There are four companions who cover every critical party need in BG3 — healing, stealth utility, frontline damage, and the narrative that makes the game worth the 100+ hours. Most tier lists tell you the four. This one tells you why, at the build level, and scores all ten on both combat and story so the ranking makes sense for how you are actually playing.
Party cap is 4 (your character plus 3 companions). Some companions conflict with each other; some join late. If you are already in Act 2 reconsidering your setup, jump to the ranking table. Verified on Patch 8 — the final content patch, released 2025. Rankings current as of May 2026.
Quick Start: Your First BG3 Party in 5 Steps
- Pick up Shadowheart — she is on the beach at the Nautiloid crash site. Your primary healer from level 1 through Act 3.
- Pick up Astarion — same beach, same session. Handles lockpicking, trap disarming, and single-target burst damage.
- Recruit Lae’zel — near the Emerald Grove. The hardest-hitting frontline companion available in Act 1.
- Respec Shadowheart at Withers — find Withers in the Dank Crypt (Act 1) for 100 gold respecs. Move her from Trickery Domain to Life Domain. Trickery is the weakest Cleric subclass in the game. This single change is worth more than any gear upgrade in Act 1.
- Decide on Karlach — she is on the Risen Road past the Toll House. Excellent frontline fighter with the strongest story arc of any companion. Swap her in for Lae’zel if you are prioritising narrative, or rotate both through your active party.
For the full Act 1 sequence and the three Emerald Grove choices that shape your Act 2 options, see our BG3 Beginner’s Guide 2026.
All 10 BG3 Companions Ranked: Combat + Story Dual Score
Most tier lists rate combat only. This table scores both dimensions. The “Avoid if” column reflects direct party conflicts and cases where your own Tav class duplicates the companion’s role.
| Companion | Class | Combat | Story | Tier | Avoid if… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowheart | Cleric | S | A | S | Your Tav is already a Cleric |
| Astarion | Rogue | S | A | S | Your Tav is a Rogue |
| Lae’zel | Fighter | S | B | S | You want every companion to have a complex moral arc |
| Karlach | Barbarian | A | S | S | Evil playthrough — she leaves rather than attack the Grove |
| Gale | Wizard | A | A | A | Your Tav is already a Wizard |
| Wyll | Warlock | B | A | A | You do not need a Charisma face character |
| Halsin | Druid | A | B | B | You need him in Act 1 — he is only temporary until Act 2 |
| Jaheira | Druid | B | A | B | You have not played BG1/BG2 — most of her story will not land |
| Minthara | Paladin | B | C | C | Any good-aligned run — recruiting her locks out most better companions |
| Minsc | Ranger | C | B | C | You want a full-game companion — he joins Act 3 only |
S-Tier: The Four Companions That Anchor Every Run
Shadowheart — Respec Her First, Ask Questions Later
Shadowheart starts as a Trickery Domain Cleric. Trickery Domain is built around illusion spells and misdirection abilities that use your action instead of healing — the wrong trade-off in nearly every fight on Balanced difficulty and unacceptable on Tactician. The fix is a 100 gold respec at Withers.
Life Domain gives her Blessed Healer: every healing spell cast on an ally also restores 2–5 HP to Shadowheart herself, keeping her standing through the fights where you need her most. Mass Healing Word becomes a reliable party recovery option in the Underdark. Light Domain makes her a Radiating Orb debuffer — each time she hits an enemy with a spell, it accumulates a stacking penalty to its attack rolls. This is the current competitive build, turning her into both support and controller simultaneously [1].
Her story covers her Shar worship and a late Act 3 choice involving her parents that has no clean resolution. Story is A-tier rather than S because the arc rewards engagement with Shar theology that not every player finds compelling — but companion approval rewards are among the most generous in the game.
When NOT to use Shadowheart: If your Tav is a Life or Light Cleric, the party gains nothing from a second. Swap her slot for Karlach or Gale.
Astarion — One Slot, Three Jobs
Astarion handles lockpicking, trap disarming, and single-target damage. No other companion covers all three simultaneously. His default Thief subclass is viable from level 1, but the optimal build is Rogue (Thief) 9 / Ranger (Gloom Stalker) 3 [3].
Gloom Stalker adds Dread Ambusher — an extra attack on his first turn with +1d8 damage — plus an initiative bonus that almost guarantees he acts before most enemies. Thief’s Fast Hands grants an extra bonus action per turn. By level 9, Sneak Attack reaches 5d6. Paired with Dread Ambusher, his first-turn burst on a single target consistently exceeds 50 damage before critical multipliers [3]. Patch 8 added Swashbuckler as a new Rogue option: Rakish Audacity removes the adjacent-ally requirement for Sneak Attack, making it a strong single-class alternative if you dislike multiclassing [2].
His story arc — the Ascension vs. Spawn path at the end of Act 3 — is one of the most debated in BG3. Both endings carry real costs; both require active engagement to understand. A-story tier because the arc is stronger for players who invest in it closely than for those who let it play out passively.
When NOT to use Astarion: If your Tav is already a Rogue, a second rogue wastes a party slot. One covers all utility. See our BG3 best builds guide for Tav class options that complement him best.
Lae’zel — The Frontline Baseline
Battle Master is the subclass to keep. Trip Attack knocks enemies prone — adjacent allies then attack with advantage, which doubles Astarion and Gale’s damage output against the same target. Pushing Attack shoves enemies off elevated terrain for no-save instant kills on many encounters. Action Surge doubles her attacks once per short rest, giving her the highest single-turn physical damage ceiling of any companion [1].
The Silver Sword of the Astral Plane, found in Act 2, is Githyanki-exclusive — only Lae’zel gets its full benefit: bonus psychic damage, the Soulbreaker targeted debuff, and advantage on INT/WIS/CHA saving throws. Misty Step (Githyanki racial) provides the gap-closing mobility melee fighters normally lack without burning a spell slot [1].
B-story tier reflects the Vlaakith arc’s learning curve, not its quality — players who engage with Githyanki lore generally find her arc more satisfying than her abrasive early personality suggests. Alert and Great Weapon Master are her two best feat picks.
When NOT to use Lae’zel: Evil runs that recruit Minthara. Both fill the heavy melee DPS slot, and the overlap wastes a party position.
Karlach — The Companion That Changes What You Expect Companions to Do
Combat first: Karlach is a strong Barbarian. Berserker’s Frenzied Strike adds a bonus action melee attack during Rage. Patch 8’s Giant Barbarian subclass adds size-buffing mechanics and doubled throw damage — the largest single-class buff in the final patch [2]. Soul Coins feed her infernal engine for +1d4 fire damage on all attacks, a lore-consistent bonus unique to her kit [1].
None of that explains the S-story tier.
Karlach’s arc centers on an unresolvable problem: a heart overheating from a decade in Avernus, no clean fix available. Her Act 3 endings — returning to Avernus, dying, or illithid transformation — each carry a real cost. She is not a puzzle you solve. The arc resonated with players dealing with chronic and terminal illness in a way few game characters have. Her voice actress Samantha Béart has described players reaching out to say they are “comforted — not only seen, but comforted — by Karlach’s journey,” and has called introducing a magical cure “a very cheap trick” that would undermine what she represents to those players [4].
Larian assigned a dedicated writer to every companion across the game’s six-year development, with each writer developing deep enough familiarity to generate new dialogue “practically on the spot when prompted” [5]. That investment shows in her arc. She is the companion that changes what players expect companions to be capable of emotionally — not because the writing aims for tragedy, but because it aims for honesty.
When NOT to use Karlach: Evil playthroughs that require attacking the Emerald Grove. She leaves rather than participate. There is no workaround — it is a hard story lock.
A-Tier: Strong but Context-Dependent
Gale — Best AOE Damage, One Friction Point in Act 1
Evocation Wizard is the subclass to keep. Sculpt Spells at level 2 lets Gale exclude party members from his own area spells — he can drop Fireball into melee without friendly fire. By Act 2 he accesses Evard’s Black Tentacles, Wall of Fire, and Hunger of Hadar, producing one of the strongest area denial kits in the game. The friction in Act 1: the Netherese orb requires consuming magical items periodically until a specific story resolution. Carry a spare magic item in your pack. His story involves Mystra, a world-ending orb, and multiple endings including self-sacrifice. A-tier on both dimensions — excellent, not indispensable.
Wyll — Reliable Utility and the Best Early-Game Face
CHA 17 makes Wyll your most persuasive companion out of character creation. Fiend Warlock’s Eldritch Blast paired with Repelling Blast shoves enemies off elevated terrain for no-save fall damage kills — a strong combination on the terrain-heavy maps throughout Acts 1 and 2. Hex adds 1d6 to every hit against the marked target. His story — the devil’s pact with Mizora, his father Ulder Ravengard — ties directly into the Act 3 Baldur’s Gate city arc, making him one of the most politically connected companions in the game.
B-Tier: Good Companions With Timing Problems
Halsin — Excellent Fighter, Misses Act 1 Entirely
Circle of the Moon’s Wild Shape gives Halsin Brown Bear form with 34 HP replacing his own — a second frontline tank that does not consume healing resources. He is genuinely strong when available. The problem: he is temporary in Act 1 and does not formally join until mid-Act 2. Any companion absent for a third of the game takes a ranking penalty regardless of combat quality [1].
Jaheira — For Players Who Completed BG1 and BG2
Jaheira joins during the Moonrise Towers assault in Act 2. Her Circle of the Land Druid kit — Entangle, Conjure Animals, Healing Word — is competent but has a lower combat ceiling than Halsin’s Wild Shape. Her story value is almost entirely in what she represents to franchise veterans: Harper history, her deceased husband Khalid, continuity across three games. First-time players miss most of it [1].
C-Tier: Specialist Picks Only
Minthara — Strong Fighter, Wrong Recruitment Path
Oath of Vengeance Paladin with Divine Smite is legitimately powerful — she is among the highest burst damage options available when built correctly. The problem is recruiting her. The default path requires destroying the Emerald Grove, which locks out Halsin, causes Karlach and Wyll to leave, and sets a narrative direction with substantially fewer quest options. The Act 2 rescue path avoids this but requires specific story sequencing many players miss. Strong for dedicated evil-run playthroughs; a poor general recommendation [1].
Minsc — Act 3 Only, Nostalgia Premium
Minsc joins at the Counting House in Act 3. His Hunter Ranger kit is functional but does not compete with companions who have 80+ hours of gear and progression behind them. His arc — Boo, personal honor, the counting house mission — is self-contained and does not integrate deeply with Act 3’s main plot. Worth recruiting for completionists [1].
Best Starter Party Combinations
| Party Name | Composition | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Standard First Run | Shadowheart (Life respec) + Astarion + Lae’zel + Custom Tav | First playthrough on Balanced or Tactician — healer, utility, tank, flex |
| Story-First | Shadowheart + Astarion + Karlach + Gale | All four arcs accessible on good-aligned runs; strong combat coverage |
| Honour Mode | Shadowheart (Light) + Astarion (Gloom Stalker) + Lae’zel (Battle Master) + Custom Wizard | Single-save run — Radiating Orb control + first-turn burst + physical DPS ceiling |
Choosing Companions by Player Type
| If you are… | Prioritise | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time RPG player | Shadowheart + Astarion + Lae’zel | Healer + utility + tank: the hardest combination to wipe with |
| Here for the story | Karlach + Shadowheart + Wyll | Three of the most emotionally developed arcs, all on good-aligned runs |
| Optimiser / Honour Mode runner | Shadowheart (Light) + Astarion (Gloom Stalker) + Lae’zel (Battle Master) | Radiating Orb control + guaranteed first-turn burst + physical DPS ceiling |
| Completionist | All 10 across multiple runs | Halsin, Jaheira, Minthara, and Minsc each have quests that need dedicated playthroughs |
FAQ: BG3 Best Companions
Can I use all 10 companions in one playthrough? No — the active party cap is 3 companions at a time, and some companions conflict directly: Karlach leaves if you attack the Emerald Grove; Minthara’s standard recruitment path locks out several others. Most runs naturally exclude 4–5 companions. Multiple playthroughs are needed for full coverage [1].
Is Shadowheart worth using without respeccing? No. Trickery Domain’s features centre on illusion rather than healing or control. The Withers respec costs 100 gold and takes under a minute — it is the highest single-impact change available in Act 1. Life Domain if you need a primary healer; Light Domain if healing is covered elsewhere.
Does companion approval affect combat performance? Not directly. High approval unlocks extended story content and romance. Below −50, the companion leaves permanently. Check our BG3 best class tier list for how class choice interacts with companion approval triggers in Act 1.
Sources
- Companions — BG3 Wiki [1]
- Patch 8 Guide — BG3 Wiki [2]
- Best Astarion Build Guide — Fextralife [3]
- Samantha Béart on Karlach — The Gamer [4]
- BG3 Companion Writers Explainer — Screen Rant [5]
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.