You've spent three hours in the character creator. You've tweaked the jawline, obsessed over the vitiligo slider, and finally settled on a Wood Elf because, honestly, that extra movement speed is a lifesaver in Act 1. Then, thirty hours in, you realize you'd much rather be an Orc for those critical hit savage attacks. You walk up to the Magic Mirror in camp, hoping for a fix.
The Mirror stares back. It lets you change your hair. It lets you change your makeup. But your race? Locked.
This is where the bg3 change race mod community steps in to save your save file. While Larian Studios has been generous with updates, they've been pretty firm about the "biological" stuff being set in stone once you leave the nautiloid. The game's narrative engine is so deeply tied to your race—dialogue tags, reactivity, even how certain NPCs spit on you in the street—that changing it mid-stream is technically a nightmare.
But "nightmare" is just a Tuesday for modders.
Why the Magic Mirror fails and mods win
Larian’s official Magic Mirror is basically a fancy vanity. It won’t let you touch your race or your body type. Their reasoning makes sense if you’re a developer: changing from a Human to a Gnome mid-game would theoretically break every cinematic camera angle and dialogue flag associated with your "Tav."
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The Appearance Edit Enhanced mod is the heavyweight champion here. It doesn't just "tweak" you; it effectively reinvokes the character creation screen while you're standing in the middle of the Blighted Village.
You’re not just changing a skin. You’re swapping the internal ID of your character.
Most people think modding is just about looking cool. It's not. If you use a mod to become a Githyanki, you suddenly get access to Githyanki-only gear, like the Silver Sword of the Astral Plane, without having to use Disguise Self every five minutes. It’s a total game-changer for builds that rely on specific racial gear or passives like Relentless Endurance.
The technical hurdle: Script Extender is not optional
If you're looking to swap races, don't even bother trying to do it with the basic in-game mod manager alone. You need Norbyte’s Script Extender.
Think of the Script Extender as the "brain" that allows the mod to talk to the game's deeper code. Without it, the game won't know how to handle the sudden shift in your character's data. Most race-change mods, especially those that aim for a "Resculpt" feature, rely on this tool to prevent your save file from turning into a pile of digital ash.
Popular mods for a mid-game identity crisis
- Appearance Edit Enhanced: This is the gold standard. It adds a "Resculpt" button to your hotbar or the Magic Mirror. It basically tricks the game into thinking you’re starting fresh, allowing for a total race and body type overhaul.
- Appearance Edit Origins: Specifically for those who think Shadowheart would look better as a Tiefling. Be warned: changing Origin characters is way riskier. Their stories are hard-coded to their original forms.
- Ring of Identity Theft: A newer, slightly more "lore-friendly" way to handle things. It’s an item that lets you assume the form and tags of other races, though it’s often used more for transmog purposes than a permanent statistical shift.
Honestly, the "Resculpt" feature is what you're actually looking for. It’s the closest thing to a "New Game Plus" feature for your physical form.
Can you change race on PS5 or Xbox?
Here is the cold, hard truth: it's complicated.
As of early 2026, the official Larian mod browser on consoles does support some race-related mods, but they are mostly "New Race" mods—adding things like Aasimar or Goblins as selectable options at the start of the game.
Because consoles don't allow third-party script extenders, a true mid-game bg3 change race mod that works as seamlessly as the PC version is rare. You might find "transmog" rings or spells that change your visuals, but truly altering your racial tags and stats mid-campaign on a PlayStation 5 is still a massive hurdle. If you're on console, your best bet is usually a "Hireling" mod that lets you customize a companion from scratch to fill that racial niche you're missing.
What happens to your dialogue and story?
This is the part that trips everyone up. If you use a mod to turn your Elf into a Drow, the game doesn't always "know" immediately for existing quests.
Baldur’s Gate 3 uses "Tags" to determine how NPCs react. When you change race via a mod like Appearance Edit Enhanced, the mod usually attempts to swap these tags out. However, if you’ve already completed a conversation where your "Elf" tag was checked, the game won't magically go back and change the outcome.
I’ve seen players change to a Githyanki in Act 3 and still have Voss treat them like a "basilis." It's immersion-breaking, sure, but it rarely breaks the actual game logic. Just don't expect the world to gaslight itself into forgetting who you were ten hours ago.
The "Danger Zone": Mismatched Animations
When you swap races, especially between a "Tall" race (like Human) and a "Short" race (like Gnome), things get weird.
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The game’s cutscenes are choreographed. If the game expects a 6-foot-tall Paladin to kiss Shadowheart, and instead it finds a 3-foot-tall Halfling, the camera might just end up filming your forehead. Or worse, your character will "stretch" to the height of a human for the duration of the animation, resulting in some truly horrific body-horror visuals.
Most veteran modders suggest staying within the same "rig" size. Swapping between Elf, Human, Tiefling, and Drow is usually safe. Swapping from a Dragonborn to a Halfling? Prepare for some wonky cinematics.
How to do it safely (The Expert Method)
If you're going to use a bg3 change race mod, follow this workflow to keep your 100-hour save file healthy:
- Backup everything. Go to your
%LocalAppData%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfilesfolder and copy your saves. Do it now. - Install ImprovedUI. This is a prerequisite for almost every mod that touches the character creator. It prevents the "disappearing UI" bug that happens when the game gets confused by new options.
- Use the Script Extender Console. If the mod's button fails, you can actually use console commands to force a race change. It’s techy, but it’s the most stable way to overwrite your
CharacterCreationStats. - Level 1 Respec first. Always talk to Withers and reset to Level 1 before using a race change mod. This ensures your hit points and racial passives (like Darkvision or Skill Proficiencies) recalculate correctly when you "re-level" in your new form.
The verdict on race changing
Changing your race isn't just about a new set of ears. It's a deep-tissue surgery on the game's database. While the bg3 change race mod scene is incredibly advanced, it’s still a "use at your own risk" situation. If you just want the stats, there are "Choose Your Stats" mods that let you add racial passives to your current character without changing your look. But if you truly need to go from a boring Human to a majestic Tiefling mid-run, Appearance Edit Enhanced is the only way to fly.
If you’re ready to take the plunge, start by downloading the BG3 Mod Manager and Norbyte’s Script Extender. Once those are in place, grab the Appearance Edit files from Nexus Mods, and remember to always, always load your game and save in a new slot before making the big swap. You don't want to realize you hate your new nose and find out your only backup is from Act 1.