a QoL fix here or there that seems fair. I thank you!

[@nevtron14]

i like this video because it gives the sense that modding for this game actually works, ive tried vortex and bg3 mod manager and the game likes to pretend i dont have mods

[@Jules_Diplopia]

Thanks, a clear guide for modding, should I ever feel the need.

[@ImEverlove]

Ahhh bless. Mudding ne games with new tools is always a task for me so it put into video form really helpss. TY! Now if only there was a mod to fix crashing....

[@tonu5393]

Youre the best for this guide, thank you!

[@Tobikaj]

Wow, awesome video. Clear and precise - no rush, memes or screaming. One question, besides the fixer, how do you know which order mods should be in?

[@FoodThenGames]

Honestly unless you have two mods doing the same thing I wouldn't be too worried about load order. But general rule of thumb is the mod you want to have the most priority over all the others should be at the bottom!

[@LifeoftheWarrior]

Thanks for this! 😊

[@StaciValentina]

I followed all these steps but saw nothing in my load order even when my mods were all enabled, deployed, elevated. They have no conflicts and when id go into game i would get an error that would close the game before i could get to the main menu. Spent 8 hours trying to figure it out the only fix i found for that was deleting my baldurs gate 3 folder in my local/larian studios/baldursgate3. Even though all of it was enabled just fine when i got into game it looked like nothing actually loaded.

[@HereticNoir]

Helpful guide. thanks!

[@frankiealbertgainard5303]

Thank u I struggle using mod u explained very well

[@tish4721]

works like a charm! thank you so much

[@FoodThenGames]

You're welcome!

[@kosimiki]

Please do a mod spotlight next. I put about 20 hours into the game so far but I didnt find a nice camp outfit. I hope mods can fix that.

[@Kabeloko11]

Thank you, it was very helpful.

[@GameswithDeath]

gud tutorial. very clear and great voice. thanks

[@vetleholen4708]

great video, never comment on shit, but this was a rly good walktrough! thx a lot!

[@ClaireMeeboon]

Thank you!!!!!! this helped me so much!

[@cabbynotcabbaged4225]

When I tried to run the game with the mods the game said there is a data mismatch and it's not working

[@jonesnaround]

Great video thanks for the help

[@R2LATE-sb9el]

ur a saint for showing me this😭😭😭😭

[@pisceanqueen1661]

Omg.....people are making mods for this game now!? ❤

[@yoshgregory3451]

Thank you, this helped a lot to get me back on the beam after a few years away from Vortex/Nexus. I can confirm that the Mod Fixer is not required, it caused the "Unable to find a working Story" pop-up. However it looks like any mod dependencies on the mod fixer will cause the mods to no work properly until they are updated :/

[@FoodThenGames]

That pop up is normal and can be ignored as mods have always caused it. If you use improved UI it removes it for you!

[@Malgus87]

YOU ARE THE GOAT

[@mayap_66]

Thank you so much!

[@yuh1545]

amazing tutorial ty

[@Starkin_]

Hi! First of all thank you so much for this extremely helpful guide! I'm completely new to modding and just installed Tav's Hair Salon with your guide - works perfectly (for now xD). I have another question though: I have serveral mods that only work with the BG3 Mod Manager, not Vortex. Can I install mods with Vortex AND the BG3 ModManager or do I have to stick to one single mod manager? I want so many mods but some of them just don't work with Vortex but I don't wanna miss out on them xD

[@FoodThenGames]

Honestly -- they should work with either manager. I know some modders aren't supporting Vortex issues or don't have vortex specific guides for installing but if it works for BG3MM it should in theory work for Vortex. I'd personally say try Vortex first and see how it goes. If not I don't believe they would work in tandem as they both would edit the modsetting file and would in theory overwrite each other. You could of course try to install with both MMs and then manually edit the modsetting file with one mod managers set of mods but that would probably be more work than it's worth!

[@chanintornsilakul7915]

Thanks a lot!!

[@Zach-ck5jv]

Excellent modding guide! Thanks! One question: do you have a list of your load order for your mods? That would be really helpful, I think!

[@FoodThenGames]

Thanks! And I don't personally as my load order is constantly changing with mod testing/my favorite mods being added to!

[@fancystacy]

Thank you very much.

[@nightlistic8012]

Thank you for this video. I'm very leery about modding this game, as I don't really trust mods that can't be added via Steam workshop. But your tutorial made me want to at least give it a try. After 400 hours of game time I've done just about everything in the game, and need something to spice it up. I've just never trusted Nexus. But your tutorial at least has convinced me to give it a try. Update: I tried to use this but Vortex is a train wreck that doesn't work well if you're using a dedicated gaming drive other than the C: drive and deploying mods is next to impossible. Guess I'll just not mod the game. It's too frustrating.

[@FoodThenGames]

I personally don’t use my c drive to game / mod and haven’t had any issues! There is a separate BG3MM that you could try using to see if you have better luck with it!

[@emclementine]

Would have never figured out the Vulcan vs DX11 issue. Got my mods running smooth. Thank you 🙌🏼🫶🏼

[@GabrielHenrique-pq5bo]

i watched this video to figure out why my outfit mod wasnt working, turns out the outfits i was testing were just for smaller female models, i'm using a tallest female i can possible, so the video wasnt needed, but still 10/10 video

[@slendena5322]

Thanks so much! ☺

[@DemonSesshyy]

your voice is everything

[@watsinhorde]

Thank you so much =)

[@Ic3b3rg_Tactical]

After installing mods and loading the game dose it some time take time to get to the game menu to then be able to play? This tutorial was really helpful and easy to follow so thank you.

[@FoodThenGames]

It can take a bit of time to load depending on your PC, what mods you've installed, save file size, etc!

[@Dantoo45]

Thanks a lot for the guide! 😊 Ive a very simple mod in mind that I would like to use, namely I would like to switch out skins on 2 specific gloves, is that possible with this tool?

[@FoodThenGames]

This won't allow you to make mods/modify the game, just install them! If you have a mod pre-made for it then yes this will totally install it for you!

[@tad7895]

If by any chance no mods show up on the Load Order dashboard, I suggest uninstalling then reinstalling the Mod Fixer mod. Mine wasn't loading when I played the game, turns out they weren't showing up on the Load Order dashboard at all hahaha

[@csningiydigipembetutu4400]

thx for tutorial

[@viktoriahofling3213]

I still have a lot of mods not showing up on load order... and I did what you showed us in your video but it still doesn't work, what should I do?

[@heathenly_aesthetic7233]

I love having a PS5 but really wish I could have this stuff more

[@Potato-yj5yj]

I'm ganna to proceed to looking for mods for BG3 for abt 5 hours

[@charliew4290]

perfect video, thank you!! side question, your accent is like a mix of American and Australian xD where are you from?

[@FoodThenGames]

I'm plexian!

[@MrMonoyo]

A girl after my own heart, thank you.

[@Madzak]

Your voice is amazing!

[@t3cneo948]

very helpful video! Is it possible to launch the game in vanilla without uninstalling all your mods in case you want to do a modded playthrough and vanilla playthrough. Also does this work with multiplayer? does everyone need to the mods or just the host?

[@FoodThenGames]

You'd have to make a separate profile that doesn't have mods, load into it, deploy to get rid of mods and just switch back and forth that way. Mods should work in multiplayer as far as I know but if you want other people to see them they'll have to also have them installed.

[@t3cneo948]

@@FoodThenGames Awesome! Thank you very much!

[@kaijinseong3202]

Hello. I followed each step of the tutorial and the mods load as well as launch the game however, I am unable to click on any of the load save, new game, continue, etc… options on the first menu. Any ideas as to how to fix this?

[@verdibahnsen]

Your accent is interesting, it seems to float between American and Australian/uk which is always an interesting mix

[@NerissaAniela]

Yayyyy, here comes my 500gb of cosmetics 😊✨