Baldur’s Gate 3 is better with friends. Even if some of them drive you up the wall from time to time, they definitely make slaying your enemies significantly easier. It’s dangerous to go it alone on the Sword Coast, so here’s a handy guide on where you can recruit all the main companions in the game.
Shadowheart
Shadowheart is one of the first companions that you’re likely to encounter. You can meet her aboard the Nautiloid ship in the game’s opening sequence, but that’s not where you’ll make her an official member of your party.
After the ship crashes, you just have to walk a little ways north along the beach to meet up with Shadowheart again. Here she’ll gladly join you in a quest to get the parasites out of your heads.
Astarion
After clambering out of the wreckage of the Nautiloid, Astarion is likely to be the second or third companion that you meet. He’s waiting near some docks that are southwest of the Roadside Cliffs waypoint. Keep walking through the crashed ship, and you’ll eventually run into him.
Then you’ll just have to decide if you can move past the terrible first impression he makes before inviting him to your camp.
Gale
Gale is pretty hard to miss. You’ll encounter him for the first time when you arrive at the Roadside Cliffs waypoint. There’s a large boulder covered in a swirling mass of purple energy.
As you approach this outpouring of Weave, Gale emerges and asks for a hand pulling himself from the portal. If you pass one of a variety of easy skill checks, you’ll free Gale and be able to add him to your party.
Wyll
Wyll makes the flashiest entrance of any companion in the game. You’ll first get to see him in action when you approach the Emerald Grove. As goblins charge in to attack, Wyll leaps into the fray to strike them down. You get the chance to fight alongside him before he becomes a member of your party.
When the battle ends, you can find Wyll in Emerald Grove. He’s helping train some of the youngest tiefling to defend themselves.
Lae’Zel
When your party grows as much as it does in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’re bound to collect a few friends who don’t get along with each other. Lae’Zel has a particularly difficult time integrating with the rest of the party, but she’s well worth meeting all the same. As a Githyanki warrior, her combat abilities are second to none, and she has one of the most interesting storylines in the entire game.
You’ll find her north of the Roadside Cliffs waypoint trapped by two tieflings. If you convince them to leave and shoot Lae’Zel down from her trap, she’ll fight by your side.
Karlach
Karlach is another companion that not everyone in your party is thrilled to see. Wyll in particular has a tough time dealing with Karlach because she once worked for the Archdevil Zariel. He’s actually hunting Karlach down, so he’ll be able to point you in her direction. She shows up south of a house where some injured paladins are taking shelter near the Risen Road waypoint. Despite her complicated history, you’ll definitely want Karlach in your party. She’s a tough fighter with a heart of gold – and Infernal magic, but who’s counting on that?
Halsin
Halsin is a mighty druid who leads the people of the Emerald Grove. When you first arrive at the Grove, Halsin is gone, trapped inside the shrine where the goblins have set up camp. Freeing Halsin is the first step to adding him to your party, but you’ll need to progress further before he becomes an official member. Halsin has a multi-step questline that will take you into Act 2, but if you help him accomplish his goals, he’ll join your team.
Minthara
Evil players rejoice, here’s a companion for you. Like Halsin, Minthara requires you to jump through a few hoops before recruiting her. Some of them are pretty tough to swallow. You’ll first meet her at the goblin camp. If you aren’t laying waste to the place, you can speak to Minthara and help her infiltrate Emerald Grove. Doing so will cost you Wyll, Karlach, and Halsin as companions, but it will let you advance Minthara’s questline. You’ll see her again at Moonrise Towers, where she can become a true party member.
Jaheira
Longtime Baldur’s Gate fans know Jaheira well. She appeared in both Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II: Shadow of Amn. Here she shows up in Act 2, and you’ll first encounter her at the Last Light Inn. It’s possible for a massive battle to occur at the Inn, and if it does, you need to make sure that Jaheira stays alive. After that, proceed through the Gauntlet of Shar, save the Nightsong, and head to Moonrise Towers. Jaheira will help you fight through the area, and then she’ll be willing to join your party for any battles to follow.
Minsc
Minsc is another familiar face who appeared in the previous Baldur’s Gate games. You won’t be able to meet him until Act 3, and you’ll need to have recruited Jaheira to get him on your side. Jaheira’s questline will eventually lead you into the Sewers beneath Baldur’s Gate. Thanks to the Absolute’s mind-controlling powers, your first encounter with Minsc will turn into a battle. As long as you take him out with a non-lethal blow, you’ll have the opportunity to recruit him. Bringing Jaheira lets you bypass a difficult skill check that’s the last part of Minsc’s recruitment.
