A Baldur's Gate 3 modder has taken the first step in adding brand new, custom levels to the beloved Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by creating new maps including the much sought after Avernus.
Dexerto spotted a handful of Reddit posts from katszenBurger who has so far created two new Baldur's Gate 3 areas using an unlocked version of the official modding tool released by developer Larian Studios.
The first area is centred around a castle on the shore and the second takes players to Avernus, the first layer of hell in the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse that players were desperate for Larian to include itself.
As the developer has confirmed it's not working on any full expansions for Baldur's Gate 3, however, nor a full sequel, it's now up to fans to add it to the game. The modding tool was only unlocked a week ago on September 9 so this is still a very early version of what's possible, but it's a sign of bigger and better things to come when modders inevitably spend months and years creating custom content.
A YouTube video of the castle and the Avernus map were shared too, showing Baldur's Gate 3 characters Wyll and Astarion walking around in them as normally as they would the official game. Screenshots in the Reddit posts show the maps too, and while both are still quite basic, katszenBurger has plans to expand their creations.
"I had a lava area planned too, and maybe I could make the lake explorable a bit," they said on the Avernus map. "Dialogue is a work in progress in the editor, as are some of the environmental elements." But characters can walk around, pick up items, fight enemies, and so on. katszenBurger also said map making is "very simple," meaning others will have easy access to create maps of their own.
While console players can enjoy the wealth of mods being made purely through the official Baldur's Gate 3 Toolkit, maps like these will remain out of reach unless Larian decides to fully unlock it itself. CEO Swen Vincke said in March this won't be happening, but perhaps plans will change after players managed it themselves.
The toolkit arrived alongside Patch 7, which added lots of other content including an "absolutely metal" ending for Karlach and a hidden evil ending. Players will also be relieved to hear that it's not the final Baldur's Gate 3 patch after all.
In our 10/10 review of the game, IGN said: "With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur's Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
