Can you romance multiple characters in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

Baldur’s Gate 3 has some of the best NPC companions ever seen in a video game. As players build up affinity with their favorite party members, characters start revealing their deep backstories and intimate feelings. Every relationship is so compelling it’s only natural to wonder how many you can pursue at once. So, can you romance multiple characters in BG3?

BG3: Can you romance multiple companions?

In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can romance multiple companions, but only if you’re romancing Shadowheart, Astarion, or Halsin. They are willing to let you get flexible with your affections, but other companions are not. The sad truth is that the romance options in Baldur’s Gate 3 aren’t as open-ended as the game’s combat. At the beginning of the story it’s open season for flirting, but eventually, most of the romantically inclined companions will want you all to themselves.

Choose Shadowheart or Astarion to be polyamorous in BG3

Baldur’s Gate 3 only lets you romance one origin companion at a time. You’ll ultimately have to choose between Shadowheart and Astarion. Either of them are willing to let you get intimate with other characters, but they’ll still want to be your primary romantic partner. A few companions are willing to be in an open relationship, but some restrictions still apply.

On the bright side, you can become involved with plenty of side characters while you pursue a relationship with Shadowheart or Astarion. For starters, let’s address the bear in the room. Nature-loving Halsin is a top contender for your affections. He jumps at the chance to take you to bed, if you get your primary partner’s approval. Shadowheart and Astarion are both pretty amused and not at all surprised, when you ask for permission to sleep with Halsin. They give the go-ahead right away.

There are a handful of other characters you can get to know intimately. If Mizora takes you to bed, no one is thrilled about it, but it won’t break up your pre-existing relationship. The same goes for the Emperor, though here it’s probably just because no one wants to acknowledge what happened. Then, of course, there are the Drow twins in Baldur’s Gate. As long as you pay your way into the brothel, you can spend time with them without upsetting Shadowheart, Astarion, or Halsin. They’ll even get involved, so three, four, or five-partner intimate scenes are definitely on the table. 

Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t have a truly polyamorous relationship path for you to explore. That said, it gets closer than most other games. Completionists will still need multiple characters to see all the romance options, but as long as you make Shadowheart or Astarion your main interest, you can have quite a few partners in a single playthrough.

Full list of romanceable companions in BG3

• Shadowheart

• Wyll

• Gale

• Astarion

• Karlach

• Halsin

• Lae’zel

• Minthara

How to romance companions in BG3

You can romance companions in BG3 by building affinity with them and pursuing their individual quests. Every companion will react differently to the decisions you make out in the world, and the more they approve of your choices, the more they’ll open up to you. At certain levels of affinity, new dialogue options will be triggered, and you’ll get to see some intimate scenes back at camp. Completing a companion’s quest will bring you even closer, but you don’t have to romance someone to play their quest to the end.