Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a range of companions, each with distinct mechanical strengths, personal quests, and layers of character development. While party composition depends on your own playstyle and role preferences, some companions stand out for their sheer effectiveness in combat, narrative depth, or both. This ranking considers a blend of raw utility, synergy potential, and how compelling their stories are throughout the game.
1. Shadowheart
Class: Cleric (Trickery Domain)
Race: Half-Elf
Power: High
Story Impact: High
Shadowheart is one of the most versatile characters in the game. As a Cleric, she brings powerful healing and support magic, but her Trickery Domain also allows for creative stealth-based strategies. Her personal story, centred on her ties to Shar and later Selûne, is among the most thematically rich, offering genuine character evolution. Late-game revelations make her one of the more emotionally resonant arcs.
2. Lae’zel
Class: Fighter (Battle Master or Champion)
Race: Githyanki
Power: Very High
Story Impact: Medium to High
Lae’zel is an exceptional frontline damage dealer. Whether you build her for precision or brute force, she excels in physical combat and pairs well with any backline spellcaster. Her arc is tightly woven into the main plot, especially as the game delves deeper into the Githyanki, the Astral Plane, and Vlaakith’s deception. Her story develops significantly if you push back against her blind loyalty.
3. Karlach
Class: Barbarian (Berserker)
Race: Tiefling
Power: High
Story Impact: High
Karlach is a powerhouse who shines in melee, especially with Rage and Reckless Attack boosting her damage output. What makes her stand out beyond combat is her personal warmth and tragic storyline. Her infernal engine subplot offers both humour and heartbreak, and her optimism brings emotional grounding to a morally grey campaign.
4. Astarion
Class: Rogue (Thief)
Race: High Elf Vampire Spawn
Power: Medium to High
Story Impact: High
Astarion is one of the best companions for utility. As a Thief, he gets an extra bonus action, ideal for lockpicking, sneak attacks, or cunning positioning. His vampire abilities evolve through the story, making him deadlier if you choose to indulge his darker path. Narratively, he delivers a complex mix of charm, trauma, and eventual agency, particularly as he confronts his master Cazador.
5. Gale
Class: Wizard (Evocation or other schools)
Race: Human
Power: Very High (with support)
Story Impact: Medium
Gale is a flexible spellcaster who can dominate the battlefield with area control, crowd control, and damage. He benefits from thoughtful spell prep and positioning. His backstory, involving Mystra and a looming magical catastrophe, is ambitious but sometimes underdelivers unless heavily pursued. Still, he can be vital depending on your team’s magical output.
6. Wyll
Class: Warlock (The Fiend)
Race: Human
Power: Medium
Story Impact: Medium to High
Wyll provides strong early-game utility with Eldritch Blast and Fiendish invocations, but later on, his effectiveness depends on how he is built. His pact with Mizora and status as the so-called Blade of Frontiers make for solid narrative beats, especially when his loyalty is tested. While not the most powerful in raw numbers, he brings flavour and moral conflict.
7. Halsin
Class: Druid (Circle of the Moon)
Race: Wood Elf
Power: High
Story Impact: Low to Medium
Halsin joins later and feels less integrated than others, but his shapeshifting and healing potential as a Druid are top-tier. The ability to wild shape into a powerful bear form makes him a resilient melee-tank hybrid. His personal arc is more functional than emotional, mostly centred on helping the group and the greater good.
8. Minthara
Class: Paladin or Oathbreaker
Race: Drow
Power: High
Story Impact: Variable
Minthara is only available through a darker path, requiring you to side with the goblins. If recruited, she’s an aggressive, tanky companion who can dish out consistent divine damage. However, her narrative depth is less developed than others unless you actively shape her arc through dialogue. Her presence also locks out some content, which may deter completionists.
Honourable Mention: The Custom Origin Characters
While not companions in the traditional sense, playing as one of the origin characters (such as Astarion or Shadowheart) unlocks new layers in their stories and gives you control over their fate in more granular ways. It shifts the focus from external interaction to internal agency.
Watch the companions video:
