There are several beloved characters to romance inBaldur’s Gate 3. Though only eight of these characters can be pursued as actual romantic relationships, and the others as one-time encounters. However,BG3is a realm of fantasy, and many of its romance routes highlight this fact.
The characters ofBaldur’s Gate 3have iconic and distinct personalities and quirks, but some of these are a lot more endearing in a fantasy setting.In the real world, many of the possible beloved romantic companions may not actually be appealing at all.How would the characters ofBaldur’s Gate 3perform in a real-life relationship?
12Mizora
A Selfish Lover Who Enjoys Being Sadistic
InBaldur’s Gate 3,Mizora pursues the player only with the motivation of her own gain.She simply wants to torture them by leaving an empty desire in their heart, as well as to mess with Wyll. Mizora has no interest in being a long-term spouse, and even if she did, it would probably be a nightmare.
Wyll can barely handle her as his patron, andshe’s shown to be very possessive, overbearing and selfish. Mizora clearly delights in seeing Wyll struggle in the situations she conjures, which sets a terrifying precedent for a relationship with someone she is genuinely interested in. Though many players have been swayed by her, Mizora’s power and sadistic nature would make her the worst choice for a real-life spouse.
11Haarlep
A Tricky Incubus
Haarlep is an incubus, so an actual relationship with them would probably be quite difficult, astheir true intentions and feelings likely wouldn’t come to light.They’ve served Raphael for many years, but a conversation with them will show that they hold him in low regard. Haarlep does rank above Mizora though, since if the player chooses to go through with their romance scene, they do seem to value the player’s preferences, and the possible exchange that can take place benefits the player as well as Haarlep.
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This suggests that they have the potential to be somewhat attentive as a partner - or at least more than Mizora, who only looks out for herself. Haarlep is only above Mizora by a thread, though, as they are sly with the deal they make with the player, and their intentions with the player’s body are not prefectly clear.In real life,this would not be a relationship built on trust from either end.
10The Emperor
Has The Potential To Be Caring, But His True Feelings Are Never Clear
The Emperor’s intentions with the player are very hard to place. He is one giant red flag,consistently lying to the player and using them to his advantage- butwhether he genuinely cares for the playeris up to interpretation. Notably, the best ending for a romance with the Emperor in-game is to become a mind flayer, which has some complicated implications.
As a mind flayer himself,he likely wouldn’t be able to form a genuine connection with a lesser intelligent being.The closest example players have to the Emperor actually bonding with a humanoid is Stelmane, and their partnership took a gigantic toll on her health. Becoming a mind flayer is not something that a lot of people are going to be open to doing, nor something that they would have open to their disposal.
9Naoise Nallinto
A Blank Slate Is A Little Better Than Possible Death-By-Tentacles
Naoise Nallinto is the most vague romance option inBaldur’s Gate 3. The extent of her romantic scene is her being able to take the player on as a client, and she is shown to only view her clients as sources of money. However, it’s probably safe to say thata relationship with her couldn’t be worse than one with an overbearing cambion, manipulative mind flayer, or a violent incubus, since outside of her work she likely lives an average life.
8Lae’zel
A Dangerous Love Affair
InBaldur’s Gate 3, despite her apparent demeanor,Lae’zel has one of the sweetest romance routes,and is very underrated as a partner. However, it’s quite hard to see her in the real-life dating scene - at least when it comes to long-term commitment.She quite adamantly does not believe in love before the player pursues her,and there are few Tavs out there who would genuinely be able to change her mind.
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Also,mortal combat isn’t exactly a common method of courtship,in and outside a fantasy setting - not that we’d judge you if that does happen to be your thing. Even if Lae’zel did manage to find a partner who she really clicked with, that doesn’t guarantee they would be able to hold up against her. That’s not even consideringhow terrifying githyanki are in theDungeons & Dragonscanon.
7Astarion
Better In Concept Than Reality
Astarion’s romance is one of the most beloved, being revealed as the character with the second-highest number of kisses from players in the game’s one-year anniversary statistics shared by the officialBaldur’s Gate 3X (formerly Twitter) account. Though, unfortunately for Astarion fans, avampiric romance seems to fit more into a book than as a real-life commitment.The start of a relationship with Astarion is quite rocky, with him outwardly manipulating the player, and almost killing them multiple times, which definitely wouldn’t sway a lot of people towards him.
It would be unfair not to acknowledge that Astarion will own up to these behaviorsif the player pursues him. As a spawn, Astarion can be a genuinely sweet partner as he overcomes past traumas and learns to set proper boundaries - but that doesn’t take away from the blaring warning signs that would have to be ignored to get to this point. Ascended Astarion, on the other hand, is much different. In this scenario, it would be wrong to say that hedefinitelydoesn’t care for his partner, but it can’t be denied that it sparks an unhealthy dynamic.
6Minthara
A Great Lover, As Long As You Don’t Betray Her
Minthara is tricky to place, especially consideringher lack of content inBG3. She certainly has a boatload of red flags - she can be possessive, violent, and may end up accidentally killing her partner with secret doses of poison in their food. Despite this,it’s hard to say that Minthara’s antics don’t come from a genuine place of love.
Minthara will only talk about her past lover during party banter with Karlach. Since this requires Minthara to be in the party after saving the grove, and Karlach and Minthara fill similar roles in the party with their default classes, you may not have encountered this piece of dialogue.
She has cared deeply for past partners, andplayers may be surprised to find out that she doesn’t view love as a weakness, but a strength. If she can find someone as ambitious as she is, she’ll be the most supportive partner in the world. Her partner may find themselves having to tread carefully, but Minthara is genuinely loving, doesn’t try to deceive the player into a relationship with her, and is forthright with her feelings.
5Shadowheart
Sweet, But Closed-Off
Shadowheart is the first companion on this list who doesn’t have a considerable chance of killing her partner, which is surprising to say so far into the list. She’s themost popular character to romance inBaldur’s Gate 3, which is likely due to her helpful nature and mysterious allure. However, in real life,Shadowheart’s secretive and closed-off nature would likely discourage those looking for emotional availability, especially if she remains a Sharran or becomes a Dark Justiciar.
Though players won’t witness an awful lot of it in-game,her being a Sharran could be the factor which turns people away from her- many players seem to forget that she was raised to be comfortable performing all sorts of torture, which could frighten her potential love interests. Though as a Selunite, there’s little reason that Shadowheart wouldn’t be a great partner. She’s caring, supportive and more willing to show affection and vulnerability after someone has proved to her that they can be trusted, which is a fair boundary for her to set.
4Halsin
Not For Everyone, But Close To No Flaws
Halsin’s lifestyle isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who it does appeal to, there’s no one better than him to have as a partner. He’s kind, attentive, and communicates boundaries well. InBaldur’s Gate 3, he’s extremely upfront with his intentions, and highly values the comfort, consent and safety of all involved parties in his possible endeavors.
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His romance ending does leave quite a bit to be desired, and implies that he may prefer short-term commitment to long-term. With that being said, the duration of a mutual relationship with Halsin would have close to no downsides as long as he and his partner are on the same page.He’s also mature enough to only begin seeking a romantic relationship when he knows he is emotionally ready,since he won’t pursue the player unless his burden of the Shadow Curse has been lifted.
3Gale
An Amazing Partner With One Glaring Issue
Gale is a very sweet, doting partner with a lot going for him.He’ll love the player through thick and thin, and would no doubt be one of the best spouses. Ironically, considering the unstable magical orb in his chest, a romantic relationship with Gale would certainly be stable, loving and blissful.
Despite this, Gale’s apparent inability to let go of his ex would definitely be too red of a flag for a lot of people. It makes sense that Gale is so caught up over Mystra due to the unhealthy dynamic of their past relationship. Regrettably for Gale, this could be a deal-breaker for his potential love interests -a lot of people would not appreciate a past lover being consistently brought up, goddess or not.
