Baldur’s Gate 3 is stacked with interesting and well-developed characters for players to experience. At the core of the story is your travelling entourage of companions who are all dealing with personal struggles as well as the ever-present danger of becoming a Mind Flayer because of the parasite in their brains. Now that enough time has passed, here’s our picks for all the Baldur’s Gate 3 companions ranked from worst to best.
Before we begin, it’s worth explaining that this ranking is based on three factors: personality, battle skills and personal stories. We’ll weigh each of these factors when ranking the companions to find out which ones were more interesting and useful than the others. Also, this is simply our personal opinion. Overall, there aren’t any “bad” companions in the game. We’re simply looking at the ones that stood out to us the most in Baldur’s Gate 3.
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All Baldur’s Gate 3 Companions Ranked From Worst to Best
10. Minsc
Minsc makes the bottom of the list because he’s very easy to miss. While most companions are recruited as a result of either the story or exploration, getting Minsc requires you to follow Jaheira”s personal quest. This means keeping Jaheira alive during key moments in Act 2 and 3, which can be tricky if you make the wrong calls. Additionally, Minsc is recruited pretty late into the game and by then, most players would have already built and synergised a reliable party.
As long as you follow Jaheira’s questline in Act 3 and keep him alive, Minsc will reluctantly agree to join your party. The only problem is he’s not a very polite or approachable chap at first. Once you get to know him, he’s a pretty cool character but players would’ve already been at the tail-end of the main story by then. As a Ranger class, he’s also just fine but like I said, if you already have a set party, it’s hard to be swayed into using him for the late game since he doesn’t have much time to develop properly like the others.
9. Jaheira
Jaheira arguably has the more interesting personality out of the two Druids you recruit. She’s strong, a natural leader and capable of holding her own in battles with her handy shapeshifting abilities. You first meet her leading the Harpers of First Light Inn and she immediately makes a good first impression. Once you get further into Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3, you can recruit her to join your party. Beyond that, there’s just not much else to her.
She has a pretty good questline that eventually leads to Minsc and answers a few more questions about the main plot but as a companion, she’s almost a blank slate and background decoration after a while. Jaheira can’t be romanced (as far as we know) and her dialogue interactions are very limited, so it’s difficult to connect with her as well as the others. She’s a solid addition to your party (as are all Druids), but she almost makes the bottom because she feels like a bit of an afterthought at times.
8. Halsin
While Jaheira has the more alluring presence as a Druid, Halsin has the muscle. Halsin is recruited midway through Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3 but he’s built up from the early stages as a powerful Druid who may be able to help you with your little tadpole problem. The first time you meet him, he certainly lives up to his reputation. Halsin is an incredibly powerful ally and battle-experienced party member who can easily hold his own during combat.
The problem is Halsin’s personality. He’s a charming dude with a great sense of morality and doing what’s best for his people but his best moments as a character actually happen off-screen and before you even recruit him. He doesn’t really develop much chemistry with the other characters and his romance is, uh, the strangest one in the game to say the least. However, he’s a worthy addition to your party and has an arsenal of spells and strong melee abilities to balance it all out.
7. Wyll
It’s initially pretty difficult to recommend Wyll as a worthy addition to your party. As a Warlock, his best abilities (besides Edlritch Blast) only unlock at mid to high levels, so he’s less of a glass cannon and more of a glass pistol at first. Once levelled up properly though, Wyll’s abilities really shine, capable of dishing out some of the most devastating evocation spells while also controlling the battlefield depending on the Pact you choose.
Wyll’s personal story revolving around his deal with the devil Mizora is also very compelling. That is until it stops being compelling at a certain point – let’s just say it’s a far less interesting story to follow afterwards but still decent. Overall, Wyll is great if you really want to see the awesome might and potential of Warlocks in combat plus Mizora’s sub-story is fascinating as it also clashes with another character further down this list.
6. Minthara
Putting Minthara this high up on the list might ruffle some feathers since recruiting her requires players to lean heavily into an evil playthrough. As a Dark Urge companion and ultimate romance option, though, she’s easily one of the best. Her Paladin abilities are incredibly powerful at the time you recruit her so adding her to your party will ensure you have a strong ally capable of doing a little bit of everything with high defence.
Minthara’s biggest setback has nothing to do with her character and more to do with yours. If you choose to commit that atrocity, she’ll join your quest but almost everyone in the camp very strongly disapproves of this decision – to the point where you could potentially lose some companions in the process. Minthara is a fantastic chaotic evil to have around but you better be prepared to face the consequences if you’re also trying to keep everyone on friendly terms.
5. Astarion
You might be surprised to see the next couple of entries not crack the top three, but let me explain. Astarion is easily one of the most charismatic and mysterious companions that you recruit early in Baldur’s Gate 3. He initially comes off a bit cold (be prepared for more vampire puns) and heartless… until you discover that he’s a vampire. Furthermore, Astarion boasts a great personal quest that slowly unravels him to be a charming, if slightly unhinged individual.
It may take a bit of time to really sink your teeth into Astarion’s personality but once he comes around, he’s a standout character with multiple layers. Where he kind of stumbles is in his class. Astarion is a Rogue, which means you won’t necessarily get the benefits of his best abilities until he’s levelled up few more times, making him a bit of a weak link in the early game. Unless you figure out Baldur’s Gate 3‘s broken stealth systems, you also won’t have much use for his sneaking until you start reshaping his offensive capabilities.
4. Shadowheart
If this list was all about the best romances in Baldur’s Gate 3, Shadowheart would comfortably take one of the top spots. Initially coming off as mean and secretive, once you strengthen your bond with Shadowheart, she turns into someone who unconditionally trusts you and also deeply cares for you. Her character development also progresses quite naturally, spanning almost the entire game, so it’s less jarring than others on this list.
That said, Shadowheart is also a very useful companion as a Cleric… if you didn’t already choose Cleric or Paladin. It’s a must to have her in your party at all times as the designated healer but powerful cantrips like the supremely powerful Guiding Light make her a worthwhile damage-dealer too. If you’re already playing the part of a healer or support, you may not find much reason to keep Shadowheart around but her story is excellent and her personal journey is absolutely worth following to the end.
3. Gale
Everyone’s favourite Wizard makes it this high up on the list because of his dark history, moving personal conflicts and uplifting spirit. Gale is simply a joyful character to be around, often dropping some of the best lines in the game during situations and whole-heartedly approving of your heroic and considerate deeds. Behind that veil, however, is a brutal personal story that leads to an incredibly important turning point during the main quest in Act 2 that brings his character into a new light.
For the most part, Gale is a powerful Wizard and one of, if not the best ranged/support member of your party to keep around. Because of his versatility as a Wizard and access to almost every spell in the game, you can easily shape his playstyle into whatever suits your needs. His romance also takes a while to get going which isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s the opposite. Like Shadowheart, Gale’s attachment to the main character naturally develops with ups and downs throughout the game, be it a great friendship or something more.
2. Lae’zel
It’s easy to see why fans dislike Lae’zel. She’s openly hostile towards you and others, constantly berates your good deeds that don’t end in violence, and she’s a Githyanki, which most D&D players don’t really care about due to their blood-soaked history and conflicts with the Mind Flayers. On the other hand, this makes her development arguably the strongest of all the companions. While she’s a well-rounded romance that starts off steamy and slowly evolves into something deeper with you, her evolution as a character happens as a result of her experiences in the story.
Lae’zel’s one-note personality transforms from one of her weakest traits into one of her strongest. She’s forward, stern and compassionate where it counts. When the situations get more dire in the main quest, Lae’zel is often the first to say it like it is which is appreciated. If that didn’t sell you, her Fighter class is rock-solid as it not only makes her a melee weapon-mastered tank in combat, it also gives her a massive advantage on turns thanks to Action Surge and a free turn as you level up.
1. Karlach
Karlach’s fiery heart of gold is only matched by her strong and cheerful presence, and beastly battle abilities as a Barbarian. While the other characters take a bit of time to warm up to, Karlach strides in with such an endearing personality that’s easy to latch onto like you’ve been life-long buddies after one day. Her conversations and opinions on events are always insightful without being pessimistic and her romance is straight-forward and organically developed.
As a Barbarian, Karlach might as well be the equivalent of an armoured train in combat. Her Rage and Berseker-specific Frenzy abilities make her a hard-hitting ally while her high HP ensures she isn’t easy to bring down. When you put it all together – her outgoing and lively personality, her vengeful history with Zariel, her worthwhile romance and her unmatched combat experience – Karlach stands tall above the rest. Well, literally and figuratively.
