Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of steamy romance options, but none is hotter (literally) than Karlach. A buff, charming, lesbian-coded tiefling who’s always ready to party but is also always on fire, Karlach is an extremely popular companion to romance for a certain kind of player (the kind who has great taste).
Unlike most of your companions, it’s pretty easy to miss Karlach entirely. Fortunately, Karlach is worth the effort. Karlach is one of the most fun companions in Baldur’s Gate 3, and her romance scenes are full of delicious yearning.
Recruiting Karlach
Before you can take Karlach to smooch city, you’ll need to put in a little work finding her. Play through Act One normally until you reach the Druid Grove. There you’ll meet Wyll, who’s on a quest to vanquish a certain hellish foe. Surprise, it’s Karlach! You don’t actually need to get this information from Wyll, but if you do, it will place a marker on your map showing her general location.
You can also just explore the Risen Road on your own, where you’ll either run into Karlach on the roadside or find a group of Paladins who are hunting her down. Either way, invite Karlach into your party to fight the Paladins and she’ll join your party when the job is done.
Raising Karlach’s Approval
As long as you’re not going for an evil playthrough, winning Karlach’s approval shouldn’t be out of reach. She’s generally in favor of being kind to people, particularly if you can be a hero to the downtrodden. Being cruel or mean will generally be a turnoff, unless your ire is directed at someone who’s trying to harm another.
Unlike Shadowheart’s preference for stealth, Karlach favors the direct approach. Don’t just go attacking people at random, but taking down cruel and evil people will win Karlach’s mechanical heart. On the contrary, backing down from fights could lower her approval.
That means you’ll want to lean into combat if you want Karlach’s affection. Your character doesn’t have to be a frontline fighter or even particularly skilled in combat. Just as long as you’re willing to start fights with evil-doers, you’ll be fine. Using Charisma skills to get what you need without fighting won’t necessarily lose Karlach’s affection, but it won’t gain you anything either.
Karlach will want to see you being kind to other tieflings, so definitely side with them at the grove and take out the goblin leaders. There’s also a point in Act One where Wyll and Karlach will likely be at each other’s throats. You don’t have to turn on Wyll or kick him out of the party, just make sure you side with Karlach in dialogue.
During the party at the end of Act One, you should get your first romance scene with Karlach. Given the whole “always being a little bit on fire” thing, you won’t be able to get physical, but Karlach gets all worked up just thinking about the possibility.
Keep raising her approval and you’ll get another chance for a kiss with Karlach. Talk to her whenever you make camp and she’ll eventually suggest you try to cool her off. You can use any manner of ice or water spell to do that, or do what I did and just throw a jug of water at her. It’s not very romantic, but it gets the job done.
Completing Karlach’s Quest
Resolving the issue of Karlach’s heart is the focus of your quest, and it’s possible (though not likely) to miss the key items you need to complete it.
First, talk to Dammon the blacksmith in the Druid Grove. He’ll tell you he specializes in Infernal technology and can fix Karlach’s heart with some Infernal Iron. There’s more Infernal Iron in Act One Baldur’s Gate 3 than you need for the whole quest, but hang on to every piece you find just to be safe.
On your way to the goblin camp, you’ll find the Blighted Village overrun with goblins. Toward the city’s north end, you can find Infernal Iron in a chest located in the basement near a forge. Stonemason Kith in the Grymforge will also give you one if you pass a series of easy dialogue checks. Another is found at the Zhentarim Hideout, in a locked room in the back of the cave. Finally, the treasure room behind Dror Ragzlin in the goblin camp hides another piece, which you can reach by picking the lock on the door or stealing Dror Ragzlin’s key.
You can give one piece to Dammon any time before the tieflings leave the Druid Grove, which will let you progress the quest. In Act Two, you’ll meet Dammon at Last Light Inn, where you can hand over a second piece, ending this stage of the quest. From there, just sit tight until Act Three, where Karlach will get the chance to face off against a very unwelcome figure from her past.
