Trips' Shader Pack

baldurs-gate-3 — Mods & Enhancements

This mod restores and re-releases the original shader files that Larian removed with Patch 6 (the 'VT' or 'Vertex Texture' culling), which broke many custom visual effects. It also adds new custom shaders (e.g., for emissive materials, rim lighting, and water refraction) that modders can reference in their own creations. Players install it as a hard dependency for shader-heavy mods like 'Faces of Faerûn' or 'Better Loot UI', and it unlocks hidden rendering features that improve visual fidelity without needing ENB or Reshade.

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Syntax

Utilities

Example

Downloads: 1,316,896 | Endorsements: 17,307

💡 Notes

By Trips | v2.1.0.0 | 17,307 endorsements

🎯 Tips & Tricks

Install via Vortex with 'Merge' method, not 'Replace'

In Vortex, set the mod's deployment method to 'Merge' (not 'Replace') so the .pak file goes into 'Data/Public/Shared/Content/VirtualTextures' without overwriting the base game's. If you use BG3MM, place it at the TOP of the load order, above 'ImprovedUI' and 'Baldur's Gate 3 Script Extender'.

Force shader recompilation after updating the game

After any hotfix, delete the 'D3D/ShaderCache' folder inside your 'Documents/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/ShaderCache' directory. Then launch the game with the '--flush' command line argument (in Steam: Right-click game > Properties > Launch Options) to force the engine to rebuild the shader cache with the new VT files.

Use the 'trip_shader_debug' console command to verify

Open the console with '~' (if you have Script Extender installed), type 'trip_shader_debug 1' to enable on-screen shader diagnostics. You should see 'VT: Loaded' for all custom shaders. If any show 'Missing', reinstall the pack and ensure your game is on the latest patch.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Incompatible with 'Native Camera Tweaks' causing water to appear solid black

This is a known conflict because Native Camera Tweaks overwrites the same water refraction shader. Fix: In your mod manager, place 'Trips' Shader Pack' BELOW 'Native Camera Tweaks' in load order, and then manually edit the 'WaterRefraction.ini' file in the shader pack to set 'RefractionQuality=2' instead of 3.

Crashes on load with 'ImprovedUI Assets' due to duplicate VT entries

The 'ImprovedUI' mod bundles its own shaders that conflict. Download the 'Trips' Shader Pack - ImprovedUI Patch' from the mod's optional files section, and load that patch AFTER both mods. If using Vortex, enable the patch and set it to 'Load After' both in the 'Plugins' tab.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

Placing this mod below 'Baldur's Gate 3 Script Extender' in the load order - Script Extender injects its own shader hooks, and having Trips below it causes a hard crash on character creation. Always keep Trips ABOVE Script Extender.
Using 'Replace' deployment in Vortex instead of 'Merge' - this deletes the base game's VT files, causing all textures to appear as white placeholders in Act 2 (Shadow-Cursed Lands) because the game can't find the original depth shaders.

👍 Pros

17,307 endorsements
1,316,896 downloads
Category: Utilities

👎 Cons

Requires mod manager installation
May conflict with similar mods

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