Okay, so I was knee-deep in Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3, right? Loving it. But man, those fights! Sometimes you just want to chill and explore, not worry about getting jumped by gnolls every five minutes. Kept seeing whispers online about this “Chilled” thing. Sounded interesting, maybe like a chill mode mod? Figured I’d give it a shot myself.
Finding and Grabbing It
First thing, opened up where I get mods. Searched for “Baldur’s Gate 3 Chilled”. Didn’t find one exactly called that, but saw a mod called “No Party Initiative” pop up a bunch. Description talked about slowing combat down, making enemies less aggressive outside combat. That clicked – this must be the “Chilled” vibe people meant! So, I hit download. Simple enough.
The Install Hassle (Almost)
Had my mod manager ready. Dropped the mod files into the usual place where I keep ’em for BG3. Launched the manager. It saw the mod files okay. Hit “Export Order” or whatever to bake it into the game files like always. This part always makes me hold my breath for a sec. It finished without any scary errors – so far, so good.
Firing Up the Game
Launched BG3. Went straight to my existing save file in Act 2. Loaded in near Last Light Inn. Immediately noticed something different. Usually, you walk a few steps out and bam! Enemies spot you. This time? Nada. Walked right up past where those creepy shadows hang out – normally a big fight zone. They just… stood there? Didn’t rush me. Weird, but promising!
Testing the Chill
Here’s what I actually tested:
- Approach: Slowly walked right into the middle of a group of Absolute cultists near the bridge. Normally, instant agro city. Now? They just did their little patrols. Even walked between them.
- Sneaking: Still worked for pickpocketing, but the pressure was way off. Not having to quicksave every 10 seconds for fear of combat was huge.
- Exploring: Finally got to look around those Sharran ruins near the river properly without being interrupted. Found a whole stash of supplies I always missed!
- Ambushes: Set off a trap deliberately near where the ghouls spawn. Trap went boom, but the ghouls nearby… didn’t care? Just kept shuffling. Only got agro when I deliberately attacked one.
Why It Actually IS Useful
Okay, so here’s the thing. It doesn’t make you invincible. Fights still happen if you start them. But the constant stress of random encounters just… vanished. It let me do stuff I never bother with:
- Actually take screenshots without getting stabbed.
- Talk to environmental stuff and read notes carefully.
- Figure out puzzles without the pressure of enemies creeping up.
- Just soak in the incredible atmosphere of the world without the fight music constantly blaring.
It turned the game from constant high alert into something closer to a proper immersive RPG world you can actually poke around in. Less “combat simulator”, more “living world”. Huge difference.
Final Thoughts
If you’re playing BG3, especially on later runs, or if you just get stressed by the constant threat, you need to try this mod. Seriously. Takes five minutes to set up. It doesn’t make the game easy – you still gotta handle the fights you choose to start. But it makes the exploration actually enjoyable. Found so much cool stuff I missed before because I was too busy ducking and weaving. Worth every single click. Go get it!