A Baldur’s Gate 3 romances ranked list is one of the tougher things to write about Larian’s hit RPG. It’s so easy to miss a key part of someone’s quest, make the wrong choice, or drive everyone away after you accidentally-on-purpose put a refugee caravan to the sword and destroy a sacred grove. What I experience may not be what you end up seeing, especially if you’re unfortunate enough to run into bugs that cut out important scenes. Most of the relationships in Baldur’s Gate 3 are among the best-written in the genre and worth experiencing at least once – even if you have to reload an older save to avoid making other party members angry.
There are quite a few encounter spoilers in this list, so you may want to scroll down to the Halsin section and avoid them.
If you’re looking for more Baldur’s Gate 3, check out our rankings for the best BG3 spells and BG3 classes while you’re here.
Naoise Nallinto
I’m not really sure how I feel about the encounter with Naoise. There’s some good dialogue, and you do save a Dryad from a rather unpleasant fate. It’s not quite the same as being rewarded with tree sex, though the implication is that you certainly felt like you had tree sex. It makes sense in the situation’s context, but it’s hardly romantic like the other relationships you can enter into.
Raphael (?)
The one-night stand you embark on in the House of Hope really deserves to be experienced without much information. It’s a brilliant mix of suggestion, subterfuge, ridiculousness, and some downright steaminess.
Mizora
Your special moment with Mizora weaves in some elements of Divinity: Original Sin 2’s romance. Getting to this point involves fewer nefarious dealings than you might expect, since Mizora strongarms you into helping her in Act 2 anyway. A good 75 percent of the moment unfolds through text only, much like DOS 2’s intimate encounters, before Mizora wraps you in her wings, and the scene fades to black.
It’s sultry and sensual – but maybe not worth angering Wyll over and destroying your other relationships. Remember kids, demons don’t actually care about your feelings.
Halsin
It’s hard not to like Halsin. He’s so earnest, open, and kind, and he really has the best interests of everyone he meets at heart, assuming they deserve it. Some people get put off by how much of a horny bear he is. Maybe a day or so after you rescue him from the goblins, he’s talking about how much he’d really love to get to know you better, and not in an intellectual way. It happens during the Tiefling party, and in the mix of relief and euphoria, Halsin’s heightened emotions make a lot of sense. It’s the kind of situation where Things Happen, and they turn out to be horrible mistakes or something grand.
It turns out that nothing happens in Halsin’s case, though, and that’s the problem. He goes silent until you reach the Cursed Shadowlands, and you get little insight into who he is until you finish most of Act 2. It’s a little too late to feel like the bond you forge is as intimate as it is with your other companions, which makes him hard to like as just a BG3 companion as well.
That said, the human version of his scene is quite steamy.
The Drow Twins
The Drow Twins at Sharess’ Caress aren’t that spectacular on their own, but choosing to spend some quality time with them brings out some unexpected qualities in your companions.
Shadowheart’s remarkably open and progressive attitude comes to light even more than usual, while Astarion’s view depends on what progress you’ve made with his own trauma. Halsin is earthy and eager for sexual adventure – not really new Halsin info, come to think of it – and Karlach doesn’t want to share. That’s understandable, though. Spending a decade without so much as a kindly head pat would make me reluctant to share the first person I formed a physical bond with, too.
The Guardian
Your relationship with the Guardian goes deeper than BG3’s other one-night stands. You start your adventure together, after all. They keep you alive and un-tentacled, you help them when you can, and there’s a unique sense of intimacy that blossoms from this relationship. Becoming physical with the Guardian feels like a natural extension of that relationship, though you might have second thoughts after finding out their true identity.
Wyll
The only way to describe Wyll’s romance is “adorable.” He’s so heartfelt and earnest, and he really just wants to make the people he loves happy. The Act 2 scene with him is ridiculously charming, when he finally agrees to your cheeky request for a dance from way back in Act 1, and once you finally help him sort his demons – literally and figuratively – he’ll even ask you a very big question. It’s impossibly cute.
Minthara
Minthara’s romance sure is a thing. To get the brainwashed, murderous Drow’s attention, you have to ransack the Druid’s Grove, murder helpless refugees, and side with the Absolute. And then she still tries to kill you.
Whether that last part is a bonus or a drawback probably depends on who you are. Your relationship with her drops the murder aspect, but gets even more intense as you head into the Shadowlands, something most of us can finally witness after Larian patched out the bugs that cut hundreds of dialogue lines.
Minthara is a surprisingly complex character, as passionate about you as she is about power and influence, and she illustrates BG3‘s themes of choice better than most characters. You don’t even have to kill the Tieflings to side with her anymore, as of Patch 5.
Shadowheart
Shadowheart’s romance is quite the emotional journey. The poor Cleric has few memories and no one she can trust, so she’s naturally wary of forging even a friendship with you at first. That changes if you learn to understand her and respect her beliefs and privacy, and she eventually shares the few things she knows about herself with you.
Shadowheart’s quest and the big choices you make in Act 2 are curiously separate. It’s fitting given how compartmentalized her life is, though a little stilted as well considering how many significant personal changes she undergoes. Act 3 brings a series of touching moments with it, including the chance to act on some of the flirty things you and she said from way back in Act 1, which is just plain cute.
Lae’zel
One thing I appreciate about Larian’s approach to romance and intimacy is how your relationship options exist on a spectrum. Lae’zel’s romance lives firmly at the “very physical” end of the spectrum, and it gets surprisingly intense at times. It’s also entirely devoid of emotion for a while, until Lae’zel begins opening up to you in a most Githyanki kind of way.
Her romance eventually intertwines with the broader story in some very big ways, to the point where worlds and entire civilizations are never the same again, which isn’t something you can say for most of your companions. Lae’zel’s final scene is as intense as she is, and if you like the character at all but don’t want to romance her, it’s absolutely worth searching for a video of.
Astarion
Your relationship with Astarion is such a complex, dangerous mess, but it’s also a thoughtful commentary on navigating trauma and the effect it has on people. His seemingly glib attitude toward sex comes across as refreshing at first, in a camp full of people who mostly want intense emotional relationships.
Two centuries’ worth of pain and abuse lay hidden barely under Astarion’s surface, though, and how you choose to help him deal with it determines more than just the course of your relationship. Saying much more is a massive spoiler, but in Astarion’s case, no path has a clear winner or a tidy ending.
Karlach
Karlach’s romance is a proper epic tragedy. It’s the stuff you expect to see in movies or on stage, and I did not finish it with dry eyes. Your relationship with Karlach starts out on a different level compared to your bond with everyone else. Karlach’s artificial heart burns with such infernal heat that she can’t have anyone touch her. Whether you want to be friends or something more, that barrier keeps you – and anyone else – from getting near her.
The setup is a clever one, as it creates a situation where you’re literally growing closer to Karlach as you metaphorically do. Her hellish heat dampens as you both get the Infernal Engine under control, and by the time you’ve developed a strong emotional bond, you can forge a physical one as well.
It’s a sweet, deeply felt moment when it finally happens, almost the stuff of fairytales. Unlike Wyll’s story, though, Karlach’s does not have a happy ending.
Stupid Sexy Gale
I did not intend to fall in love with Gale. I didn’t even like him in early access, the nerdy, arrogant little wizard that he was. He’s still arrogant in the final version, but the more you get to know him, the more you realize there’s a lot more going on with him. His closest friends abandoned him and offered death as the only absolution for his perceived crimes. Even your other allies are happy to let Gale wander off and explode alone in the wilderness, unless you stick up for him and try to find another way.
That’s when Gale’s true character shows up. His quest for godhood laid him low and imparted humility and a healthy chunk of wisdom that the poor lad was clearly missing until then. He lost everything and gained a clearer understanding of what matters in life and relationships. A spark of companionship between two lonely souls flares to life while he teaches you magic under the Weave. It’s a haven of affection in a cold, harsh world, a beautiful and tender moment that sets the tone for the rest of your relationship.
Plus that final intimacy scene with him is literally out of this world.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
