The ambition of Larian Studios of transforming his interpretation of Baldur's Gate into the definitive role-playing game obviously could not ignore the presence of Romance, or the love relationships that are so tempting to RPG enthusiasts. In the weeks prior to the launch, there was often talk about the scene that unites one of the protagonists with a Druid transformed into bear form in a... romantic setting, but in the work there is an extremely stratified system that regulates this type of interaction .
For this reason, we have created a complete guide to Baldur's Gate 3 Romances, explaining in detail how they work, what requirements they have and everything you need to know to give life to the relationship of your dreams. This is a deep, complex system, closely tied to every single choice you make during your travels, so you need to pay attention to many details that might escape you during your first playthrough. Let's analyze this mechanic and all its strange conditions in detail.
How Romance works in Baldur's Gate 3
You will be happy to know that in Baldur's Gate 3 it is possible form a love relationship with all 8 characters having a narrative background, and that Romance has no limits based on sex, gender, race or any other characteristic of the creatures involved. In fact, the only thing that matters is the birth of aPositive opinion towards our character: every action you perform, every response you give, every interaction you take part in could generate approval or disapproval within the character you have a love interest in, therefore it is essential to always weigh your words.
Another key element lies in the desire to help those who are different Origin Characters to pursue their objectives: each member of the cast is in fact linked to long and complicated secondary missions that define their characterization, and it is essential to take part in them. Often, however, you will not be aware of what their real objectives are, the secrets they may be hiding from you, the lies they may have told you, therefore it is essential to develop the relationship and gain their trust even just to understand where they want to go in terms of narration. And, trust me, it is not at all easy to decipher their intentions.
Furthermore, all the characters have avery specific ideology which is essential to understand as soon as possible. Random example? Shadowheart melts when she sees that you treat the animals well. It is very important to always take these inclinations into account to increase the bond with your travel companions; even more important, obviously, is to avoid making gestures that particularly annoy them. Let's always take Shadowheart as an example, who absolutely does not appreciate you invading her space. In the next section, in this regard, we have collected a list of the most impactful choices for each character.
The last thing to keep in mind is that theCamp It represents a crucial place for love relationships to mature. It will be on these occasions that you will be able to get to know those around you better, revealing not only part of their narrative background, but taking the opportunity to impress them further. Once you have formed a deep enough bond you will unlock the possibility of using romantic responses, and by continuing along this path it is possible to eventually arrive at a more intimate relationship, even very early in the adventure. The most important advice we can give you is the following: the eye does not see, the heart does not hurt; if you want to make a gesture that will surely be despised by your love interest, leave him in the field or have him move far enough away.
All Baldur's Gate 3 Romances
Having made the necessary premises, it is right to point out that the first intimate love relationship can be achieved right from the first heartbeats of the adventure, obviously provided that you have sufficiently impressed your potential partner. In this section we will therefore analyze all the original characters one by one, underlining some of the most incisive choices to determine the opinion they will have towards you.
This is, obviously, an analysis that may also contain heavy spoilers, therefore we warn you to proceed at your own risk. We will never open the section dedicated to a single character with a spoiler in plain sight: first we will provide a portrait of the characters' personalities and a series of general tips on how you should behave to make an impression. However, most of the highlighted options will explicitly refer to specific moments of the campaign. This guide will be constantly updated as further interactions emerge that influence the opinions of companions.
shadow heart
shadow heart represents the epitome of the maxim "never be fooled by appearances". As an adept of Shar and the school of Deception, in fact, she appreciates deception, scams, extortion, she likes to commit thefts and assist in them, furthermore she absolutely adores secrecy, despising the direct approach instead. This is also reflected in her personality, since she detests invasion of her privacy. She hates any act of cruelty that is not absolutely necessary, but if the reasons are strong enough she is willing to tolerate it. One very important thing to know is that many users have said that her most important scenes involve Intuition Checks, so being able to overcome them is a valuable resource. This is a more than sufficient picture to outline the personality of the cleric, who hides a softer side under her hard exterior.
Choices he appreciates:
- Save her inside the Nautiloid
- Agree with her on finding a healer and other crucial choices
- Being able to calm the frightened boar, converse with almost any animal
- Save different types of animals
- Convince the adventurers and any bandits afterwards to leave
- Making fun of Lae'zel
- Pass several Religion checks
- Being able to avoid paying for different types of services on various occasions
- Stand against the powers of the Illithids
- ALWAYS say that you don't care who she adores
- Basically any check with which you can trick someone into doing something
Choices he hates:
- Getting along with Lae'zel
- Judging his faith in Shar
- Any unnecessarily cruel act
- Invade his privacy or judge his behavior
- Don't mind your own business, even towards third parties who will sometimes ask for your help
Lae'zel
If you like impossible people, well, with Lae'zel you will find something for your teeth. Quite racist, she is convinced of the total superiority of the principles of her heritage: if you agree with her she will be happy, otherwise she won't be happy at all. She hates taking her eyes off the camera, so pretty much any side mission makes her angry; the few good actions that she tolerates are those that have to do with demonstrations of strength and acts of heroism linked to her sacrifice: everything else about her is worth less than zero to her. She always says what she thinks, what she likes and what she wants to do: this can be a problem for many characters, because what she wants to do will hardly coincide with the characteristics of a sane PC. Oh, and of course she loves to drive Shadowheart crazy, always saying, on every single occasion, the exact opposite of what the cleric claims.
Choices he appreciates:
- Attack first, always and in any case
- Threatening the weak, even children
- Forcing people to kneel and show respect
- Making fun of scared people
- Reject side missions
- Killing, stealing, humiliating
- Threatening anyone
- Appreciate his ways
- Any choice that belittles or criticizes Shadowheart
Choices he hates:
- Getting along with Shadowheart
- Save people who might die
- Any form of empathy
- Show mercy
- Avoid or worse still run away from the fight
astarion
And here we come to the fascinating vampire thief of the group. The most important thing to know about astarion is that the Illithid parasite has practically canceled out all his vampire problems, so he has no intention of parting with it and indeed wants to use the Illithid powers. He only thinks about himself, his well-being and his survival, but at the same time he loves seeing others suffer. This, however, does not make him a character who inevitably requires an evil path: he loves to mock people, even in the cruelest situations, and places the value of loyalty above all else; these two particular characteristics make it possible to form a relationship with him even for a good character.
Choices he appreciates:
- Cruelty in all its pleasant forms
- Derision: making fun of someone even with dark humor and at the wrong moments will always please them, without exceptions
- The thefts
- Take part in any potentially comical situation
- Doing evil things and then telling him it was fun
- Accept his vampire nature without hesitation and support him in his vampire activities
- Appreciate the power of the Illithids
- Forming a bond: Astarion talks a lot, loves friendship and any conversation is good for deepening the relationship
- The rest of his reactions are very tied to the individual situation
Choices he hates:
- Betray him in any way, such as revealing that he is a vampire
- Attempt to remove the parasite
- Make fun of him
- Any act of heroism is useless
- Interrupt potentially comical or particularly cruel situations
- Generally speaking, perform any task and refuse a payment
Gale
We have finally arrived at a candid and pure personality. Gale, in fact, is one of the most morally positive characters in the work, a truly righteous man who fights evil in all its forms and does not tolerate any kind of bad action. The charming human Wizard loves animals, especially those adopted in the Camp, his favorite hobby is helping people in need, and any gesture that can do good will easily melt his heart. How do you say? Do you think it's boring? Well, in the midst of this madness we needed a little tranquility.
Choices he appreciates:
- Help others, always and in any case
- Receive artifacts as gifts
- Save people
- Free prisoners
- Doing even insignificant chores for others
- Submit to avoid confrontation
- Adopt and pet animals
- Carry out acts of heroism risking your skin
Choices he hates:
- Killing by choice
- Indulge in Lae'zel's follies
- Necromancy in all its forms
- torture
- Most thefts
- Ignoring those who need help
- Bowing to evil forces while also obtaining great power in return
wyll
Wyll is a Warlock linked to the Unclean subclass whose story is very complicated. Despite having made a pact with a very dangerous entity, he is in fact determined to dissolve it at any cost, since his nature is good and altruistic. These characteristics lead him to appreciate empathy and self-sacrifice, and even if he is not morally granitic like Gale he appreciates any gesture born from the heart. However, there is one very important thing to know: allying with the Goblins in the first act will lead him to leave the party without further questions.
Choices he appreciates:
- Help others
- He likes animals
- He particularly likes Bards
- Appreciate just about any good deed
- Help him deal with his little demonic problem
Choices he hates:
- Siding with the Goblins is a critical failure that leads him to abandon the group
- Does not appreciate betrayals
- He hates cruelty and acts of mockery, even towards animals
- He doesn't like being told the truth if the truth can hurt
- He does not want creatures that he considers a threat to the health of others to be spared
Karlach
Tiefling life is not easy at all. Often feared and looked at with suspicion due to their particular appearance and demonic lineage, they sometimes turn out to be adorable creatures, and this is precisely the case of the barbaric Karlach. You will meet her just when she is being bullied by a group of tormentors, and it will be then that you can recruit her. Karlach is the kindest and most altruistic Origin character, in some ways even more than Gale, since she appreciates small noble gestures that might go unnoticed by the rest of the group. She watches with great attention the way you treat minorities, the poor and the desperate, and is the element of the party furthest from the use of violence: in her opinion, cruelty is not an option even when deserved, when circumstances could lead to being ruthless. Her interactions with the group are hilarious, so she's a great ally in every way. If your character is evil, however, you are unlikely to get along.
Choices he appreciates:
- Forgive, always. Whether they rob you or attack you, forgiveness impresses her
- Respect for the weak, the poor and also the traditions of other peoples
- Any good deed
- Protect anyone in trouble
- When you persuade someone not to use violence, even in particularly difficult situations
Choices he hates:
- If you kill a single Druid in the grove, he will refuse to join the party
- Any form of threat if it doesn't help save someone
- Every form of cruelty
- Any display of cruelty, even just in words
Minthara
Minthara is a ruthless drow paladin who you will encounter right from the start of the adventure, but probably not for the reasons you hope for: she is in fact one of the three goblin leaders, and to form a relationship with her it is essential to betray Druids and Goblins. This means that to even consider a relationship with her it is essential to betray "the good guys", bringing three consequences that most players will absolutely not accept:
- Halsin will no longer be able to join the party
- Wyll will leave the group permanently
- Gale and Shadowheart will deeply disapprove of your actions
That said, the Romance with Minthara is quite different from the others, since right from the assault on the Druids' grove you will be able to sleep with her in the camp and consummate the love that blossomed from this splendid and rosy love at first sight. If it weren't for the fact that the Drow will try to assassinate you in your sleep. But this is only the beginning of Minthara's quest - closely linked to the relationship - which only continues later in Act 2, when she is actually recruited. The choice is only up to you to try to tame this wild creature, leaving aside approval and disapproval to focus instead only on the most important choices.
Halsin
Well yes, we have arrived at him, the one, the only, the inimitable Halsin. That's right, you understood correctly: Halsin is the druid who became famous for the viral sex scene in which he decides to take the form of a bear. As you may have understood from the previous section, the fate of your relationship with Halsin is closely linked to that of the Druid grove: if allying with Minthara permanently excludes him from the party, the same thing happens with reversed roles. Even his Romance, however, works in a particular way.
In fact, Halsin will not join the party directly, choosing instead to accompany you as a simple guest. There will be the possibility of flirting with him, but it will be impossible to conclude: you can try to make some approach moves in particularly intimate moments, but he will politely refuse, without however ever definitively closing the door. In Act 2, in fact, Halsin will ask you to accompany him on the mission that will make him your companion in all respects, also allowing the beginning of the actual Romance; However, keep in mind that if, in the meantime, you have established another relationship, Halsin will ask you to clarify your ideas with yourself and your partner about polyamory. The final decision will be yours alone... especially the one regarding the form he will take when you are finally alone.
- The guide is constantly updated!
