Baldur’s Gate 3 Modding Tutorial - How to Swap Your Character’s Head Preset Mid-game
Got a bunch of messages asking how I did this without restarting, so I thought I’d write out a quick tutorial.
1 - Extract the Models.pak file from your game directory's Data folder somewhere using the lslib tool. I don't recommend extracting it to your game directory because you won't need all the files, it can get kinda messy, and it might cause issues in future updates. Just put them in a random folder on your desktop for now or something. I'll refer to this folder as the extracted folder for now.
2 - Figure out which preset your character is currently using (mine was the Elf Female A), and which one you'd like to swap it out for. Keep in mind, you can’t use one from a different gender/race without issues.
*I used one from the “New Character Creation Presets WIP” mod. If also using this mod, you need to install it as normal, then extract the mod's own .pak file before continuing.
3 - Find the .gr2 file of the new preset you want, and copy it into your game's directory. For me, it goes to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\Data\Generated\Public\Shared\Assets\Characters\_Anims\Elves\_Female\Resources The exact directory will vary depending on your race/gender (refer to the extracted folders for help). If you don’t have the folders needed inside your game directory, then create them.
4 - Rename the .gr2 file you just moved to be what the old preset was named. For me, Kaari.gr2 became ELF_F_NKD_Head_A.gr2
Optional:
5 - If you want to also use the new head’s skin texture (and/or edit the skin yourself), just copy the three .dds files from your extracted Data\Generated\Public\Shared\Assets\Characters\_Models etc folder, then place them in your game directory. For me, I put them in Data\Generated\Public\Shared\Assets\Characters\_Models\Elves\ELF_F_NKD\ELF_F_Head_A\Resources
6 - Rename accordingly, just like with the .gr2 files. For me, Kaari_CLEA.dds became ELF_F_NKD_Head_A_CLEA.dds and so on. Do this for the other two .dds files as well.
Load your game and that's it! It should now replace the previous head with the new one. Your character's icon will still look like the old one unfortunately. I'll try to find out how to fix it.