Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Mods: Increased Level Cap, Summon Minthara, Fast XP, More

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Cody Perez

Cody has been in the video game business as part of media and content creation for more than 10 years. During that time, he has contributed and even led some of the largest sites in the world dedicated to gaming and entertainment. He has also dabbled some in PR and was a tester for Activision in the past working on the Call of Duty series. When not playing games or writing about them, he enjoys cooking, sharpening his Japanese skills, and watching the latest anime shows.

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You could argue Baldur’s Gate 3 is among the greatest RPGs of all time, especially for PC players, but even it isn’t perfect. There are some flaws and missing content the developers didn’t have time for or simply did not think to implement. As such, that is where mods come in. If you are frustrated by some of the lack of random options in this game, these Baldur’s Gate 3 best mods are for you.

I would say that the more you like a game, the more you’ll nitpick at the features you’d like to see in a game like Baldur’s Gate 3, like a higher level cap or a faster way to get experience without having to grind or scour every inch of the game. That is where mods come in, with the community pouring some serious resources into making this already incredible game even better. Here are the Baldur’s Gate 3 best mods you need to know about.

Bottom Line Up Front

Baldur’s Gate 3 is already one of the best games I’ve played in a very long time, especially on PC. Fortunately, its presence on PC and the time it was available in early access means it has a plethora of mods available for players to choose from even soon after its full release.

If I were to pick one out of the ten mods I included below in this list to be the one I suggest to every single player out there, it would have to be the Party Limit Begone mod. This mod allows you to traverse with most of your companions all at once, interacting and gaining affection with each of them together. And if you play multiplayer? It’s a must-have for the wildest and best multiplayer experience possible in this fantastic RPG.

Selection Criteria

There are already so many mods available for Baldur’s Gate 3 that even as I write this less than a month after its full launch, there are so many that I had to scour through and compare to others. That said, I used the following selection criteria to narrow down the waves of mods to a select few:

• Quality: Above all else, the quality of a mod is the utmost important aspect. It needs to be well-made, even if it is free and from a community member, and it needs not to break your game when you install it on its own.
• Importance: Following just behind quality is the necessity of the mod. Does it genuinely do something that the developers forgot about or fix a problem in the game? That is necessary for the best mods out there.
• Uniqueness: While importance is vital, so is individuality and uniqueness. Anyone can implement a new feature, but the ones that do so in a standout manner get a nod here.
• Flexibility: One mod is likely not enough for most players. These mods should be able to stand on their own while also complementing other mods well.
• Full Release Compatibility: With the unique early access Baldur’s Gate 3 had, it saw a ton of mods during those years. Unfortunately, some of them, including incredible ones, aren’t compatible with the full release. Every mod you find here is meant for the current patch of the full game.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Tips

Before we dive into Baldur’s Gate 3 mods, there are some tips you should know about when it comes to using these mods. Please read this and follow the directions so you don’t mess up your game or saves when diving into this community-supported aspect of the game:

• Download the Mod Fixer right now. This is required for any and every mod in the game. If you don’t have this, none of your mods will work, or if they do, worse things can happen to your game state. This isn’t on the list since it doesn’t do anything other than make the mods work in your game, but it is a requirement for everyone modding BG3.
• Only download mods from NexusMods (all linked to in this post) and nowhere else unless official Steam support occurs in the future. I do not endorse any other site, and you are leaving yourself vulnerable to malware and broken builds if you download mods from other sites.
• Check the total downloads, unique downloads, and endorsements before downloading a mod. If you try to download something with only five downloads, you are the guinea pig to determine whether it is safe. I prefer mods with hundreds, if not preferably thousands, of mods.
• Don’t overload your game with mods. This is what leads to breaking the game or corrupting your save. I don’t suggest grabbing all ten of these mods. Start with the one most important to you, then maybe add another one, and then a third at the most. I don’t suggest going beyond that for now, as the more mods, the more likely something won’t mesh well with another.
• I don’t use the BG3 Mod Manager, personally (mainly because I’m on Steam Deck while writing this), but it is a useful feature for quickly importing and installing some (but not all) mods with less frustration and folder searching.

Best Mods in Baldur’s Gate 3

Without further ado and assuming you have the Mod Fixer, as mentioned earlier, downloaded and installed correctly following its instructions on your game, you are now ready for the ten best mods in Baldur’s Gate 3. I went ahead and ranked them based on my personal preference, but all of these are worth your consideration.

10. You Were a Goat for 10 Years Mod

• Mod Type: Roleplay
• Mod Manager Compatible: Yes

Let’s start this list with a somewhat lighthearted mod. You pick your background in Baldur’s Gate 3, which doesn’t affect as much as I might prefer in the overall story and gameplay. You Were a Goat for 10 Years changes that by giving a background with hilarious roleplay and even gameplay potential.

For starters, you have this ridiculous background in which you spent ten years of your life as a goat, but it doesn’t seem you were initially one. This isn’t just for the goofs in the story and dialogue, but it is also helpful from a gameplay perspective.

You get additional proficiency in skills like Athletics and Animal Handling due to your previous bestial nature. In addition, you automatically have Darkvision for places like the Underdark and Surefooted for traveling through problematic terrain. This gives you a great backstory and some solid skills you don’t have to waste slots on.

9. Paladins Deity

• Mod Type: Roleplay and Dialogue
• Mod Manager Compatible: Not likely (do a manual install to be safe)

One of the most intriguing parts about digging into the backend of a game like BG3 is finding the cut content there. Apparently, Larian Studios originally intended for the Paladins to pick a deity patron, similar to how the Clerics pick one of the gods to serve.

Unfortunately, this was cut for some odd reason. This mod restores this choice and allows Paladins to pick a god to serve, giving you some nice roleplay flavor and fun dialogue options from them. It also pairs well with other similar mods like Shar Unlocked, which gives you Shadowheart’s goddess, Shar, as a deity option.

Better yet, you can even use this for mid-game saves. So, even if you’ve already started as a Paladin, it is compatible with that existing save. I should note, though, that this mod supposedly doesn’t work with mods that modify the ClassDescriptions.lsx file, so keep an eye out for that.

8. More Spell Slots

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Combat)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Yes

If you are a magical spellcaster like myself in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll find that the spell slots for Sorcerer, Wizard, Warlock, Cleric, Bard, Druid, Paladin, and the like are severely limited. You get a few spell slots per level of the spell, and you can only use them once before you have to rest to regain them.

This makes it annoying going from fight to fight, as you may do well in one fight but fail in another since you no longer have any spell slots. This mod doubles the amount of spell slots you gain on every level for every class in the game. This removes much of the frustration and keeps you alive for longer.

Better yet, this spell slot mod also works quite well with other mods in the game. Sure, you do have to use some extra files for mods like the multiclass level cap one (more on that in a bit), but it is possible, and it apparently works well.

7. Fast XP

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Progression)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Uncertain (do a manual install to be safe, as suggested by the creator)

The level cap is abysmal at only 12 in Baldur’s Gate 3, which doesn’t even reach the expected level of 20 from other similar games (more on this in a bit). Putting that aside for a moment, what makes the level situation even worse is how slow you level up and gain XP in this game.

For instance, I did a fair bit of content in the title and was barely on the precipice of level seven going into the third and final act. To be fair, Act 3 is packed full of content to see and do, but the progression in this game is far too slow until you happen to grind or pour over every inch of the map.

Fast XP takes care of that, giving you two great options. The first gives you a chance to reach level six in the game quite soon after the Escape the Nautiloid prologue. The other is to double your XP for the entire game, allowing you to level up in a much faster and more manageable way. This is a must-have mod for most players, from my experience.

6. AI Friends

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Combat)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Cheat Engine-compatible (Mod Manager uncertain)

The combat in BG3 is brilliant, with its plethora of options and strategic turn-based gameplay. However, if there is one gripe I have with the combat, it is how agonizingly slow and annoying it can be at times for players playing by themselves.

Choosing the actions and movement for four characters in total isn’t bad, but when you include summons, undead, familiars, and the like, it can balloon to eight or more characters to control. Even worse if you include the number one best mod in the entire community.

That is where AI Friends comes into play. For some reason, Larian does not give the option to allow the party members to control themselves, and you only have to worry about your player character in battle. This mod adds that necessary option, making for smoother and more enjoyable gameplay freedom for everyone.

5. Carry Weight over 9000

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Passive)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Yes

Baldur’s Gate 3 continues a wonderfully awful trend seen in RPGs like Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, and the like: carry limits. If you pick up too many items and carry them around, you’ll be encumbered and unable to move that fast. To this game’s credit, it isn’t as punishing as others, but you’ll still feel the weight of your items.

Worse, your potential carry weight is generally pretty horrible in this game. For instance, I reached it within a few minutes of beating the prologue. This mod gives you plenty of options for improving the carry weight limit and ensuring you can pick up whatever you want in the future with no concern at all.

The smallest possible change with this mod is increasing it by 1.5x, which isn’t much at all, but you can even increase it to a whopping 9000 times the original carry weight for your character.

Good luck even finding enough items in the game itself, outside of some weird duplication method, to even come close to making a dent in that carry-weight limit. But, hey, at least you’ll be able to pick up anything and everything you see in the game without caring about your poor character’s back.

4. Summon Minthara

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Character and Party)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Yes. Also, Cheat Engine-compatible (necessary for certain players)

There are quite a few companions you can add to your party in Baldur’s Gate 3. People like Wyll, Gale, Astarion, Shadowheart, and more are going to go down as some of the most iconic RPG party members of all time. But if there is one character who won’t, it’s undoubtedly Minthara.

Despite you being able to recruit her in Act 1, adding her to your team will not only ostracize and prevent you from recruiting Halsin and potentially other characters like Wyll and Karlach, you will be forced to pick the goblins’ side and massacre the innocent Tieflings in the Emerald Grove. Minthara has the worst possible recruitment method, as the only person who locks you out of someone other than Halsin himself who locks you out of her.

This mod fixes this annoying and troublesome flaw in the game. You can use it to summon Minthara manually in the game and prevent you from having to side with her in the goblin versus Tieflings versus Druids fight. There are some limitations to her character, such as not being able to change her equipment or skills this way, but she does still level up with you.

The other major problem with summoning Minthara this way is it requires a fresh save. Otherwise, you’ll need this mod and use Cheat Engine, which leads to even more potential for issues for your save in the future. But starting over might be worth it to have all companions in your party at once, finally.

3. 5e Spells

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Spells)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Yes

Despite Baldur’s Gate 3 being based on the renowned fifth edition of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop RPG format, it doesn’t include everything from that source material. For instance, the spells you get in this game are great and pretty varied, but they pale in comparison to the full fifth D&D edition spells.

This mod rectifies this situation by adding in most, with only a few tiny exceptions, of the fifth edition spells into the game. This means you suddenly have over 60 new spells in the game to choose from, but many of them are some of the best spells you’ll find in this game as well.

And if that still isn’t enough, you even get spells more spread out throughout the levels of the game. There are lower-level spells, seventh-level spells, and even all the way up to ninth-level spells, which aren’t quite as common within the main game itself. If you are a mage character, you are holding your potential back if you don’t get spells like Absorb Elements, Flock of Familiars, and True Resurrection.

2. Level 20 Multiclass Level Cap

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Progression)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Uncertain (Not worth the risk of using the Mod Manager for now until more info is known)

From the same creator of the mod earlier on this list which grants you double XP, this one is even more valuable for players. This bumps up the horrible level cap from the highly limited and frustrating mere 12 levels all the way to 20, which should have been the bare minimum in this game to start with.

However, this comes with a couple of concessions. For one, no class in the game is built to make it all the way to level 20. As such, the only way for players to use this mod is to multiclass. For instance, you could do level 12 as a Ranger and then go to level eight as a Rogue to make a grand total of 20 levels.

You could also do other options like level six as a Fighter, level seven as a Paladin, and then level seven as a Barbarian. The options are up to you, but the key point is you’ll have to multiclass to make use of this mod, which I recommend players do anyways to increase their potential utility.

Though you won’t have access to higher-level spells and skills than 12, you could end up with more spells, more flexibility, additional feats, and so on that wouldn’t be possible in the base game. I highly recommend this one as it fixes one of, if not the most fundamental issues in this otherwise brilliant game.

1. Party Limit Begone

• Mod Type: Gameplay (Party and Multiplayer)
• Mod Manager Compatible: Uncertain (do a manual install for this one)

This mod is a must for the single-player and multiplayer fans out there. Read the instructions carefully on the mod page and install it manually to radically change your gameplay experience. Find the game too hard? Or not enough room in your party for all of your friends? This is the one to pick.

Initially, in Baldur’s Gate 3, you can only travel around with four players in the party at once. This includes your custom or Origin character and three companions or multiplayer party members. But what if I told you there is a way to have more than four in a party at once? You could even have up to a whopping 16 in a party at the same time with this mod.

This even includes multiplayer, which is bonkers, and it works surprisingly well this way. You could literally have every single companion in your party at the same time, gaining approval with each of them, and even still have some friends playing online with you if you wanted to.

This not only makes the game a lot more fun and cinematic with full-on war battles happening in each fight, but it makes the game a lot easier at the same time since you aren’t going to be outnumbered anymore. Add in the AI Friends mod, too, and the overwhelming number of party members won’t even be an issue for solo players.

FAQs

Match Your New Mods with the Best Spells in Baldur’s Gate 3

You’ve read this list, and now you find yourself on your way to picking up some sweet new mods for free for Baldur’s Gate 3 if you aren’t already downloading them as we speak. You might have grabbed yourself a higher-level cap or the ability to pick yourself a deity for your Paladin character.

And if you still can’t choose a single mod to try out for your first experiment with your current save, I will always recommend the Party Limit Begone mod. This is my favorite out of the bunch and by far the most impressive in the entire game for its incredibly smooth ability to remove the party cap and allow up to a whopping 16 characters in a party at once. There is nothing like it, and you need to experience it.

But if you just went with a smaller mod, like more spell slots to experiment for the first time, that is understandable, too. In that case, you will want to check out all of the best spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 ahead of time so you ensure you are using the best spells for those doubled spell slots moving forward.

Continue reading:

Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Builds: What Are the Best Subclasses and Races to Play?

Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Armor Ranked: What Is the Best Armor for You?

Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Weapons Ranked: Which is the Best Weapon for You?