Losing a little bit of approval isn’t the end of the world when it comes to companions inBaldur’s Gate 3. Sometimes, a minor penalty can be the price to pay for a hilarious scene. However, if you want to romance someone, or have been unlucky enough to have a character be in danger of leaving your camp permanently, it’s good to know where you may be able to improve your relationship.
It can be quite annoying to start a whole campaign for one character, just for them not to show interest in you. A seasonedBG3player will likely know the best way to sway someone back onto their side. Even so,some companions gain approval more easily than the rest.
10Minthara Requires A Specific Playstyle
Most At Home In An Evil Campaign
It’s much easier to gain Minthara’s approval if you’re playing a character with an evil alignment, but even if you are, it can be tricky to figure out exactly where her priorities lie. You may think playing a typical bloodthirsty killer will gain her approval, but by the end of act two, you’ll see that she is a lot more nuanced than that. She can even call you out if you tell her that you slaughtered the grove for no good reason.
By the time you recruit her, Minthara will have denounced the Absolute, so she will heavily disapprove of any action that will aid Ketheric. Even thoughkilling Isobel may be a staple of an evil Dark Urge run,Minthara will not take kindly to this, nor to handing her over to Marcus. Minthara does approve of most actions done in the pursuit of personal power, which makes her aperfect romance option for an evil durge campaignif you know her character well enough.
9Astarion Just Needs The Right Touch
His Romance Isn’t As Tricky As Some Fans May Believe
It’s quite a common phenomenon for new players to startBaldur’s Gate 3with theintention of romancing Astarion,only for them to struggle with his approval.If you’re playing a stereotypical heroic character, then it’s quite easy for Astarion to become irritatedwith you. Seeing his disapproval message appear every time you help a child out of danger can be rather discouraging.
With that being said, the moments where he disapproves of the player taking the time to show compassion to others are not detrimental to his overall approval score. These instances usually only affect the score by -1, wheregenuine interactions in camp will increase his approval by 3 to 5. The best way to improve Astarion’s opinion of you is to show that you trust him and respect his autonomy.
8Minsc Suffers From Limited Time
Easy To Get On With, But Has Little Time To Settle Into The Party
Compared to the other companions, Minsc’s approval can be a little tricky to get, since he’s only available in Act Three. This leaves plenty of time to get his approval raised to exceptional, but if you leave him as the Stone Lord for too long, you may not have enough opportunities to take him with you.Despite this, Minsc is an extremely friendly characterand only has a few interactions that he will greatly disapprove of.
Though not a barbarian himself, Minsc approves of a lot of barbarian-specific dialogue.
Most of these choices are extremely obvious, like sacrificing him and/or Jaheria to Sarevok, so you won’t have much to worry about when choosing dialogue options. If you’replaying as the Dark Urge origin, you’ll get many unique opportunities to shape your relationship with Minsc.He’ll be extremely proud of you whenever you manage to resist your urges,and will disapprove of violence towards those undeserving of it.
7Karlach Is Great If You’re Honest
Great For Any Good-Aligned Tavs, Though Players May Butt Heads With Her
It’s generally quite easy to get on with Karlach - she approves of bringing justice to wrongdoers and any other good deeds, so unless you’re doing adevastating evil playthrough, it’s hard to make her outright dislike you. However,she disapproves of any kind of deception,so if you’re planning to deal with your enemies in a more subtle way and convince them you’re on their side, Karlach will usually disapprove. Many players, such as Reddit UserHawksearcher, have reported frustration with the Nere fight because of this.
Karlach has the biggest disapproval trigger in the game. This is a -100 penalty which will be applied if you start her romance, then tell her that sleeping with her was a mistake.
This can be a little frustrating if you’re trying to find a peaceful way out of something or just want to skip an uninteresting battle. She’s similar to Lae’zel in the sense that she prefers to fight first and ask questions later, butKarlach only extends her fury to villains and criminals,while Lae’zel is willing to tear down everyone in her way. Unfortunately, you may have to cope with a bit of disapproval from Karlach if you want her “good” ending, since she doesn’t enjoy being reminded of the idea of returning to Avernus.
6Jaheira Can Take A Joke
An Agreeable Character If You Picked Her Up In Act Two
Jaheira’s approval follows the same type of pattern that Minsc and Karlach’s does — she values honesty and doesn’t have time for bargaining with evildoers. She has the same reactivity to the Dark Urge origin that Minsc does, and will approve of any kindness shown to her Rashemaar companion.The druid knows how to take a good joke and will greatly approve of any friendly banter like calling her “ancient.”
5Halsin Is A Steadfast Companion
Forever Indebted To You After The Shadow Curse Is Lifted
It can be quite a hassle to get him on your side,but once you’ve secured Halsin as a companion, it’s hard to get him to dislike you.Lifting the Shadow Curse by bringing Halsin along in your party and allowing him tohandle the situation with Oliver and Thanielwill grant you a hefty boost of +55 to his approval. So, if you plan to keep him as a companion into the third act, the only way to properly get him to hate you enough to leave is by having a sudden and drastic change of heart.
4Lae’zel Likes Shows Of Strength
A Dependable Fighter For A Campaign Of Any Tone
Lae’zel’s approval can be a bit of a hit or miss, but she’ll appreciate the player staying on task and taking steps towardsfinding the Githyanki crèche. Taking her to Rosymorn Monastery will give you lots of opportunities to earn her approval, soas long as you don’t ignore her questline, she’ll be happy to travel with you.
As a Githyanki, Lae’zel especially admires any displays of strength, no matter if you’re culling the weak or taking down a powerful boss. She’s suited for almost any playthrough, but will not be easily convinced to accept the use of illithid powers.
3Gale Is Loyal If You Help Him Out
He’ll Stick Around As Long As You Give Him The Items He Needs
It’s exceptionally easy to gain approval from Gale. He appreciates any choice made in good faith, but can also be convinced to stick around afterraiding the Emerald Grovewith only a small dent to his approval rating.
It’s still a lot easier to build camaraderie with him during a good-aligned campaign, though, as long as you don’t do anything heinous, be cruel to him, or insult his intelligence, you’ll probably find that his approval builds up quite quickly.The most notable way to get him to dislike you is by refusing to help him find magical items.
2Shadowheart Lets You Know What She Wants
She’ll Give You Direct Instructions To Befriend Her
Shadowheart is one of the first companions you meet, and she seems to be designed to fit into almost any party. Thecleric is the least chosen class inBG3, so it’s common for her to end up as the de facto support character.She’s suited for almost any playthrough, regardless of your alignment— she has a beautiful arc if you help her uncover her past as a Selunite, and approves of charitable actions like being kind to animals. On the other hand, Shadowheart also has a large tolerance for less savory actions.
“I’m not half as mysterious as you might think. Respect my privacy, my beliefs, keep us focused on finding a cure… If you do that, I see no reason why we shouldn’t get closer.” - Shadowheart
She will often approve of violence and tortureif she sees it as the most efficient method of getting any information she needs, as per her Sharran training. Not to mention, if you’ve been struggling to gain her approval by the time you’re at the tiefling party, she can tell you herself how to get along with her. Shadowheart will remain closely by your side if you make smart decisions and respect her secrets.
1Wyll Doesn’t Take It Personal
He’s Just Happy To Be There
As long as you don’t raid the Grove, it’s extremely easy to build Wyll’s approval. There are many dialogue options that you would initially think would hurt him, but he takes the majority of criticism in stride. If you berate him for making a deal with Mizora, he won’t bear any hard feelings towards you and will even approve of your judgment.Simplyengaging in conversation with him and being a good person will keep Wyll satisfied.
He especially approves if the player tells Raphael they don’t plan to deal with a devil despite the obvious irony, which shows how much responsibility Wyll is willing to take for his past. Despite their initial altercation at the start of the story, Wyll will also approve of anything the player says in defense of Karlach. I think Reddit userepoch_failput it best — Wyll really is the most agreeable companion inBaldur’s Gate 3.
