Baldur’s Gate 3 Companions and Romance Guide

Baldur’s Gate 3 might just be the best dating sim – ahem – RPG game of the year, with hours of content to be spent adventuring, fighting, and yes, romancing.

This Dungeons and Dragons adventure wouldn’t be the same without the Companions you meet along the way. As you travel together, you’ll learn more about your Companions… their likes, dislikes, and their personal tastes. Do you have what it takes to become more than just a party member to your favorite Companion?

Lucky for you, we’ve gathered a list of each romanceable Companion’s likes and dislikes, so you’ll never have to see the words “Astarion disapproves” pop up again.

Shadowheart Romance Guide

It’s hard not to have a soft spot for “god’s favorite princess”. As a devoted cleric of Shar, Shadowheart has a bit of a dark side, but maybe noe quite as dark as she’d like you to think. Here are just a few of the things that will earn you Shadowheart’s Approval or Disapproval:

Shadowheart Approval List

• Kindness towards children
• Kindness towards animals
• Avoiding unnecessary violence where possible with persuasion or manipulation
• Showing distrust towards the Gith
• Fighting against oppression
• Allowing her to be faithful to Shar where possible

Shadowheart Disapproval List:

• Not respecting her boundaries
• Getting involved in things that aren’t your problem
• Humiliating others
• Choosing unnecessary violence
• Siding with oppressors
• Showing trust towards the Gith

Keeping these likes and dislikes in mind while playing Baldur’s Gate 3 will be handy towards getting on Shadowheart’s good side. Still not sure what to say during cutscenes with Shadowheart to take things to the next level? Check out our Shadowheart Romance Guide! We have a complete walkthrough towards maximizing your romance with Shadowheart in Acts One, Two, and Three.

Gale Romance Guide

He might be more than a little hung up on his last ex, but Gale’s still game to let you be second best to the goddess of magic herself. Despite being a literal ticking time bomb, Gale’s morals align strictly with the lawful good. If you’re starting to swoon for this true-blue wizard, here is a comprehensive lists of all the things Gale approves and disapproves of:

Gale Approval List

• General acts of heroism
• Acts of kindness where you gain nothing
• Showing kindness towards animals
• Interest in the arcane and arts
• Avoiding violent solutions
• Giving him magical artifacts to consume

Gale Disapproval List

• Unnecessary violence
• Being cruel unnecessarily
• Acts of stupidity
• Showing judgement to his condition

If you can keep up the hero act during your Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough, you might just be able to trigger some romance scenes with Gale. Don’t blow your chance – play it safe by following our Gale Romance Guide for all romance scenes in Acts One, Two, and Three.

Astarion Romance Guide

Listen, everyone loves a bad boy. We get it. Though our charming vampire rogue might not always have the best intentions, sometimes it’s fun to play the villain. Whether you are choosing a companion for your Dark Urge playthrough or dead set on romancing Astarion even if it kills you, here’s some things to look out for so you can please or displease your favorite pale elf.

Astarion Approval List:

• Supporting his desires
• Being supportive of his nature and condition
• Aligning yourself with creatures of evil nature, such as goblins or devils
• Being ruthless to people he views as weak
• Demonstrating your power over others
• Appreciation for the fine arts
• Being cruel to others
• Letting him bite you

Astarion Disapproval List:

• Showing concern to the weak
• Exercising restraint
• Being judgemental towards him and his condition
• General acts of heroism

Getting on Astarion’s good side is only half the battle, however. To get this ice cold vampire to fall in love with you, you’ll want to follow our Astarion Romance Guide to navigate all his romance scenes successfully.

Wyll Romance Guide

People might say Wyll is the tame romance option in Baldur’s Gate 3, but what isn’t there to love about a disgraced warlock forced to strike a deal with a devil? Wyll is a complicated soul, constantly endeavoring to do the right thing, even despite his pact with literal hellspawn. If you start to feel your respect for Wyll blooming into something more, here’s a complete list of all the things he approves and disapproves of:

Wyll Approval List

• General acts of heroism
• Helping those in need
• Fighting against oppressors
• Reinforcing his beliefs
• Showing ruthlessness towards goblins and devils

Wyll Disapproval List

• Lying to him
• Being self-indulgent and entitled
• Showing pro-goblin and devil sentiment
• Unnecessary acts of cruelty
• Siding with Mizora

Don’t mess up your chance to win Wyll’s heart! Follow our Romance Guide so you always say the right thing during a romance scene with Wyll.

Lae’zel Romance Guide

T’chaki. You wouldn’t expect the bloodthirsty Gith of the group to be interested in romance. While Lae’zel’s initial interests might be primarily carnal, if you play your cards right, you might be able to get Lae’zel to open up to you. Here are all the things Lae’zel approves and disapproves of, so you don’t make the wrong choices to impress the ever unimpressed Githyanki warrior.

Lae’zel Approval List

• Agreeing with her
• Showing pro-Gith sentiment
• Demonstrating your power over others
• Being aggressive and ruthless

Lae’zel Disapproval List

• Siding with the weak
• Using non-violent tactics
• Being anti-Gith
• Disagreeing with her

Satisfying Lae’zel is no easy task, so check out our Lae’zel Romance Guide for a more in-depth look of how to respond during romance scenes.

Karlach Romance Guide

If you don’t love golden retriever, self-combusting tiefling Karlach, you might actually be evil. Our favorite fiery barbarian has a big heart (or infernal engine), and if you do right by her, she’ll be loyal to the end. As long as you’re planning to lean more towards a lawful good playthrough (or at least chaotic good), you might find you and Karlach becoming a bit more than friends. Here are some of the things Karlach approves and disapproves of:

Karlach Approval List

• General acts of heroism
• Kindness towards children
• Compassion towards Tieflings
• Violent-oriented solutions, as long as they’re not mindless or villainous
• Standing up against bullying of the weak

Karlach Disapproval List

• Being cruel and unnecessary
• Being a coward
• Siding with the goblins
• Anti-Tiefling Sentiment

Halsin Romance Guide

One of the most notorious romance scenes in Baldur’s Gate 3 might just be with the druid Halsin. Yes, you can have sex with Halsin while he is in Bear Form. Whether sex or romance is your intention with Halsin, to get him to open up to you, you’ll first need to impress him. Be sure to make choices that align with what Halsin approves or disapproves of if you want to romance him later:

Halsin Approval List

• Respecting nature
• Showing kindness to animals
• Supporting his druidic beliefs
• General acts of kindness and heroism

Halsin Disapproval List

• Harming animals
• Unnecessary acts of cruelty
• Undermining his druidic beliefs

While Halsin isn’t exactly shy about his feelings, to truly romance this bear of a man, you’ll need to not only rescue Halsin from the goblins but help him lift the “shadow curse” from his childhood friend. Check our full Halsin Romance Guide for details on how to spark a relationship with him.

Minthara Romance Guide

If Astarion isn’t morally gray enough for you, romancing Minthara might be more your speed. The only thing this drow paladin truly loves is the Absolute… but if you’re willing to submit to her, perhaps she could come to love you just as much? Here are some things that will guarentee you earn Minthara’s approval or disapproval:

Minthara Approval List

• Unquestioning loyalty to the Absolute
• Prioritizing her goals and ideals over your own
• Decisiveness when resolving conflict
• Siding with the Goblins

Minthara Disapproval List

• Denying the Absolute
• Trying to exert dominance over her will
• Siding with the Tieflings
• Being a coward
• Indecisiveness when resolving conflict or choosing sides.

If you want to give yourself to Minthara (because let’s be honest, it’s not going to be the other way around), you’ll have to commit yourself to the cause of the Absolute. This means agreeing to raid the Emerald Grove with the goblins and turning your back on the tieflings and druids taking shelter there.

Mizora Romance Guide

Everyone loves a slow burn romance… just maybe not with a literal demon. But hey, if you have a thing for Wyll’s infernal patron, you can take things to the next step. Just expect there to be a lot of steps along the way.

Unlike other Companions, Mizora does not have any “likes” or “dislikes” that are prompted by making certain dialogue or action choices. However, by making the right choices in regards to Wyll, eventually you can get Mizora to stay at your camp. And that’s where the magic happens.

How to Romance the Dream Guardian

You might remember creating your Dream Guardian at the start of your Baldur’s Gate 3 adventure, right alongside your player character. Well, the Dream Guardian plays quite a huge role in the events of the game. It’s not until Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3 that the true nature and identity of the Dream Guardian are revealed.

Yes, you can romance the Emperor themselves. Once the truth is out there, if you remain open and empathetic to the Emperor’s wishes, you can eventually trigger a romance scene with the Emperor in either their Dream Guardian form or their illithid form.

Can You Romance Jaheira?

Sadly, you cannot romance Jaheira in Baldur’s Gate 3. However, she is still a Companion worth recruiting to your party. If you want to stay on her good side, check out this list of what she approves and disapproves of:

Jaheira Approval List

• General acts of heroism
• Displaying leadership qualities
• Being decisive when resolving situations

Jaheira Disapproval List

• Acts of unnecessary cruelty
• Being a coward or a liar

Can You Romance Minsc?

Minsc is another Companion that you unfortunately cannot romance, despite being able to recruit them to your party. But hey, that doesn’t mean you can’t be friends! Minsc has certain dialogue and action choices that he likes and dislikes as much as the next guy, so don’t let this burly ranger down.

Minsc Approval List

• Being kind to animals, especially Boo
• Acts of heroism
• Defending your companions
• Supporting his beliefs and ideas

Minsc Disapproval List

• Acts of unnecessary cruelty
• Challenging or ridiculing his beliefs and ideas
• Showing disrespect towards animals, especially Boo

Don’t forget to check out our full Baldur’s Gate 3 Romance Guide, with all sex and romance options! If you want to keep things platonic, our guide to How to Find and Recruit All Companions has you covered.

Shailyn Cotten is a Freelance Writer for IGN. When she’s not writing guides, you can find her gobbling up Legend of Zelda lore, writing cozy fantasy novels, or live-streaming on Twitch. You can find her on Twitter at @ShaiCotten.