Baldur's Gate 3 romances can be had with your companions and other NPCs too, allowing players to seduce a select few characters and form some sort of relationship with them. Different characters have to be appealed to in different ways, and Baldur's Gate 3 has a deliberate emphasis on understanding characters' personalities and appealing to them through dialogue rather than plying them with gifts. We'll cover the birds, bees and Bugbears in our guide to relationships and romance in Baldur's Gate 3.
All romances in Baldur's Gate 3
There's currently six characters you can romance in Baldur's Gate 3, though it's possible more will be added later on.
- Astarion
- Gale
- Lae'zel
- Shadowheart
- Wyll
- Minthara
As you might've noticed, the first five of these - all of them bar Minthara - are your Baldur's Gate 3 companions, and yes, they're all romanceable, despite some of them seeming pretty prickly at first. If you don't know where to meet them, the attached guide will explain how. And don't worry - romances aren't limited by gender or any other factor.
How to romance companions and NPCs in Baldur's Gate 3
With the exception of Minthara, the process for romancing characters goes like this:
- Raise their approval of you through select dialogue and actions
- Complete the quest "Rescue Halsin"
- At the celebration at camp after the quest, speak to the character you wish to romance.
- If they like you enough, there'll be a dialogue option inviting them to bed (the precise wording varies from character to character).
- Go back to your bedroll. A piece of dialogue from the narrator will ask you who you want to share it with (the list consisting of everybody you asked to bed).
- You can choose one NPC companion to bed with, and a cutscene follows.
The fact that this stage of romance is explicitly tied to a specific event - the camp celebration - means that at time of writing, you can only have one romance that goes all the way to the bedroom (or unrolled bedroll on the dirt). Seducing one person effectively comes at the exclusion of others, with the exception of Minthara - though the details and limitations may change when Baldur's Gate 3 leaves early access in August 2023.
At this point we'll explain the particulars of your companions, how you can improve their approval of you, and what you shouldn't say. Keep in mind that actions that gain some characters' approval might earn the disapproval of others, so you have to balance who you want to win over most.
How to romance Astarion
- Approval gained by: Shows of power, ruthless thinking, dramatics, the finer things in life, siding with monsters
- Disapproval gained by: Altruism, compromise, weakness, boring behaviour, restraint, judgement over his condition
The somewhat flirtatious Astarion is already a character who feels like he might seduce you first, but you do have to put in some work and effort before it'll quite reach that point. Astarion has a unique condition we won't spoil, but if you want to get on his good side, you won't be judgemental about it and cooperate to help him deal with it, even if it leads to some extreme places. Otherwise he's a character who enjoys shows of power and a certain amount of flamboyance, and dislikes boring behaviour and altruism. He's also got a soft spot for typically monstrous entities, and will approve of anybody who can find a way to work with them.
How to romance Gale
- Approval gained by: Intelligence, magical knowledge, non-violent approaches, kindness, poetry
- Disapproval gained by: Unnecessary violence, stupidity, lack of curiosity, judgement over his condition
Gale is the only character who has several specific stages to their approval, rather than just generally raising it. Once you've done enough to make him happy, going back to camp will provide a new section of dialogue in which you discuss his story, and effectively raise the cap of how much he can like you. Gale himself is a peaceful, good-natured soul, and will approve of any method that avoids violence. He also appreciates curiosity and a knowledgeable mind, so those who prove themselves intellectuals will get on his good side. And like Astarion, Gale has his own condition to deal with - and helping him deal with it will prove yourself a good soul in his eyes.
How to romance Lae'zel
- Approval gained by: Pro-Gith statements, cooperation, aggression, combat expertise, efficiency
- Disapproval gained by: Non-violent approaches, disagreement, distraction, anti-Gith statements
Lae'zel is pretty easy to read, harder to appeal to, as she's laser-focused on her goals and anything that deviates from them angers her. If you want to get on her good side, you'll play along with everything she says - focus on finding other Gith and the shortest, bloodiest route through any problem. Lae'zel never walks around an obstacle if she can cut it in half - to earn her respect, you'll mimic that approach. She also doesn't like Shadowheart, the two being pretty diametrically opposed.
How to romance Shadowheart
- Approval gained by: Use of trickery and manipulation, seeing through lies, anti-Gith statements, kindness to animals
- Disapproval gained by: Being tricked or manipulated, pointless bloodshed, pro-Gith statements, humiliation
Shadowheart is a little hard to read, but there's some clear patterns. She doesn't like Lae'zel or the Gith, so agreeing with them is always going to hurt your standing, and being a Trickery cleric, she much prefers deception and a silver tongue over wading in with a sword. She's also got a soft spot for animals, so Baldur's Gate 3 classes like Druids and Rangers who treat them well can earn her appeal.
How to romance Wyll
- Approval gained by: Heroics, altruism, helping those who need it, fighting villains
- Disapproval gained by: Working with villains, selfishness, entitled behaviour, anything pro-Devil or Goblin
Wyll is a Warlock who models himself as something of a classic, swashbuckling hero, and those who reflect those qualities will rank highly in his book. Heroic values, kicking evil's butt, not working with villains and taking a moral stand. You'll want to help people who need it, and never side with monsters - especially Devils and Goblins, who Wyll has some bad history with.
How to romance Minthara
Minthara is the only character who you can romance right now outside of your companions. She's a Drow Elf who serves as one of the leaders of the Goblin Camp - and while most playthroughs would have you fight her, if you work with her, it can lead to romance. Do the following to win her over (be warned, it's pretty villainous and will cause Wyll to leave the party permanently).
- Go to the Goblin Camp
- Head to the Shattered Sanctum
- Speak to Minthara
- Offer to tell her about the Grove and aid the Goblin Raid
- After the raid is over and won, speak to her in the Grove and say: "It’s been a privilege to fight alongside you./Embrace the change./Open your mind."
- You'll have a Goblin-themed celebration at camp.
- Speak to her at the celebration and tell her you're hers.
- Head to your bedroll and choose to share it with her.
And that's it for romances at time of writing, though it's entirely possible that more will be added in future patches and updates (the internet has its eye on the Druid Halsin, for one thing).
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