Baldur's Gate 3 is out in early access, and, like its predecessor Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, it comes with the option for players to strike up a romantic relationship with a colorful cast of Baldur's Gate 3 characters. But unlike SoA, every party member in Baldur's Gate (at least, the ones added thus far) is a romance option.
Of course, this is only early access—and the very first month of it, no less. That means Larian Studios will undoubtedly be adding more in the coming months: more romance with the current characters, potentially new party members, and new romantic options as well. So, let's take a look at what Baldur's Gate 3 currently has to offer, and what it might offer in the future.
Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion
First up is Astarion, the high elf vampire spawn rogue hailing from the city of Baldur's Gate. In terms of romance, he's one of the easiest to strike up a "relationship" with. Players don't need a high approval with him to be propositioned, as he'll invite the Baldur's Gate 3 player character to spend the night with him regardless of the choices they make, or what his approval level is. Whether approval will affect things in the future, or whether his romance is more than a casual fling, remains to be seen. Astarion is the only party member who is flirty right from the get-go, but players can still get to know him more at night when the party camps.
For those wondering how to romance Astarion with high approval, there are a couple of things to keep in mind: first, he doesn't really like helping people unless there's something in it for him. Thus, he approves of a player character who thinks much the same. He also has a flair for the dramatic; for example, he finds the prospect of being worshipped by followers of the Absolute quite useful. He also likes a player character who is extremely blunt with people.
Baldur's Gate 3 Gale
Gale is a human Waterdhavian wizard, once a prodigy in the art of magic but now spurned by his goddess. He's also easily one of the most mysterious members of the group, keeping his secrets close until he has high approval with the player character. He can be quite sarcastic and has a lot of bravado, but getting to know him in camp will reveal that most of that bravado is all for show. There's definitely more to Gale than might be expected at first, and by gaining his approval, his tragic backstory will unfold.
Romancing Gale (for the moment) is actually quite tricky. Not because he's hard to gain approval with, but because of how easy it can be. Gale is someone who, like Wyll, values altruism and helping people because it's the right thing to do, so as long as players do that, they'll gain approval with Gale quickly. The problem is that, currently, Gale's relationship talks are programmed to take place once per approval level, and if he gains approval too quickly, then those talks are skipped over. So, anyone looking to romance Gale should take it slow, make sure to camp each time his approval meter goes up a level, and hope this is tweaked as the Baldur's Gate 3 early access continues.
Baldur's Gate 3 Lae'zel
Lae'zel is a githyanki warrior with aspirations of becoming a dragon-riding knight in service of the githyanki queen. Getting to know her reveals that she's fierce, quite ruthless, very no-nonsense, and values those who can show their strength. If she has high enough approval, she'll invite the player character to spend the night with her in camp.
Currently, some of Lae'zel's personal quests in Baldur's Gate 3 are unavailable, but that's more or less the case with every romance option. Nonetheless, it's possible to spend the night with her, and perhaps more in the future. Players looking to romance her should make sure to do things she approves of. In general, she doesn't like it when the player character helps people, so just make sure to show roughly the same amount of merciless might that she does and her romance will unfold.
Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart
Shadowheart is the only party member more mysterious and fiercely protective of privacy than Gale. She's a half-elf cleric who worships Shar, the mistress of the night and secrets. Given that, she holds her secrets close, and it can take quite a bit of effort to even discover that she's a worshipper of Shar. However, it helps to gain her approval, which is possible for player characters of pretty much any moral alignment. Her romance fully kicks in when she invites the player character to share a bottle of wine with her, and the two of them take it from there.
Any type of character can gain approval with Shadowheart because she values a few different things: she generally doesn't like helping people without a selfishly motivated reason, much like Astarion and Lae'zel, but she actually does grow a soft spot for the tieflings taking shelter in the druid's grove. Furthermore, Shadowheart most definitely has a soft spot for animals, and players who make nice with both Scratch the dog and the baby owlbear found in Baldur's Gate 3 will discover that for themselves.
Baldur's Gate 3 Wyll
Wyll faces an interesting conundrum: he's a folk hero, someone of presumably good alignment who values helping people and bringing peace to innocents. However, he has also made a deal with a devil in the name of revenge. Wyll is a human warlock bound to the cambion Mizora, and he wants to break that pact more than anything. And while Wyll generally values mercy and kindness, he doesn't spare any at all for goblins in particular, as he bears goblinoids of all forms a long-lasting grudge.
In theory, getting Wyll's approval high by helping people and doing good deeds should be enough to romance him in Baldur's Gate 3. However, for many players, he appears to be too bugged at the current time to actually begin a relationship when all the others do; either that, or his relationship begins later than the others.
Bonus Romance: Minthara
Should players take the evil route and betray the druid grove, leading the drow and goblins there to destroy the druids and tieflings, they'll be able to romance Minthara. She's a drow follower of the Absolute, and she's worked her way into a position of power over the goblins of the Shattered Sanctum. She's the only NPC outside of the party thus far who appears romance-able. Provided they aid the mass-slaughter at the grove, players can have a one night stand with Minthara afterward.
Baldur's Gate Romance Wish List
So, what's next for romance in Baldur's Gate 3? It's unclear if Larian will add in more characters and beef up the already-released content first, or keep going and add the next act instead. In the case of the former, a couple new romance options would be nice. For example, those who encountered the tiefling Karlach up near the abandoned toll house might agree that she seems like an ideal party member, but is just a briefly-encountered NPC at this point. The ability to romance a tiefling character, and perhaps even Karlach herself, would be a welcome addition to the game.
In the case of the latter, then naturally, more content for the existing romance options would be ideal, especially the ability to actually unlock Wyll's romance. But the ability to actually establish a relationship with any of those characters who would want that is also definitely high on the list, as opposed to the current state of things: one great night together with tentative talk of more to come. Of course, this is just the beginning; undoubtedly as the story progresses, so will relationships. Only time will tell exactly what that progression entails.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now for PC, iOS, and Stadia.