Get Baldur's Gate 3 mods working on Steam Deck

Here's how you can get Baldur's Gate 3 mods to work on your Steam Deck. You'll need a Windows PC and a way to share files between it and the Deck.

I wanted to play Baldur's Gate 3 on my Steam Deck with mods, but I couldn't get them working. I followed a guide, but ran into problems — I couldn't install the BG3 Mod Manager (to be precise, its .NET dependency). So, here's how I got those mods working without having to mess with Lutris and multiple Wine prefixes.

NOTE: All the mods I installed were .pak files I had to add to the Mods folder. I haven't used any mods that modify textures, quests or dialog. This approach might not work for these mods, or you'd have to copy additional files.

Before you start

1. Install Baldur's Gate 3 on a Windows PC. Mine runs Windows 10.

2. Run the game once to make sure it creates the folder structure.

3. Install the game on the Steam Deck.

4. If you've played the game already, back up your save files:

   • Windows:

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     C:\Users\your-user\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public\Savegames\Story

   • Steam Deck, in Desktop mode:

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     /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public/Savegames/Story

Install and transfer the mods

On Windows:

1. Install Baldur's Gate 3 Mod Manager.

2. Download and install the mods you want, for example from Nexus Mods.

   Most mods' instructions recommend the "Manual" download, and installation with the BG3 Mod Manager.

3. In BG3 Mod Manager, after you've installed all mods, make sure you select the Export Order to Game button.

4. Run the game to see if the mods work.

5. Save your game in a new save file.

6. Copy the following folders and files:

   1. The Mods folder:

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      C:\Users\your-user\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Mods

      To the Steam Deck, in Desktop mode:

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      /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/Mods

      If the Mods folder doesn't exist on the Steam Deck, create it.

   2. The modsettings.lsx file:

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      C:\Users\your-user\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public\modsettings.lsx

      To the Steam Deck, in Desktop mode:

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      /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public

      The modsettings.lsx file is what BG3 Mod Manager updates with the mod order when you select Export Order to Game.

7. On the Steam Deck, switch back to Gaming mode and run the game. Your mods should now be working!

Workaround for mods getting disabled

Unfortunately, the above didn't guarantee a permanent solution for me. Sometimes, after I reboot my Steam Deck, the modsettings.lsx file gets back to its previous, unmodded state. I guess Steam does this when regularly verifying game files.

Here are two workarounds, manual and kinda-automated-but-still-manual.

Manual:

1. Change to Desktop mode and copy the modsettings.lsx file again, from your backup to:

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   /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public

2. Launch the game from either mode, but don't restart the Deck.

Less manual:

1. Create a script to copy the modsettings.lsx file. Edit the first path to where you have saved it:

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   #!/usr/bin/bash
   yes | cp -rf /home/deck/Sync/BG3/modsettings.lsx /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian\ Studios/Baldur\'s\ Gate\ 3/PlayerProfiles/Public

   The yes command is necessary so you won't be prompted to confirm the copy.

2. Save the file as fix-bg-mods.sh.

3. Make the script executable:

   1. Right-click the file and select Properties, then the Permissions tab.
   2. Select the Is executable checkbox.
   3. Select OK.

4. Add the script to Steam: Right-click the file and select Add to Steam.

Now, whenever you get that error, quit the game, and run fix-bg-mods.sh from SteamOS. It's still semi-manual, but at least you don't have to switch to Desktop mode.

File locations reference

Save files

Windows:

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C:\Users\your-user\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public\Savegames\Story

Steam Deck:

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/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public/Savegames/Story

Mods folder

Windows:

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C:\Users\your-user\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Mods

Steam Deck:

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/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/Mods

modsettings.lsx file

Windows:

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C:\Users\your-user\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public

Steam Deck:

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/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public