Mod list for a new player

Undead_Reaper86

Can anyone recommend or point me to a mod list for a new player?

OrlonKronsteen

Welcome to the world of Baldur's Gate! I hope you find it as enjoyable (and addictive) as so many of us long-in-the-toothers have. My initial advice would be to play the game unmodded a few times before making any changes. As for 'mod lists,' that's not as simple as it sounds. There are so many mods for the BG games that the notion of 'lists' becomes unwieldy. This is compounded by personal preference - one person's list of essential mods may vary wildly from another's. In other words, it comes down to what you're looking for. Are you interested in new NPCs? Quests? Difficulty? Tweaks or rule changes?

There are threads on here that list compatible mods. There is also the famous G3 site, which categorizes mods by type. I think the best way to find mods is to use a combination of strategies. Have a look on this forum under the modding headings. Check G3, SHS and other sites. Also, Google is your friend. Doing searches with Google is more efficient than using the search function on various mod sites, or even these forums. The main thing is to make sure that the mods are compatible with the newest versions of the game (unless you're playing the originals, of course), You will also want to pay attention to install order, and there are threads on here that provide advice. Mod readmes often have advice on this, too.

FWIW, there are at least two mods that are, IMHO, absolutely necessary. The first is EEKeeper. Technically, this isn't a mod - it's a game save editor. It can save a lot of heartache in fixing regrettable decisions (like weapon proficiency choices on level up) and also gives you a degree of customization that can keep the game fresh. The second would be Tweaks Anthology (version 9 is the latest but there is a version 10 beta). Once you've played unmodded a couple times and then read the readme, you'll understand just how great this mod can be.

Another bread and butter mod is SCS - a difficulty mod that works by improving enemy AI. I certainly wouldn't recommend this right away, but if you're a player who wants tactical challenges it is only a matter of time before you end up using SCS. Other than that, there are too many mods for me to name. But you will learn about them by reading these forums, and on places like Reddit.

GraionDilach

EEKeeper does random changes (like deleting the biography) and is limited to Windows. Using NearInfinity for savegame-editing is tougher, and not exactly the point of the tool, but ensures you only change what you actually want to change.

ber5nie5

My personal favorite for BG2:EE is NPC Flirt Pack which allows npc's in your group to flirt. Makes the game a lot more interesting for me.

Also, after a few run throughs of BG2:EE, Dungeon Be Gone is really nice. It allows you to escape the dungeon at the beginning of the game, avoiding having to go through the dungeon filled with low level mobs every time you start a new game. I wouldn't use it for a first time run through as you would miss out on experiencing the dungeon.