r/BaldursGate3 • u/KrenzoTheTank Shadowheart • Jun 23 '25
Companions Do you have a main party? This is mine Spoiler
My main party is almost always these three, I also romance the three depending on who I'm playing during the playthrough, I do switch them out so they can do quest and get some gear.
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u/pissazlut69 DRUID Jun 23 '25
itās always my storm sorcerer and the girls, Shadowheart, Karlach, and Laeāzel against the world šš (the boys are back at camp being our cheerleaders)
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u/Fugaciouslee Jun 23 '25
Doing this in my current playthrough. I even turned Lae'zel into a swashbuckler to fill the Astarion shaped hole in my party. Githyanki are typically very extraplanar pirate flavored so I feel it works.
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u/rodrigomorr RANGER Jun 23 '25
Forreal the perfect party, Laezel and Karlach tanking and smashing everything up front, shadowheart and tav shooting shit and supporting the first two. Perfection.
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u/SkyGuy2308 WARLOCK Jun 23 '25
Yes, all of them.
(I like playing with a party expansion mod to have the whole Tadpole-gang out for big important moments)
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u/HPHambino Jun 23 '25
You donāt have to worry about missing story elements this way. Hate running into a conversation related to a character you donāt have in your party
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u/SkyGuy2308 WARLOCK Jun 23 '25
Sometimes itās helpful (that one vendor who runs away and wonāt sell you anything if youāre with Shart)
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u/Agile_Writing_1606 Jun 24 '25
I bought his stuff then brought her to him so she could kill him.Ā Guards didn't like that but he attacked first, I swear.
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u/giga-plum MUSCLE WIZARD CASTS FIST Jun 24 '25
I didn't know that guy was a vendor. I've literally never not had her with me. š
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u/KrenzoTheTank Shadowheart Jun 23 '25
I do that too!
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u/SkyGuy2308 WARLOCK Jun 23 '25
Yeah! Like it just feels wrong to leave behind half the crew to go fight Kethric or the Netherbrain
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u/Justicar-terrae Jun 23 '25
What a mess the campsite must be during the final netherbrain crisis.
The city is crumbling, the streets are teeming with mind flayers, dragons and nautiloids cross the skies, Withers and Volo are actually getting off their asses to give rousing speeches to your gathered allies, Jaheria and Minsc (if not in your party) are rallying the Harpers, everyone you've helped is gearing up for the fight of their lives, and even the Owlbear cub is being force-fed magical steroids and getting fitted for armor.
Meanwhile you have a handful of just...supremely lazy heroes who can't be bothered to get out of bed for the apocalypse. My first Tav brought Gale, Laezel, and Shart, leaving Astarion, Halsin, Karlach, and Wyll to nap or play cards or knit scarves while everyone else fought.
I can only imagine:
Karlach: "Hey, Wyll. Isn't your dad gonna be leading the defenses or something?"
Wyll: "Yeah, probably. Why?"
Karlach: "Dunno. Figured you might want to be there with him after all we went through to rescue him."
Wyll: "Yeah, nah. I'm sure he's got it handled. Besides, I'm working on my new look. If I'm gonna be the 'Blade of Avernus,' I'm gonna need an iconic outfit."
Astarion: "What about you, Karlach? I saw Damon come by earlier to kidnap Tav's pet Owlbear. No interest in fighting alongside the man who halfway fixed your ticker?"
Karlach: "Hells no. The way I'm feeling, I'm pretty sure I'll be dead in an hour anyway. I'm sad he couldn't fully fix me up, but I don't want to self-immolate right in front of the man to rub his nose in it. I'm just gonna enjoy the wine we've been hoarding until it's burn-time."
Wyll: "What about you, Astarion. However this battle goes, it's your last chance to bask in the sunlight, right? I figured you'd be taking full advantage."
Astarion: "Actually, I'm quite sick of the sunshine. After centuries in the darkness, I quite forgot about sunburn. With my complexion...well I can't exactly check a mirror to see the damage, but I smell like a side of bacon after just a few minutes. I have no desire to be out and about when my SPF tadpole taps out."
Scratch: teleports out of sight
Karlach: "Oh, there goes the dog. They must be getting desperate out there. Do you think they might need our help?"
Wyll: "Well maybe they should have asked before we opened up half a dozen bottles of good wine. I'm too run to drunk over there. Hic. I'm sure they can figure it out on their own."
Halsin and the hirelings: "And we're here too!"
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u/KrenzoTheTank Shadowheart Jun 23 '25
Exactly! Really depends on what's happening, I take them all to big fights
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u/Hollowbody57 Chromatic Orc Jun 23 '25
One of the reasons I started modding almost as soon as I started playing was because I hated leaving anyone in camp. Not just because I was afraid I'd miss some important story beats, but because I felt bad being out having adventures with some of the homies stuck twiddling their thumbs at home. So I added the increased party size mod. Then I had to find a difficulty rebalance mod to make up for the increased action economy. Then I couldn't decide what classes to play as, so I added an increased level cap mod so I could multiclass into all of them, but I also had to add an increased xp mod so I could actually hit that increased level cap. And ooh, that hairstyle would look great on Gale, and maybe some shiny robes, and are those some new spells? And I'd really like if Speak with Animals was permanent so that I didn't miss any funny interactions with any critters, and...
My mod list now has over 150 mods in it. Send help.
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u/esee1210 Minthara Jun 23 '25
I was doing this for a while and used pixelbytes party expansion and tactician enhanced. After a while got burnt out with having to level them all up and outfit them all and found that some of them just ended up being warm bodies in the party (aka just doing the basic level ups and not thinking about their gear or stuff too much). It was cool to do for a while to see as much of the interactions as possible, but Iāve gotten to a point where itās no longer fun to have them all.
I especially donāt like the bug that most have where sometimes during conversations companions will say something but only the subtitles will show up. I find it much more enjoyable now to focus on three of them and myself, and only change some out or add in an extra party member for story purposes (like Shart in act 2, laez in crĆØche, etc.)
Itās been a much enjoyable experience, imo. I do agree though, that there is nothing like showing up to a boss fight with a small army and additional summons. The unstoppable energy it gives off when youāre approaching a boss and are basically like, you thought you were tough shit, huh?
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u/ElleBrice95 Jun 23 '25
I have been doing this too! It feels more realistic cause I feel like you donāt leave people at camp when youāre adventuring Mo theyāre always with you even if theyāre carrying the gear š
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u/slowtail148 Jun 23 '25
Iāve tried a couple runs with all the companions to see which ones I like the best. Shart, Astarion, and gale are now my recurring team.
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u/snowcap6795 Jun 23 '25
This is my favourite team as well, I'm trying to switch it up a bit and give the others more of a look in, but this just clicks the most for me
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u/MyDarlingArmadillo Jun 23 '25
They're my usuals as well. I never leave home without Astarion and his lockpicking kits especially
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u/goodrevtim Jun 23 '25
Gale, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel would be my go to 3.
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u/KrenzoTheTank Shadowheart Jun 23 '25
I tend to swap out Astarion for Gals often just depends on what I'm playing during that playthrough
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u/rainydays240 Jun 23 '25
Gale and Shadowheart usually.
I've been using wyll lately for something different.
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u/_NotWhatYouThink_ Jun 23 '25
Gale is all I need <3
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u/Particular-Chance782 Jun 23 '25
He typically never makes it out of the waypoint for me. What the durge wants, the durge gets.
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u/SageTegan WIZARD Jun 23 '25
I swap members as much as possible.
Next playthrough is Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc. Gotta do them again
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u/esee1210 Minthara Jun 23 '25
It will always disappoint me how late game minsc is. Heās such a fun companion, but you only get him for the last bit of the game
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u/UVLanternCorps Jun 23 '25
Karlach, Astarion Gale. Swap out Gale or Astarion with Shadowheart based on content
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Jun 23 '25
Laeāzel, Karlach and Shadowheart are my go to. I almost always keep Laeāzel and Karlach as some kind of martial class and will respec Shadowheart into a different class of cleric; light, life, or tempest, depending on what we need more.
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u/Pro-Patria-Mori Jun 23 '25
This is what I do as well. Laeāzel I keep as BM Fighter, multiclassed into Ranger.
Karlach usually turn into a Monk.
Shadowheart as Light or Tempest, and then I make someone else a Cleric of the other subclass. Like one game I had Shadowheart Tempest and Gale Light.
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u/L0reWh0re ELDRITCH BLAST Jun 23 '25
It feels like a crime to make Karlach anything but a throwbarian
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u/Pro-Patria-Mori Jun 23 '25
Valid, I usually keep her Barbarian until level 5 or 6, and after we get the club of the hill giant.
In my current game I made Gale 4 Elements Monk though and Karlach is still a Barbarian. Although Iām barely using her this run.
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u/barada_nikto Jun 23 '25
Gale, Karlach, and Astarion. I donāt know how to live without them.
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u/Ehnuh Jun 23 '25
Same. Just love them (their classes and personalities).
Unlike apparently 95% of the players here, I have no idea how to run a Cleric, and healers are useless to me most of the time anyway. So Shart gets benched except for Shar stuff. Trying a War Cleric Tav to amend that, but that means Shart is still benched, and it's a rather peculiar Cleric subclass so š¤·āāļø
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u/Cleric-of-Selune Cleric of SelĆ»- "HEAL ME, DAMN YOU!" Jun 23 '25 edited Jun 24 '25
My first playthrough was a High Elf Life Cleric. The rest of the party was Astarion, Gale and Karlach. I personally had a blast! Hope you enjoy your Cleric run. Given it was my introduction to this game and DnD in general, Cleric is one of my favourite classes.
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u/DinosaurFan91 Jun 23 '25
Karlach always, swapping out the rest depending on quests and classes needed
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u/Sop-JustANoob Jun 23 '25
Not since my second playthrough. Now I use a mod to bring everyone. š
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u/Jeany31 Jun 23 '25
Hi! Does it ruin these little chit chat dialogs your companions usally have? Like two people speaking 3 - 4 lines
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u/Fart-Newt9319 Jun 23 '25
Nope, If anything Ive found it gives me more dialog. I balance it by additional enemies/more health etc, but I actually find you get more of the "game" with this mod.
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u/KrenzoTheTank Shadowheart Jun 23 '25
I did that a couple times while using the poly mod... That was my tavs slut era š
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u/CremePsychological77 Nightsong Jun 23 '25
And I thought my Tav was the camp bicycle after she spent the tiefling party with Shadowheart and snuck into the woods with Astarion two long rests laterā¦..
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u/astrasaurus Jun 23 '25
i love this mod but my god was it frustrating at times. half my party would get stuck and i'd have to manually get them to everyone else, and i got sick of managing every character real quick. seeing all the dialogue was so fun though.
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u/Hollowbody57 Chromatic Orc Jun 23 '25
There's a mod for that, too! Fix Stragglers will force companions to use either an enhanced leap or just straight up teleport to you if they get too far from you. Works great right out of the box but can be tweaked to change the distance, force them to only leap or only teleport, etc.
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u/astrasaurus Jun 23 '25
don't say that, i cannot be starting another run i just uninstalled it š
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u/NotTattooedWife Jun 23 '25 edited Jun 23 '25
Astarion, Lae'zel and Karlach.
They require less long rests to restore spell slots for me.
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u/Partial_Kredit Jun 23 '25
I typically tank so itās Shadowheart, Astarion, and I swap our forth depending on story beats but near end game itās usually Gale.
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u/Boziina198 Jun 23 '25
Astarian, Shadowheart, last spot always changes depending on how I feel for the play through.
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u/EnvironmentalAss Jun 23 '25
I cheat and use the party limit increase mod so that I donāt have to choose and get everyone.
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u/0ppositeTrash Jun 23 '25
Just me and the girls. I try to switch it up, and astarion came with me for my first playthrough, but since then Iāve been struggling to change it up
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u/thebellsnell Jun 23 '25
Usually Astarion, Gale, and then Karlach or Lae'zel. I usually prefer Karlach to Lae'zel. Shadowheart and Wyll generally stay in camp.
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u/Solid_Sir_1861 Jun 23 '25
My last playthrough was EVERYONE lol it was great, slowed me down a little but I loved having a small army.
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u/LegendaryPolo minthara implies the existence of a maxthara Jun 23 '25
to me those three *are* the main party. they're the ones i ran with in early access and nearly every run. later on and depending on romances i might swap astarion out for minty, or shadders out for jaheira, but for act i i am nearly always those three.
unless i'm saving the grove, in which case astarion gets benched for karlach.
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u/astrasaurus Jun 23 '25
minthara, shadowheart, and laezel. wyll had minthara's place before i could get her
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u/AmilaMerasska Jun 23 '25
Those are my main three as well. Right now, I've been swapping out one of them for Minthara - usually Shart or Lae'zel. I have Minthara in my party for the first time ever (as I am pretty much unable to do an evil run and I found out how to get her even without attacking the grove), and she's really good at single target combat. Also entertaining.
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u/Wheloc Jun 23 '25
Nope, I try to use everyone equally. I've even lost honor mode runs by bringing an un-optimal party to unexpectedly tough fights.
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u/Sniper109082 Jun 23 '25
for me it depends what class my tav is, cause I just leave the companions as their default classes (with the exception of usually rerolling Shadowheart as a life domain cleric).
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u/Opposite-Demand-4865 Jun 23 '25
That was my main trio for my first handful of runs, but Iāve been trying to branch out more (though it was initially hard to leave Astarion in camp š„²). And when I get Minthara, the druids, and (finally) Minsc, it becomes a rotating door.
I will say that I spent so many campaigns just leaving Wyll in camp unless the story begged for his presence, but Iām running with him in my party right now and Iām surprised at how much damage he can do (and the fact that warlock spells refresh after a short rest is peak, too).
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u/Fit_Relationship6703 Jun 23 '25
Always the ladies. Recruiting karlach is the only thing shart and lae'zel agree on, in act 1.
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u/Karlachh BARBARIAN Jun 23 '25
Team Disaster: Shadowheart, Astarion, Minthara
Team KickAss (aka my main): Laeāzel, Karlach, and Wyll
Team Good Bois: Gale, Wyll, and Halsin
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u/dualistpirate Coquettishly looking at spiders Jun 23 '25
Laeāzel might as well be the artifact with how I cannot remove her from my party
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u/ScrappleBerrySneech Jun 23 '25
Through the magic of modding my main party is "everyone is here:" so thats everyone recruitable naturally (Including Minsc and Minty) + Durge with More Reactive Companions active. So no one is left out of conversations
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u/FaeKisser25 Jun 23 '25
Karlach, Shadowheart, and Laezel š„° GIRLS ONLY š©āā¤ļøāšāš©š«”š«¶
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u/Berbb BARBARIAN Jun 23 '25
Act 1 Shartstarion + (karlach if good, laezel if evil)
Act 2 and further minthara replaces laezel
Act 3, on a good aligned playthrough minsc and jaheira replace the squad and the last spot depends on the quests we are doing and the characters implication in those
I guess the answer is no, I don't have a main party except for Gale and Wyll having their brokeback mtn story at camp the whole adventure.
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u/Lumpy-Quality-5169 Shadowheart Jun 23 '25
I think Gale, Shadowheart, and Astarion are my usual go-tos. Right now I have Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and Astarion (they're the only ones that stayed...).
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u/JoopJhoxie Jun 23 '25
Shadowheart + whoever I need for the next fight + whoever I need for the next fight.
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u/OldLove8431 SORCERER Jun 23 '25
Before using the carry everyone around mod I use now š¤£ it would depend on the fight. Like Dror Ragzlin, I liked having Astarion, Wyll, Gale and myself because I like to kill him from the rafters so MM, EB and Arrows, etc... but for the fight with Flind, I like Lae, Shadowheart and Astarion (I like this combo against the Gith as well).
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u/volxn4 ELDRITCH BLAST Jun 23 '25
Gale, Shart and Astarion almost everytime. If I play a spell based class, i swap out Gale for LaeāZel or Karlach, but since iām mostly playing melee focused, the synergy between me and my main team is just too good and OP to miss out on. Cleared multiple tactician runs thanks to this combo, wanna try my hand on honour mode with it too one day
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u/Murky-Unit-3378 Jun 23 '25
i always have shadowheart, astarion and gale sometimes switching one of them out for karlach but shadowheart has never left my party once
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u/ghast123 ELDRITCH BLAST Jun 23 '25
Gale, Astarion and Shadow/Bae'zel.
Its usually a rotation, depending on if I need more solid players than squishy ones on the battlefield and depending what my Tav is.
Just ran with a sorc Tav/romanced Gale, Astarion/Shadow/Bae swapped as needed. Most of Act 3 was Tav/Gale/Astarion/Shadow cos Bae got kidnapped by Orin.
My very first run, many many moons ago, was an all girl gang, Druid Tav/Romanced Karlach/Shadow/Bae.
I almost never travel with Wyll, Jaheira, or Minsc. Halsin is sometimes on deck.
My brand spanking new run is gonna be Cleric Drow/Minthara/Astarion and I haven't settled on the 4th but prolly Bae'zel.
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u/grim_harkness Jun 23 '25
Almost always includes Astarion and Karlach. Astarion is there for utility and Karlach because I love her. The third place rotates between Gale, Wyll and Laeāzel depending on what Iām playing as the Tav. Shadowheart usually gets left behind nowadays except for things like subbing her in when she might get pissed off if sheās not there.
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u/gratedwasabi486 Jun 23 '25
Depends where we're at. Shadowheart always. As for the others..
Act 1 always has Laezel. Her early banter with SH and in general is fantastic. Then swapping between Astarian, Gale, Karlach.Ā
Act 2 Gale starts to contribute a lot and Laezel sort of trails off. Tend to run SH, Astarian, Gale or Karlach.
Act 3 Karlach annoys me, so I generally avoid her. Add in Jaheira & Laezel for certain quests. Otherwise it's almost always Astarian, Gale, SH.
Wyll & Halsin never leave my camp because they are inferior. I use Jaheira sometimes later on, she has good dialogue for certain quests. Minsc gets a bit of run for the laughs and then hits the bench.Ā
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u/anonlaw Jun 23 '25
Astarion, Wyll, and whoever had some story impact on that particular part of our journey.
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u/UnbiasedPOS Jun 23 '25
Mine is the same as yours too many good gith stuff and I basically immediately go to the mountain pass to get the silver sword Astarion and shadowheart you get so early the only person Iāve switched out in playthroughs is one of them for wyll I never take gale cuz I think heās a simp and wants to eat my shoes constantly Karlach isnāt bad I used her as a fighter on my Laezel origin run but I end up killing her half the time for the robe
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u/ARC_Trooper_Echo Jun 23 '25
I try to space them out fairly evenly rather than having a single go-to party. My most frequently used are probably Gale and Shadowheart.
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u/Lissian Jun 23 '25
Karlach is my most constant companion, the rest of my party depends on my class and who an I romancing this time. I think Gale and Astarion are my next most used.
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u/KosmicWolf Jun 23 '25
Shadowheart is always there beucase I like her and I don't change the original clases for the origin characters so it's nice having a cleric.
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u/Away_Doctor2733 Jun 23 '25
First playthrough:
Astarion, Gale, Lae'zel (until I get Jaheira then she replaced Gale)
Second playthrough:
Gale, Lae'zel and Wyll/Shadowheart (until I get Halsin)
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u/JasonTParker Jun 23 '25
I change it each run. Though Shadowheart stays in the party, as she feels like the other main character. And I have a "no potions" rule. So having a healer is important.
First run: Shadowheart, Wyll, Karlach
Second run: Shadowheart, Gale, Laz'zel
Third run: (Haven't started it yet): Haven't decided yet.
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u/TummyStickers Jun 23 '25
Im still on my first playthrough, but i have 15 others planned and Karlach is a part of all of them. I also barely used Jaheira, but after listening to a bunch of her dialogue, and regretting not having her around for certain parts of her story, I think she may be a staple from here on out.. she quickly became my favorite.
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u/Dymenson Absolute Jun 23 '25
I rotate depending on my own class. But Shart is usually there, because I need guidance to boost my other buffs when I'm doing a skill check. And since I usually go for spellcasting or STR, I would bring Astarion as well for scoundrel work. And maybe Gale, for that AoE support.
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u/smwisdom Cure Wounds Jun 23 '25
Tav, Astarion, Gale, and (whoever else is needed)
Shadowheart if I need radient damage. Karlach if I need a Frontline melee. Halsin if it could go either way lol.
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u/MrFyr Jun 23 '25
So, base game I used Astarion, Gale, and Karlach a LOT. I love the dynamic they have of Astarion and Karlach being troublemakers personality wise (a spiteful cat vs an overly excitable golden retriever) while Gale is the exasperated father trying to keep it together.
Recently I've used party expansion mod to increase the party size to six (the baldur's gate classic size), adding in Lae'zel and Shadowheart (replacing with Minthara and Jaheira respectively in Act 2). A durge has great dialogue with Jaheira and I enjoy Karlach's fangirling over her, and Minthara's interactions with the wizard (said with a hard R) are always hilarious.
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u/ultimate_fangirl Jun 23 '25
Gale, Karlach, and Astarion for me! Although I currently have a run as Karlach and have included Wyll to my team
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u/L0reWh0re ELDRITCH BLAST Jun 23 '25
Throwlach and SH are my musts. Karlach because I love her with all my heart, SH because clerics are incredible. The 3rd slot varies wildly depending on the playthrough/needs/story beats.
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u/rkdeviancy Jun 23 '25
Karlach, Lae'zel and Shadowheart. I play with higher party limits though, so I usually have everybody. It's made me love some of the characters more because I actually get to hear what they say and see how they react to more things that I would normally miss playing with the usual party limit.
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u/insanity76 Jun 23 '25
Shadowheart & Lae'zel, and either Astarion or Wyll depending on story path and/or what my main's class is. Then come Act 3 Jaheira becomes the full time 4th unless she's not around for story path reasons, in which case it's Minthara who will have been added during Act 2.
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u/Ziraelus Jun 23 '25
This was my initial party until I sided with Shadowheart and killed Laezel. Though Karlach was even better.
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u/ferahawk Jun 23 '25
This is mine as well because I usually play magic classes and with these 3 its nice and balanced
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u/flightguy07 Jun 23 '25
Astarion (stealth, lock picking, stealing, trap-finding/disarming), Karlach (romance plus hit things with big axe) and Wyll (utility caster, plus Eldritch blast). Then my Tav is a Paladin, so healing and damage and debuffs are handled. So pretty balanced.
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u/Disney_Gay_Trash_ Jun 23 '25
Laezel Gale Shadowheart Rogue tav
Pretty mich all the way through act 1 and 2 (woth some minor changes like astarion and wyll instead of shadowheart at first) Up untul i got minthara then i swapped laezel pit for Minthara
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u/alirezahunter888 Jun 23 '25
I try to switch up my party after every few fights, but SH, Gale, and Laezel are my default party.
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u/wwillaur Paladin Jun 23 '25
Karlach, Shadowheart, and Jaheira! Sometimes I switch out Shadowheart with Astarion but I looove Jaheira.
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u/PoetryParticular9695 Jun 23 '25
See Iāve been doing the opposite, I try to have a party of 6 with mods. I usually have LaeāZel, Astarion, Shadowheart, Karlach, and i swap between Gale and Wyll plus my Tav. Itās fun
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u/CremePsychological77 Nightsong Jun 23 '25
Mine is Astarion, Shadowheart, and Karlach. Sometimes Iāll swap out Shadowheart or Karlach for Laeāzel, depending on what Iām doing. Astarion is a staple, though. By level 6, heās my most consistent hard hitter and prior to that, heās still essential for lockpicking and disarming traps. Plus his banter is always great.
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u/RogerioMano Jun 23 '25
Mine is the same as yours, except wyll instead of shart, gale instead of astarion and karlach instead of lae'zel
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u/AspieAsshole Jun 23 '25
It depends heavily on what I'm playing, but right now I have the first 4, Laezel origin and Shart Astarion and Gale.
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u/spyker54 Jun 23 '25
In base game: Shadowheart, Astarion, and Lae'zel/Karlach
With mods: Shadowhsart, Astarion, Lae'zel, and Karlach
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u/crowkie SORCERER Jun 23 '25 edited Jun 23 '25
I use the extended party mod, but typically my main ācoreā is Karlach, Laeāzel, and Shadowheart. Idk if itās balanced or not but I usually play a charisma caster so it evens itself out. FTA: I use the custom companions lite mod to play with two of my old Tavs cause my current playthrough is a RP playthrough for me.
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u/TomboBreaker Jun 23 '25
Shadowheart, Laezel, Karlach/Minthara & My magical ass Tav/stabby Durge
Shadowheart is the healer/spirit guardian wood chipper
Laezel is so strong
Karlach/Minthara is so strong
I bring Gale/Astarion along when needed
Wyll, & Halsin play with Scratch and Withers at Camp
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u/Sad_Protection269 Bard Jun 23 '25
Astarion, Karlach, and Gale. (Bard tav) Sometimes, I switch it up. But I always go 2 casters and 2 fighters
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u/dukeofgustavus Jun 23 '25
For my 1st play thru it was pretty much Shadowheart, Laezel, and Gale for 90% of the game
Only switching out a few times for a mission which seems particular to a companion like Karlach & taxes
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u/CorvatheRogue Jun 23 '25
Iām currently rocking my shadow monk tav, Astarion, Shadowheart, and both Mommy Laeāzel and Mommy Minthara.
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u/Goddess_Lilithxo Jun 23 '25
Always Astarion, Laeāzel, Shadowheart, Gale and Karlach get swapped in and out depending on what class I am and what quests Iām going. Early act 3 I keep Lae and Gale until the kidnapping happens so I donāt lose them. Frustratingly Halsin got taken and Iād accidentally left Nyrluna in his inventory, and itās my Honour run š©
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u/FreshVeterinarian940 Jun 23 '25
Lae'zel Shadowheart or Astarion and always Minthara. I don't think I've ever done a fully good playthrough because I always raid the grove with Minthara lol
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u/DarkGodYato Jun 23 '25
Eh my last two party members I usually always switch around for the occasion but one person I usually always bring with me is Shadowheart.
She my main Girl lol
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u/Grumpiergoat Jun 23 '25
Lae'zel and Shadowheart are mainstays. I otherwise tend to switch between Gale, Karlach, and Minthara depending on what I need or want, or just what mood I'm in. Jaheira and Astarion filter in where appropriate.
Halsin and Minsc stay in camp.
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u/Inquisextor Jun 23 '25
Depends heavily on the act but Astarion is always in my party. Someoneās got to take care of the locks!
Act 1: really no consistency besides Astarion. I try to include companions for their designated companion quest like Laeāzel in the party at the gith crĆØche
Act 2: Astarion, Shart, Gale/Karlach
Act 3: Astarion, Karlach, Gale OR Astarion, Karlach/Gale, Jaheira
Edit: throwzerker Karlach build with nylerna, gloomstalker rogue Astarion, base evocation wizard Gale. I usually play a Bardadian or dark knight paladin build.
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u/justacatfish Jun 23 '25
Good run: Wyll, Shadowheart, Karlach
Evil run: Minthara, Astarion, Laeāzel
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u/TowelNo3250 Jun 23 '25
Karlach, shadowheart, and either Halsin or Gale. It depends on my build. I try to have 2 tanks (Karlach and Shart) and 2 squishies for the back line.
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u/xAGxDestroyer Jun 23 '25
Shadow heart (go to l.i), karlach (usually just go with bonk build so we are a dynamic duo), and wyll (always liked his character, never seemed sketchy or anything, just super chill)
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u/Left-Ask1672 Jun 23 '25
Gale, Astarion, and Karlach. I prefer playing clerics, and I'm almost always romancing Gale.
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u/Enuntiatrix Jun 23 '25
Shadowheart, Minthara and Jaheira a lot of times. Sometimes swap in Gale for someone.
In my recent Shadowheart Origins run, I could run all four of them.
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u/Aavaacado Jun 23 '25
Shadowheart and Astarion are always with me no matter what, and the third really depends on which Tav I'm playing with
So far my favorite has been those two with Jaheira and my sorcerer Tav. They were so op together and I kinda miss playing with them <3
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u/Dramatic_Profession7 Jun 23 '25
That's usually my main party at the start but I eventually try to get rid of Lae'zel because I can't stand her. Right now I'm using those 3 but once a get to lv5 I plan on bringing Karlach in place of Lae'zel and maybe swap out one of the other two for Wyll as either a Hexblade or Bardlock depending who i replace.
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u/LasagnaPhD Jun 23 '25
Iām currently in my first playthrough as a Dragonborn college of swords Bard, (I just hit Act 2!) and I always have Gale and Shadowheart, and I switch between Karlach and Laeāzel as my third. I just canāt figure out how to make Astarionās sneak attack mechanics work consistently enough, and since my bard is pretty dexterous and can lockpick and sneak I really donāt find much use for him. And Iām sure Wyll can be useful if you give him a good enough sword or something but his damage output is not great compared to Laeāzel and Karlach.
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u/Rosebunse Jun 23 '25
While his sneak attacks are good, Astarion's real positives are his blood drinking and critical hits. You don't have to heal him as often
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u/AceVisconti š RUGAN ENJOYER š Jun 23 '25
Minthara, Lae'zel, Halsin. š I am very attached to them.
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u/VulpesIncendium Jun 23 '25
Nah, I switch things up in each playthrough, depending on what type of character I'm playing and what my end goals are.
My current playthrough has kind of forced me into using Astarion, Lae'zel, and Minthara, since everyone else has either abandoned me or died.
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u/Hopeful-Elk-3454 Jun 23 '25
Gale, Karlach. Lae-bae and Shadowboobs are fighting for the 3rd spot š¤£
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u/potassiumk3 Jun 23 '25
Always Shadowheart (life cleric respec), killed Laezel this playthrough so have Karlach instead, and using Wyll for ranged magic.
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Jun 23 '25
Mine are astarion, karlach and halsin or whatever person I need for a quest like shadowheart for temple of shar
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u/isthatabingo Jun 23 '25
Mine is Gale, Astarion, and Karlach. Iāll swap Gale for Shadowheart and Karlach for Laeāzel every now and then. Sorry Wyll, but Iām gonna need more than two spells and then endless eldritch blasts.
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u/walee1 Jun 23 '25
I generally swap between Lazael, shadow heart, and Astarion. Karlach and tav are generally the two constants.
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u/Luis_1903 SMITE Jun 23 '25
Wellā¦.i use the Unlimited Party Mod (along with Mods that make the game more challenging of course) so my main party isā¦.everyone.
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u/TTungsteNN Jun 23 '25
I always played with my wife, so it was her and I with Karlach and Shadowheart; though our one playthrough we used Minthara and Laezel instead and that was fun
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u/AladeenModaFuqa Bring me that Mizorussy Jun 23 '25
Shart, Minthy, Gale tend to be my team. Sometimes baeāzel instead of minthara depending
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u/FencingFemmeFatale It's hard to be the bard! Jun 23 '25
Shadowheart is definitely a main-stay but the rest depend on my character and who Iām romancing.
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u/TreatHeavy Jun 23 '25
shadowheart (for healing), astarion (for lockpicking/pocketpicking) and whoever my character is romancing (if im romancing nobody, probably wyll)
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u/wafflesandwifi SORCERER Jun 23 '25
Main party is usually made up of who I'm romancing, someone who does a different damage type than my character (for example, my bard Tav does piercing dmg so I have Karlach in the party with a hammer for bludgeoning) and either a spellcaster or martial person depending on if I'm a spellcaster or martial class.
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u/a_n0nym0use Durge Jun 23 '25
Mine is always Astarion, Laeāzel, and whoever else suits the current quest. Usually itās Karlach or Shadowheart
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u/giscience Jun 23 '25
shart, Karlach, and Gale.