Summary
Many RPGs offer players a choice ofCompanionsthat the main character can recruit to aid them in their adventure. Whether or not the adventuring party is a force for good or a tool of evil is entirely up to the protagonist. There are several possible Companions inBaldur’s Gate 3to recruit for companionship, party composition, and camp atmosphere, but some of them are more difficult to find and recruit than others.
The protagonist meets two Companionson the Nautiloid, which is considered to be the introduction or tutorial ofBaldur’s Gate 3, and the others are scattered at various points in the Wilderness of Act 1. Two are also waiting in Act 2, and a third can be found in Act 3, giving players plenty of opportunities to recruit new characters throughout their journey. Having access to these Companions can be incredibly beneficial, but not all of them are easy to unlock.
Updated on June 19, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose:Almost a year after it was officially released, Baldur’s Gate 3 is still a consistent favorite among gamers. It’s fallen from the pinnacle that it occupied for several months, but it still retains the fan love, and the awards are still piling up. Just like in real life, how one behaves in BG3 will affect how their companions treat them. Even if the protagonist recruits a character initially, they might leave in the future if the main storyline or their Companion quest is not resolved to their liking. Before players have to deal with scenarios like this, however, they will first need to recruit these characters, but doing so for some is much easier said than done.
8Minthara
Kill The Teiflings
The difficult thing about recruitingMintharais the evil hoops players have to jump through in Act 1, which involves siding with the Goblins, marching to the Grove with them, and helping them murder the Tieflings. Even if the protagonist doesn’t have a problem with evil, this event alienates them from other Companions that have connections to the Druids or their allies.
There are severalgood reasons to recruit Mintharadespite the difficulty involved in doing so. She’s a Paladin, which means she has powerful abilities like Lay On Hands and Radiant Smite, and as a Drow, she has racial abilities that includeDarkvisionandFaerie Fire.
7Halsin
Lift The Shadow Curse
RecruitingHalsinis a process that goes through several stages and two full Acts of the game, starting with rescuing him from the Worg Pens. Then, players have to kill the Goblin leaders and rescue the Grove, after which Halsin will ask if he can join the camp, but he won’t be available as a Companion just yet.
Act 2 is all about lifting the Shadow Curse, and Halsin needs the main character’s help finding his friend Thaniel. Rescuing him is only the first part of freeing the lands from the Shadow-curse, and once players free the Nightsong from the Shadowfell, Halsin will follow them to Baldur’s Gate as an official Companion.
6Sazza
Pass Several Charisma And Deception Checks
Upon arriving in the Druid Grove, the protagonist and their party will find themselves amid a few conflicts, the most urgent being the attacking goblins. One of them, Sazza, has been captured and awaits interrogation, execution, or rescue. She mentions that the Goblins have some powerful magic at their disposal, and it’s possible that they can do something about that pesky tadpole. If players want a personal introduction to Priestess Gut, who wields this mysterious power, they canchoose to help Sazza escape. In exchange, she pledges to take the protagonist safely to her leader in the Shattered Sanctum, which is part of the Goblin Camp.
She joins the party temporarily, and the difficult part is getting her safely out of the Grove. It requires a Charisma or Deception check to get past anyone who sees her trying to leave with the party, and sneaking out is very difficult if not impossible. It is possible to meet Sazza again in Moonrise Towers if she survives, but she can’t become a Companion again.
5Jaheira
Defeat Thorm In Moonrise Towers
The protagonist meetsJaheiraat the beginning of Act 2, but she only becomes a recruitable Companion if she survives until Act 3, and making this happen is more difficult than it sounds. Some dangerous battles take place in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, like the attack on Last Light Inn andthe assault on Moonrise Towers. If Jaheira falls before players can recruit her, she can’t be resurrected by scrolls, a Cleric, or even Withers.
It’s after this second battle that she finally asks to join the camp and adventuring party, resulting in her joining the player for the assault on the Illithid Colony and the final battle with Kethric Thorm. If she dies anytime after this point, she can be resurrected, which means that she is safe from permanent death once she’s been recruited.
4Losiir
Replaces Lae’zel On The Nautiloid
The Companions meet and greet Tav or the Dark Urge in certain designated places, but what happens to them when the player decides to experience one oftheir original stories? Losiir is one example of a Companion that only appears under these circumstances.
Lae’zel’s story begins like all the others when she wakes up on the Nautiloid, but in that case, who meets her when she startes to explore her surroundings? Lae’zel is the first character players would normally meet, but since this isn’t possible while playing as her, she is instead greeted by a fellow Githyanki, Losiir. He accompanies her through the introduction, but he’s only a temporary companion. He doesn’t survive the crash, and his body is visible onthe beach in Act 1. Though he isn’t exactly a difficult Companion to unlock, the fact that players can only recruit him if they choose to play as Lae’zel makes him quite a rare addition to one’s party.
3Minsc
Can Only Be Recruited If Players Have Jaheira
RecruitingMinscis contingent upon recruiting Jaheira, so if she dies in Act 2 or isn’t in the party when players encounter Minsc, he can’t be persuaded to join them. If Jaheira is present, she can speak to Minsc and assure him that she’s the real thing, as opposed to the doppelganger who is manipulating him using her visage.
Minsc joins so late in the game that it’s hard to make a place for him in a party that the player has already been tweaking for three full Acts. However, if players want a Ranger with a lot of inventory space, somehilarious dialogue lines, and an adorable space hamster as a best friend, Minsc is indispensable.
2Lae’zel
A Companion Who Must Be Rescued From A Cage
There are two Companions that Tav meets on the Nautiloid: Shadowheart andLae’zel. Recruiting Shadowheart is as easy as finding her on the beach and waking her up, but in the case of Tav’s abrasive Gith friend, she’s in a cage watched over bya couple of Teiflingsaway from the beach.
Players have several different choices at this point. They can turn against her and slay the Githyanki threat, or they can kill the Teilfings to save her. To resolve the situation peacefully, the protagonist has to pass a Deception or Intimidation check to convince the Tieflings to leave. Lae’zel can be freed by using a spell or ranged weapon to break the bottom of her cage, which is suspended above the forest floor. If players leave her behind without freeing her, however, she’ll disappear and won’t be able to be recruited again.
1Gale
Roll For Strength Or Class Ability
Similar to Lae’zel, the main character has to make two saving throws to rescue Gale from the broken Waypoint he fell into while escaping the crashing Nautiloid. There’s a simple Strength option, or Tav can choose from a class-specific skill like Wisdom for a Cleric orIntelligence for a Wizard.
There’s a small chance that players will fail the roll, and Gale will slip away into the nether. If this happens, he won’t be recruitable again, but if players succeed, he’ll ask to join their group. Should players be full up at this point, they can send him to camp instead, but he still needs to consume a few magical items to feed his Netherese Orb before the protagonist leaves Act 1.
