best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via imgonnashoot/Nexus Mods

10 best Baldur’s Gate 3 race mods

More races than ever.

Throughout Baldur’s Gate 3, choosing your character’s race is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. It affects tons of dialogue throughout the game, and changes how some characters treat your Tav.

Recommended Videos

As with every aspect of the game, Baldur’s Gate 3 has tons of mods adding new races. Some are based on D&D lore, while others are homebrewed by fans. If you’re starting a fresh Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough, why not consider one of these race mods?

Flutter and Whimsy (Fairy Race)

best Baldur's Gate 3 customization mods
Image via VaderOfLocksley/Nexus Mods

Flutter and Whimsy (Fairy Race) might be the most polished mod on this list. You can play Baldur’s Gate 3 as a Fairy, complete with customizable wings. Fairies have their own custom cantrips and spells, including Tinify, which shrinks you down to size.

If you use other Baldur’s Gate 3 customization mods, Flutter and Whimsy (Fairy Race) has you covered, including compatibility patches for many of the most popular downloads on the Nexus.

Half Angel (Aasimar 5E)

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via DarthRen/Nexus Mods

Half Angel (Aasimar 5E) takes inspiration from the 2016 Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, to bring the Aasimar race to Baldur’s Gate 3. This winged race features three unique subraces fit for various playthroughs, each with extensive lore.

If you enjoy sitting in Baldur’s Gate 3‘s character creator for hours, deliberating over every detail, you’ll get lots out of Half Angel (Aasimar 5E). Creator DarthRen has added 25 halos and horns, as well as 10 wings and tails. That’s not to mention the unique hairstyles and heads!

Ghastly Ghouls – Playable Undead Race

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via Overlich/Nexus Mods

If there’s one thing Larian’s previous game, Divinity: Original Sin 2, has over Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s the ability to play as the undead. No longer. Ghastly Ghouls – Playable Undead Race solves this with four subraces: Lich, Ghoul, Wight, and Mummy. Each has custom heads and bodies, meaning you can tinker with your Undead’s appearance to your heart’s content.

This mod makes my immersion-obsessed heart happy. It uses the vanilla “Undead” tag for your Tav, affecting how various spells affect you. You’ll be immune to some, while others, such as “Turn Undead,” make you more vulnerable.

The Dunmer – Playable Dark Elf Race

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via ghouls0rules/Nexus Mods

Adding a race from The Elder Scrolls isn’t exactly lore-friendly, but The Dunmer – Playable Dark Elf Race was simply too extensive to leave out of this list. I mean, let’s take a look at what this Baldur’s Gate 3 race mod includes.

Six subraces, “themed after the Great Houses, House Dagoth, and the Ashlanders.” Seven new spells, all of which have custom visual effects. 11 unique heads, 50 skin tones, and 19 hand-drawn tattoos. And there are custom piercings based on The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. A must-have mod, really.

Half-Dragon

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via johauna/Nexus Mods

Half-Dragon is based on an original homebrew TTRPG system by author johauna’s husband. Four races are added, and numerous subclasses are meticulously designed to create a fun gameplay experience.

The highlight here is the ability to take the form of a Dragon. It’s cool every single time and is reason enough to try this Baldur’s Gate 3 mod. It feels like it should’ve been part of the base game all along.

Spirited Seasons – Playable Fey Eladrin

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via tepkunset/Nexus Mods

There’s a lot to love about Spirited Seasons – Playable Fey Eladrin, especially to enjoy creating stunning Tavs that look great in a screenshot. This adds the Eladrin race, with four subraces based on each season, extensive customization options, and unique spells to match.

The only drawback is that you can’t change seasons throughout your playthrough, as the Eladrin can in Dungeons & Dragons. This is due to the technical limitation of changing subraces mid-playthrough. Don’t let that put you off – this is one of the most polished Baldur’s Gate 3 race mods out there.

Whispers of the Fey – Goblins Race

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via mirinaxrolande/Nexus Mods

Goblins exist in Baldur’s Gate 3, so why can’t we play as them? Whispers of the Fey – Goblins Race solves this issue, adding two new subraces: Greenskin Goblin and Dankwood Goblin. You can customize your Goblin as you would a regular Tav. There’s even a custom Hireling named Ol’ Shiny to bring along on your adventures.

If that hasn’t convinced you, playing as a Goblin gives you access to a baby squirrel companion that will accompany you throughout Faerûn. I, for one, am sold.

Playable Myconid Race

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via porridge77/Nexus Mods

Remember the Myconids? Those fungus folk that you meet in Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Underdark? You probably never considered the fact that you couldn’t play as one, but with Playable Myconid Race, now you can. Who asked for this? Who cares!

Understandably, customization is limited with this race mod, so you’re restricted to picking from the models already available in Baldur’s Gate 3. Creator porridge77 admits it’s a little janky, but for the novelty factor alone, this is hard to beat and is well worth a slot in your load order.

Hearts of the Forest – Playable Dryad Race

best Baldur's Gate 3 race mods
Image via EmeraldTechno/Nexus Mods

Much like the previous mod, Hearts of the Forest – Playable Dryad Race takes a race already in the game and makes it playable. Considering their humanoid form, it’s a little surprising they’re not playable in the vanilla game, but regardless, this mod solves this.

Creator EmeraldTechno has gone the extra mile, creating new male Dryads. This isn’t lore-friendly, but the end result looks great, so they get a pass here.

Wine and Revelry (Satyr Race)

best Baldur's Gate 3 customization mods
Image via labotor/Nexus Mods

Using Wine and Revelry (Satyr Race) is a way to guarantee a unique Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough. The main highlight here are the digitigrade legs, which obviously aren’t possible in the vanilla game.

Creator labotor has added many customization options to flesh out Wine and Revelry (Satyr Race), including various tails, horns, and ear options to give you total flexibility with your Satyr Tav.


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Daniel Morris
Daniel Morris
Contributor - Daniel has been a gamer and an avid RPG fan ever since he could hold a controller. A reader of Destructoid since his teenage years, he became a contributor to the site in August 2024.