Wahey, Baldur's Gate 3's next big update drops in September - with official mod tool testing starting today

Baldur's Gate 3's next big update, Patch 7, is set to arrive in September, bringing with it the previously teased extra evil endings and official modding tools. Between now and then, the latter'll be undergoing a series of tests, with the first of those kicking off today.

Yup, while Baldur's Gate 4 won't be coming from it, Larian's still got some not quite DLC-sized add-ons to make to its masterpiece. Gotta have something to do while you hunt for folks to fill out your cool new studio, I guess.

In community update 27, Larian provides a bunch of new details regarding exactly what the mod support roll-out entails and will look like ahead of Patch 7 arriving in September.

"Patch 7 testing is now being split into a two-phase process, which begins with working closely with a small team of mod authors from the community," it writes. "This is our closed alpha stage, where they’ll be able to help us further develop the modding tools, and have a go at bringing their existing mods to life using our Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit."

Following that closed test, which kicks off today (June 3), there'll be "a further closed beta, capped at roughly 1,000 players, that anyone on PC can go ahead and sign up for", with Larian declaring: "we want you to test the mods created during the alpha!" It'll then work on the feedback that generates, getting things ready to go for the full release in September.

"In the meantime, we still have plenty coming your way, including some anniversary extravagance as we look back on the months since release," the studio adds. "We’re also still pressing on with the development of an in-game photo mode, crossplay, and more fixes that will arrive later down the line!"

The rest of the community update is comprised of an FAQ about the modding tools, which - among other things - specifies what the toolkit will offer modders and emphasises that the most tangible effect of the official support via mod.io will be helping updates to the game and conficts be less likely to cause issues for you mod-wise.

It also explains that, while the mod support's coming to PC first, Larian aims "to roll out the support to the wider community and various platforms shortly after - including for Mac players, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles."

If you're after more BG3 mod-related things while you wait for registration for that July test to open, a team of Stardew Valley modders are currently working on creating a town where you can chill with the likes of Astarion and the other ones.