Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled with various perilous encounters, but as you traverse the realms of Faerûn, you’ll gradually clear out the paths, leaving you with relatively deserted areas. If you enjoy revisiting places and spending more time exploring, this Baldur’s Gate 3 random encounters mod is precisely what you need to keep the gameplay engaging.
Among the top contenders for the best Baldur’s Gate 3 mods, ‘The Hunted,’ created by ‘Gabe Camomescro,’ introduces random encounters that occur unpredictably as you explore the expansive RPG world. It’s an effective way to keep your game dynamic and ensure you never feel completely safe. As someone who dedicates a lot of time to thoroughly exploring every nook and cranny of Baldur’s Gate 3 acts in search of hidden secrets, I’ve noticed that areas can become a bit quiet over time. This mod offers a great solution to that issue.
Installing the mod is relatively straightforward; you just need to use a special potion, which can be acquired from a specific vendor early in each of the game’s acts. You have the option to choose the default, full-chaos mode, where random enemies can attack you at any time, even interrupting conversations, or a ‘protected’ version that prevents spawns when you’re within 100 meters of non-party, non-summoned allies.
Gabe explains, “Spawns can, and will, mess up NPCs. This was not planned for, but I find it realistic enough in a Dungeons and Dragons setting to not poke at it too much.” Nevertheless, if you want to avoid potential conflicts that might disrupt a potential Baldur’s Gate 3 romance, for example, you now have the option to disable random encounters when entering town.
In addition to the standard monsters that can appear, which are typical enemies encountered in regular gameplay and originate from your chosen act when using the “bait” spell, you’ll also encounter a new creature – Treasure Goblins. Similar to those in games like Diablo, these creatures will attempt to flee from you. If you defeat them in time, you’ll receive loot such as gold, health potions, and scrolls. Fail to do so, and they’ll become petrified and burning, serving as a reminder of your failure.
After some experimentation, Gabe decided that these random encounters should grant a small amount of experience per kill. This way, you gain some benefits from facing these additional challenges, without the risk of overly leveling up your character unless you grind them for an extended period.
The mod also includes several pets that can join you in combat. Originally, these pets were part of an earlier version used as the spawn trigger for random encounters, but Gabe decided to keep them “for added fun and as a little extra firepower.” However, they are notably weaker than players, so don’t expect them to carry you through battles – you’ll have to rely on your own character’s abilities and builds for that.
If the idea of adding random encounters to spice up your adventure appeals to you, you can find and download the Baldur’s Gate 3 The Hunted mod here. The page also provides instructions for installation and customization. Personally, I’m strongly considering experimenting with it in my next playthrough, along with some of Gabe’s other mods, linked on the same page, which include a ring allowing you to polymorph into over 30 different creature types and “Instruments of Controlled Chaos,” transforming cosmetic instrument interactions into potent weapons.
If you’re interested in crafting in Baldur’s Gate 3, our guide can help you harness one of the most powerful yet underutilized tools in the Larian Studios RPG. And if you’re in the mood to watch the adventures of others, I recommend starting with Baldur’s Gate 3 narrator Amelia Tyler’s Dark Urge run, which she just began this week with hilarious results.