How to Get All Companions in Baldur’s Gate 3
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Baldur’s Gate 3
How to Get All Companions in Baldur’s Gate 3
How to Recruit Each CompanionCompanion TipsThe companion system in BG3 is one of the game’s most celebrated features — each of the 7 main Origin companions has a complete personal narrative that intersects with the main story, reacts to your choices, and changes based on your relationship with them. The companions aren’t simply combat tools; Shadowheart’s internal conflict about her goddess, Astarion’s centuries of trauma as a vampire spawn, and Gale’s doomed relationship with Mystra are fully realized character arcs that take 20–30 hours of companion-specific content to complete. The most common mistake on first playthroughs is neglecting companion conversations at camp — these are where the personal quests advance, approval grows, and the game’s richest dialogue happens. For players wanting to pursue romantic relationships, each companion has a romance arc that begins with approval-building conversations and culminates in Act 2 or 3 story events — see individual romance guides for Astarion and Shadowheart for the specific approval thresholds and dialogue choices required.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
All Companions — Locations and RecruitmentThere are 10 recruitable companions in BG3 — 7 Origin companions and 3 Hireling-style. The main 7 are: Shadowheart (beach after ship crash), Astarion (beach), Gale (Roadside Cliffs), Lae’zel (cage near crash site), Wyll (Druid Grove), Karlach (Risen Road), and Halsin (Goblin Camp — Act 1 rescue, joins party in Act 2). All 7 can be missed if you kill them or fail their recruitment events. You can only have 3 companions active at once — the rest wait at camp.
| Companion | Class | Where to Find | Act | Missable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowheart | Cleric | Beach after nautiloid crash — also in pod on the ship | 1 | ⚠️ Can be killed |
| Astarion | Rogue | Beach after nautiloid crash | 1 | ⚠️ Can be killed |
| Gale | Wizard | Roadside Cliffs — purple portal, help him out | 1 | ⚠️ Can be killed |
| Lae’zel | Fighter | Cage near crash site — free her from Tieflings | 1 | ⚠️ Can be killed |
| Wyll | Warlock | Druid Grove — fighting goblins at the entrance | 1 | ⚠️ Siding with goblins locks him out |
| Karlach | Barbarian | Risen Road — northeast of Druid Grove | 1 | ⚠️ Killing her for Wyll’s quest loses her |
| Halsin | Druid | Goblin Camp — rescue from Worg Pens, joins in Act 2 | 1/2 | ⚠️ Must rescue in Act 1 |
| Jaheira | Druid/Fighter | Last Light Inn — Act 2 | 2 | ⚠️ Can die if inn is attacked |
| Minsc | Ranger | Rivington — Act 3 quest chain | 3 | ⚠️ Multi-step quest required |
| Minthara | Paladin | Goblin Camp — requires siding WITH goblins | 1/3 | ⚠️ Mutually exclusive with Wyll/Halsin |
1
Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale, Lae’zel — all in Act 1’s opening area. After crashing on the beach, all four companions are within a short walk of each other. Shadowheart is on the beach near the wreckage — speak to her to recruit. Astarion is also on the beach slightly further along — he ambushes you, pass the Perception check to avoid being startled, then recruit. Gale is at the Roadside Cliffs portal slightly north — he’s stuck in a purple portal, grab his hand and pull him out to recruit. Lae’zel is suspended in a cage by Tieflings north of the crash — kill or persuade the Tieflings to lower her cage, then recruit. All four are available within the first 30 minutes of gameplay and are impossible to miss if you explore the starting beach area thoroughly.
2
Wyll — Druid Grove, fighting goblins at the entrance. Wyll is found at the Druid Grove (the main settlement in Act 1) fighting goblins at the main entrance gate. He joins automatically when you enter combat to help defend the grove. After the fight, speak to him inside the grove to formally recruit him to your party. Important: Wyll is only available if you side with the Tieflings and Druids against the goblins. If you choose to side with the Goblin Camp instead (Minthara path), Wyll leaves permanently. Wyll’s questline involves his Warlock pact with the devil Mizora — advancing this questline is required to keep him through Act 3.
3
Karlach — Risen Road, northeast of Druid Grove. Karlach is a Tiefling Barbarian found on the Risen Road — the path northeast of the Druid Grove. Wyll’s Act 1 quest sends you to «slay a devil» on this road, which turns out to be Karlach herself (who is actually a refugee, not a devil). Speak to Karlach before attacking her — she explains the situation and gives you the option to side with her against the paladins pursuing her. Choose to help Karlach and she joins your party. If you blindly attack Karlach without speaking to her (or attack at Wyll’s request without questioning it), she dies and cannot be recruited. Karlach and Wyll can both be in your party — after the truth is revealed, they reconcile.
4
Halsin — rescue from the Goblin Camp in Act 1, joins in Act 2. Halsin is the First Druid of the grove, captured by goblins and held in the Worg Pens inside the Goblin Camp. To recruit him: infiltrate the Goblin Camp (east of the Druid Grove), find the Worg Pens in the back of the camp, free Halsin from his cage (he’s transformed into a bear — speak to him in bear form). He helps defeat the goblin leaders. After clearing the camp, return to the grove — Halsin thanks you and promises to join once you reach Act 2. He actually appears at your camp at the start of Act 2 and can then be added to your active party. Note: Halsin does not formally join in Act 1 even after rescue — he catches up in Act 2.
5
Jaheira — Last Light Inn in Act 2. Jaheira is a veteran adventurer (and a beloved character from the original BG1 and BG2) found at the Last Light Inn in Act 2’s Shadow-Cursed Lands. She’s leading the Harpers defending the inn against Ketheric Thorm’s forces. Speak to her at the inn to begin her questline. Critical warning: the Last Light Inn comes under attack during Act 2’s main story progression — if you fail to defend Isobel (the cleric upstairs) during the attack, Jaheira can die permanently along with many NPC allies. Protect Isobel during the Flaming Fist attack event to keep Jaheira alive. She formally joins the party after Moonrise Towers is resolved. See the Act 3 guide for progression.
6
Minsc — Act 3 multi-step quest in Rivington and Lower City. Minsc (also from the original BG games) is found petrified in Act 3. His recruitment requires a multi-step quest chain: speak to Nine-Fingers Keene in the Guildhall (Lower City), follow the quest to Rivington where a suspicious stone statue of Minsc is being transported, interact with the statue, and eventually break the stone curse. The quest involves a confrontation with the Guild and Jaheira’s questline — having Jaheira in your party helps unlock Minsc’s quest naturally. Minsc is recruitable in Act 3 only and requires actively pursuing his quest rather than stumbling across him organically. He joins as a Ranger with his hamster Boo as a companion item.
→Minthara is mutually exclusive with Wyll, Karlach, and Halsin — choose carefully: recruiting Minthara requires siding with the Goblin Camp and attacking the Druid Grove. This permanently removes Wyll (who leaves in disgust), prevents Halsin’s rescue, and triggers the death of many Tiefling NPCs. Minthara only joins your full party in Act 3 after certain story events. She’s a powerful Paladin companion but the moral cost of recruitment makes her viable primarily for evil or morally flexible playthroughs.
→Talk to every companion at camp after major story events — approval matters: companion approval (approval/disapproval system) affects their willingness to stay, unlock romance options, and share personal quests. Speak to companions at camp after completing major story beats — they react to what happened and give approval or disapproval based on your choices. High approval unlocks deeper dialogue, personal quests, and eventually romance. Low approval leads to companions eventually leaving. Check in with Shadowheart and Astarion especially — their personal quests have Act-specific windows that close permanently if you don’t advance them.
→Bench companions still level up — all 10 stay at your character level: companions waiting at camp automatically gain levels alongside your active party. There’s no penalty for benching companions — swap freely based on the encounter ahead. Before a dungeon with lots of locks, bring Astarion (Rogue). Before a fight needing healing, bring Shadowheart (Cleric). Before a social encounter with persuasion checks, bring whoever has highest Charisma. The best party composition guide covers optimal 4-person setups for different content.
→Respec companions with Withers to change their class and subclass: Withers at your camp offers a full respec service (100 gold per character). You can respec any companion’s class, subclass, and ability scores — Astarion doesn’t have to stay a Rogue, Wyll doesn’t have to stay a Warlock. This enables custom party compositions where you build each companion to complement your playstyle rather than accepting their default builds. Many players respec Lae’zel from Fighter to Battle Master or Shadowheart from Life Cleric to Spore Druid for more interesting utility.
→Complete each companion’s personal quest before Act 3 ends — some close permanently: every companion has a personal questline (Shadowheart’s goddess conflict, Astarion’s Cazador confrontation, Gale’s orb situation, etc.). These quests have Act-specific windows — some steps are only available in Act 2, others only in Act 3 before the point of no return. Consistently advance each companion’s personal quest when they initiate dialogue about it. Missing a companion’s personal quest doesn’t lose them from your party but does lock out major story content and their best narrative outcomes.
How many companions are in Baldur’s Gate 3?There are 10 recruitable companions in BG3: Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale, Lae’zel, Wyll, Karlach (all Act 1), Halsin (Act 1 rescue, joins Act 2), Jaheira (Act 2), Minsc (Act 3), and Minthara (Act 1 if siding with goblins, joins Act 3). You can have 3 companions active at once; the rest wait at camp but still level up.
Can you get all companions in one playthrough of BG3?Almost — you can recruit 9 of 10 companions in a single playthrough. Minthara requires siding with the goblins, which permanently loses Wyll and prevents Halsin’s recruitment. Wyll and Minthara are mutually exclusive. All other 8 companions can be in the same playthrough without any conflict.
Where is Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3?Karlach is on the Risen Road northeast of the Druid Grove. Wyll’s quest directs you there to «slay a devil» — but Karlach is actually a Tiefling refugee, not a devil. Speak to her before attacking and choose to side with her against the paladins. She joins your party after the confrontation.
When does Halsin join your party in BG3?Halsin is rescued from the Goblin Camp’s Worg Pens in Act 1 but does not formally join the party until Act 2. After rescuing him and clearing the Goblin Camp, he promises to find you — he appears at your campsite at the start of Act 2 and can then be added to your active party of 4.