Editing Multiplayer

|description = Baldur's Gate 3 may be played Multiplayer with up to four players.

}}[[File:WithersWardrobeofWaywardFriends.png|right|thumb|Withers' Wardrobe of Wayward Friends]]

You can either create a new game that is multiplayer enabled from the beginning, or enable multiplayer in an existing single player game.

* Direct Connections - Generates a randomized code that another player can enter to join your game. Default unchecked.

The player will be prompted to create a character, just like in single player. As long as this player is connected to the game, their character will be a mandatory character in the party. As long as players are connected to the game, player generated characters may not be left at camp (such as to switch them out for companions.) However, offline players' characters may be dismissed to Withers' Wardrobe of Wayward Friends via dialogue. A player rejoining will automatically put their character back in the party.

While [[Origin|Origin Characters]] may be selected by any player during initial game creation, players who join after the game is started may only create a custom character.

To modify the multiplayer settings of your game after creation, go to the Menu and then select Multiplayer. In the Multiplayer menu you can assign players to certain characters, as well as assign companions to be controlled by a player. By clicking the gear icon at the top of the screen, you can modify your multiplayer settings. Returning to the Main Menu or restarting the game will reset these settings back to the defaults; the settings do not persist via saved games.

While playing in single player, open the menu  and click on Session. Set your 'Online Visibility' to the appropriate setting for the type of players you want to join. Any players joining at this point may only create custom characters, and may not select any [[Origin|Origin Characters]].

As long as their players are connected to the multiplayer game, player characters cannot be grouped with each other, spoken to, or controlled by other players. When players are not connected to the game, however, their characters may be used by other players like companions. To dismiss an absent player's character, simply speak to them and send them to camp; they will be stored in [[Withers' Wardrobe of Wayward Friends]] at the [[Campsite]], which they can be removed from manually (by dragging their icon out onto the ground, like an item) or automatically, which happens when the player rejoins the game.

[[Companions]] are only controlled by one player at a time. In order to reassign which character is controlled by which player, go to the menu and then click Session. Here you can reassign characters to different players. While companions in camp may be interacted with freely, companions in the party may only be spoken to by the player who controls them. While, in rare cases, some plot events may briefly add a fifth member to a four-player multiplayer party, such as meeting [[Lae'zel]] on the [[Nautiloid]], players do count towards your maximum party size of four; companions will refuse to join a party of four players (or a party of two players and two companions, etc.)

Companions will have separate [[Approval]] ratings for each player.

To load a multiplayer game that was already started, load the game just like in single player. The client will automatically make the session a multiplayer session using Friends Only setting without LAN or Direct Connections. NOTE: The game will do this by default for single player games as well as of August 10th, 2023.

By default, Baldur’s Gate 3 sets your Session status to “Friends Only” (despite Closed being noted as the Default). This setting changes back to “Friends Only” each time you go back to the Main Menu. To prevent others from joining your game, set your Online Visibility in the Session menu to Closed every time you go back to the Main Menu or restart the game.