There are several Baldur's Gate 3 romance options to explore if you're jumping into the new D&D-based roleplaying game. Like so many other RPGs, sealing a romantic relationship with one of your companions will involve chatting them up, assisting in their personal side quests, and cueing a spicy scene back at camp if you so choose. And things do get spicy, as we learned when Larian showed off a tryst with Halsin the druid during its last livestream event before launch.
Baldur's Gate 3 guide: Everything you need
Baldur's Gate 3 tips: Be prepared
Baldur's Gate 3 classes: Which to choose
Baldur's Gate 3 multiclass builds: Coolest combos
Baldur's Gate 3 romance: Who to pursue
Baldur's Gate 3 co-op: How multiplayer works
Larian has said that romance in Baldur's Gate 3 isn't as simple as just doing a quest and getting the romance scene, though. Your party members have an approval system and will have opinions on the choices and allies you make. From what we know so far, approval is the only limiting factor in companion romances—no rival-mances here, Dragon Age 2 fans. Baldur's Gate 3 romances are not gender-locked either. We don't know yet whether playing as The Dark Urge (the violent intrusive thought generator) will impact romance scenes or not, but that's also worth considering when you go through character creation.
What about co-op romance? You can still romance your party members while playing co-op Baldur's Gate 3 (and hide your intimate encounters if you want). The catch is that players can't romance each other, so if you and your pals all roll an oprigin character on a save file that's going to limit your pool of lovers.
We'll walk through each of your romanceable companions, what kind of relationship you can have with them, and how to gain their approval down below. Check out our Baldur's Gate 3 companions guide for more detail on each character's class and where to recruit them.
Shadowheart romance
- Likes: Deception and persuasion, kindness to animals
- Dislikes: Cruelty, siding with the Gith
As a Cleric, Shadowheart's first devotion is to her deity Shar. You can make a case for a close second place in her heart though. Shadowheart's romance is a little more slow burn than some of your other companions, beginning with a shared bottle of wine and a kiss on the night of the Tiefling party during Act 1 at your camp. Shadowheart takes notice if you've already made plans to spend the night with anyone else with a wry "first come first served," and though you can ask if she's open to a "shared arrangement," she declines. If you do choose her she expresses hope for more, so later acts of the game will surely bring additional private scenes between the two of you.
Astarion romance
- Likes: Supporting his whims, siding with monsters, murder
- Dislikes: Altruism
Astarion isn't a nice guy, he's a vampire, and mostly concerned with his own interests. He is down for some extracurriculars at camp though and is rather flirtatious whether you engage with his offers or not. He's all vanity and compliment fishing initially, but Astarion does have a (literally) tortured backstory and you may get the opportunity to learn the truth about all his scars later in his romance.
Wyll romance
- Likes: Strength, bravery, kindness
- Dislikes: Cruelty, siding with devils and goblins
Resident warlock and monster hunter Wyll is known also as the Blade of the Frontiers, a title that inspires more than one salacious pun if you choose to get close to him. Good guy vibes aside, Wyll has a pact with his half-devil patron, which certainly affects who he approves of you lending support to. The cambion Mizora still calls out to him and early on in his romance her presence does come between you during intimate moments.
Gale romance
- Likes: Kindness, magic use, intelligence
- Dislikes: Cruelty, violence, lack of intelligence
As Gale says of himself, he's not coy. You have a chance to do a sort of mage's mind meld with him early on, a "romantic moment" he harkens back to when soliciting your company one night at camp. He's a charmer alright, citing romantic literature before your night together and spilling his backstory immediately after. If you can maintain a soft spot for him despite the several complications he divulges, Gale is very ready to brave his future "side by side" right after your first night together.
Lae'zel romance
- Likes: Strength, violence, siding with the Gith
- Dislikes: Weakness and avoiding violence, siding with Shadowheart or against the Gith
Your githyanki party member presents a whiplash romance, initially. She's not exactly a warm companion up to the point but then propositions you with a rather direct, "I smell your sweat. I mean to taste it." If you accept, she plans to take you for her own. Lae'zel is dominant and full of passion, but don't get attached. At least initially, she says that she may want to bed you again but your bond isn't any deeper than that, even as a fellow githyanki.
Karlach romance
- Likes: Compassion, good, honesty, and straightforwardness
- Dislikes: Cruelty, lying, siding with devils or evil
Despite being a Tiefling, the romancing Karlach is adorable and straightforward. She wasn't romanceable in early access, but Larian showed a date scene between Karlach and a custom character in which she requests a date: a textbook dinner and conversation affair, no less. She's quite thrilled by it too, meeting at a restaurant in the city and attempting some classic getting-to-know-you questions around an unamused waiter. Altogether, the experience in the full game is a straightforward one, as Karlach isn't shy about expressing her affection for you.
Halsin romance
- Likes: Good, harmony, siding with the tiefling and druids, people who like bears
- Dislikes: Cruelty, destruction of nature
Flirty from the start, Halsin requires some patience since you can't really get him properly as a companion until a ways in the game. Once you do, he's into you from the start as being flirty is in his nature.
And in case there was any doubt, your new druid party member is the instigator of the already infamous bear love scene. Please turn your attention here, monster romance readers, because a heart-of-gold guy who's jacked but gentle, promising to hold back his beastly qualities no matter how badly he wants to devour you is right outta your playbook. And if you are into being devoured by a bear, you can opt your adventurous heart right into that part.
Minthara romance
You can have a one-night stand with Minthara at the end of Act 1, though be warned you've got to really go in on being evil to get her attention and approval. For more details on getting her approval, check out our explain on whether you should save The Grove. If you're down bad for Drow, your reward is a rather spicy sex scene back at camp.
One-night stands
Some of these romances are a little more spoilery, so I've put them in their own section. These are side characters that you can have a one-time romance with or characters you can pay at Sharess' Caress brothel.
The Drow twins
When you arrive at Sharess' Caress brothel on the Wyvern Crossing in act 3, you'll likely meet the Drow twins; Nym Orlith and her brother, Sorn. You can hire each of them individually for 500 gold, or if you have a partner you're romancing, you can hire them both. Since these scenes take place in the Underdark room, they are described, so there aren't actually any visual sex scenes for these characters.
Naoise Nallinto
To romance this Dryad at Sharess' Caress, you first have to get rid of her other client, rather forcefully. If you break into the Nymph's Grotto room on the upper floor, the woman Naoise is with, Fist Jara, will transform into a Mind Flayer. Kill the creature and Naoise will offer a slightly unconventional experience for which you'll receive a special blessing until your next long rest.
Mizora
You know that devil that's keeping Wyll's soul captive? Yeah, you can romance her. During act three, you'll have to make a significant choice relating to Wyll's contract, but after it, Mizora will stick around in your camp, and will proposition you before too long. If there was such a thing as an evil romance option, this would be it, as you indulge in hellish pleasures at the expense of tortured souls. As you'd imagine, Wyll is also extremely unhappy with this turn of events and finds you the next morning.
The Guardian
You can even romance the Guardian character who keeps appearing in your dreams and lives inside the artefact protecting you from the Absolute. This won't be possible until act three onwards, and this romance is better if you do it yourself. However, I will say that one of the key things you need to do is go to the basement of the Elfsong Tavern in the Lower City of Baldur's Gate.
Haarlep
If you've got the hots for the deal-making devil, Raphael, then you can have a steamy encounter with his companion lookalike, Haarlep, if he spots you in Raphael's bedroom when you visit the House of Hope in act 3. Raphael only has sex with demons that look like himself, which says an awful lot about his character, but you should still be a tad wary about sleeping with Haarlep considering he's an incubus. Use protection, maybe.
