BG3 Romance Guide: All 8 Romance Options and How to Start

You can romance eight companions in Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Wyll, Halsin and Minthara. Jaheira and Minsc cannot be romanced. Most romances start in Act 1, usually around the camp party after the fight over the Emerald Grove, and every one of them depends on that companion's approval of you.

Romance is open to any player character, whatever their race or gender, and that includes custom characters and origin characters. This guide keeps spoilers to quest names, places and when each romance begins.

Last checked: November 9, 2026.

How does romance work in BG3?

Approval drives everything. Each companion reacts to your choices in dialogue and in the world, and you can see where you stand on their character sheet. Romance options appear once approval is high enough and the right story moment comes up, most often during a long rest at camp.

Romances move through stages. In the early stage, often called dating, you can flirt with or sleep with a companion, and you can do this with up to two of the origin companions at once. Once a relationship turns serious, which usually happens in Act 2, the game asks you to choose one partner. Polyamory is the exception and not the rule: only Halsin is open to sharing, and only Shadowheart, Astarion and Karlach will agree to add him to an existing relationship.

BG3 romance options at a glance

Approval figures come from bg3.wiki's tracking of the game data. Larian does not publish them, so treat them as close guides rather than official numbers.

The tiefling party is the big romance moment

If you defend the Emerald Grove and drive off the goblins, the tieflings throw a party at your camp. This is where most Act 1 romances begin, and it plays out over a single night. Talk to every companion before you go to bed, because several of them make offers here that do not come back.

A few rules apply on that night:

• Two offers is the normal limit. If you are already dating two companions, most will turn you down.
• Order matters for Shadowheart. Her early "truly connect" option only works if you have not started anything with anyone else.
• Wyll waits by the water. He sits apart from the celebration, and this is your only chance to start his romance.

Siding with Minthara and raiding the grove instead leads to a different celebration, this time with the goblins. Wyll leaves your party for good if you take that route.

How to romance each companion

Shadowheart

Reach 20 approval before the tiefling party and she invites you to share a bottle of wine away from camp. Stay with her through the night and a simple Insight check lets you notice she wants a kiss, though failing it does not end the romance. If her approval hits 40 before the party, you can start things early with the line about wanting to "truly connect", provided you are not involved with anyone else. Giving her the Idol of Shar from Grymforge also earns approval.

Astarion

Astarion flirts from the start. If his approval reaches 40 before the grove quest ends, he will propose spending a night together at camp. You can also accept his offer at the party itself, as long as you have no more than one other romance going. Showing distrust about his nature in these scenes makes him walk away. In Act 2, the scene with Araj Oblodra at Moonrise Towers can either deepen the relationship or end it, so choose your words there with care.

Lae'zel

Lae'zel is blunt. Once her approval reaches 20, defeating the hag, the ogres, the owlbear or the spider matriarch with her in the party can make her approach you with an offer. If you miss that moment, a dialogue option asking whether she has been "looking at you differently" can unlock later. She also accepts at the camp party, but rejects you if you are already seeing two other people or her approval is below 20.

Karlach

Karlach's romance begins at the tiefling party. With 20 or more approval, tell her how you feel and she agrees to meet you that night. Her infernal engine makes her too hot to touch at first, so the relationship grows alongside her personal quest to repair it with help from Dammon. Fighting the paladins of Tyr, who come after her early in Act 1, is a good source of approval.

Wyll

Wyll needs only 10 approval, but the timing is strict. Find him by the water during the party, cheer him up and flirt with him. You can ask for a kiss, which needs a DC 15 Charisma or Persuasion check, but a failed roll does not lock you out. He turns you down if you already agreed to spend the night with another companion.

Gale

Gale's romance starts with a night-time scene in Act 1 once his approval is high, around 36. He offers to teach you to touch the Weave, which involves three easy DC 5 skill checks, and choosing a romantic image at the end moves you into the flirting stage. The relationship becomes a full partnership in Act 2, after you reach Moonrise Towers, and you must take that step before entering the Mind Flayer Colony.

Minthara

Minthara is the evil-route option. Help her raid the Emerald Grove and she offers you a night at the goblin celebration. Since Patch 5 you can also save the grove and still recruit her later: knock her out instead of killing her, either in the goblin camp or when she attacks the grove, and she turns up again in Act 2. Once she is in your party, her romance starts when her approval reaches 31. She does not share, and if her conditions are met while you have no committed partner, she claims that spot automatically.

Halsin

Halsin flirts in Acts 1 and 2 but will not commit while the Shadow Curse hangs over the land. Complete Lift the Shadow Curse in Act 2, then his romance scene becomes available at camp in Act 3. He is the one companion who is happy to share, and he will ask you to check with your partner first if you are already in a relationship.

Can you romance anyone else?

Several characters offer one-off encounters instead of full romances, mostly in Act 3:

• Nym and Sorn Orlith, twin courtesans at Sharess' Caress outside Baldur's Gate
• Naoise, a dryad at the same establishment
• Mizora, Wyll's devil patron, in Act 3
• Haarlep, an incubus at the House of Hope
• The Emperor, in a dream sequence late in the game, which unlocks the Mind Blown achievement

These scenes do not count as relationships, but they can hurt real ones. Sleeping with Mizora is the clearest example: Wyll, Lae'zel and Minthara will end things with you, and Karlach may.

Tips for keeping a romance on track

• Recruit early. Several Act 1 romances depend on the companion being in your camp by the time of the party. The companion guide lists where to find each one.
• Take long rests. Most romance scenes play out at night in camp, and many are queued behind other story scenes. The Act 1 tips explain how to rest without losing timed quests.
• Save before the party. It is a one-night event with several choices you cannot redo.
• Do their personal quests. Each companion's story unlocks the later romance scenes, and skipping or failing it can stall the relationship.

Frequently asked questions

Can you romance multiple companions in BG3?

Only for a while. You can date up to two origin companions in Act 1, but one of them will make you choose once the relationship gets serious. Halsin is the only companion open to sharing, and only Shadowheart, Astarion and Karlach agree to that arrangement.

When does romance start in Baldur's Gate 3?

For most companions it starts in Act 1, at or just before the camp party that follows the Emerald Grove fight. Halsin is the exception, since his romance only opens in Act 3, and Minthara's full romance begins after she joins you in Act 2.

Can you romance Jaheira or Minsc?

No. Jaheira and Minsc are both recruitable companions, but neither has a romance, so they stay friends no matter how high their approval gets.

Does gender or race matter for romance in BG3?

No. Every romanceable companion is available to every player character, whatever their gender or race, whether you play a custom character or an origin character.

How do you romance Minthara and still save the grove?

Knock her out instead of killing her when you fight her in Act 1, with Toggle Non-Lethal Attacks switched on and a melee or unarmed attack for the final blow. Since Patch 5 she returns in Act 2 and can join your party, and her romance starts once her approval reaches 31.

Can you break up with a companion in BG3?

Yes. Once a romance reaches the partnered stage, most companions have a dialogue option to end it, and some will end it themselves after choices they hate. Minthara is the exception, as she has no break-up option and only story events end her romance.