Karlach is one of the companions in Baldur’s Gate 3. She is a Barbarian Tiefling who is constantly on the run from the hunters that have been sent by her former master. Recruiting Karlach could be most beneficial as she adds muscle and brute strength into the party. Read ahead as we talk more about Karlach, how to recruit her as a companion in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to recruit Karlach
Karlach can be recruited through two ways. The first option is by following The Blade of Frontiers and Hunt the Devil quest lines, while the second one involves finding her within the Druid Grove.
For the first option, once you arrive at Druid Grove, you can talk to Wyll, one of the origin companions, and recruit him to the party. He will then start his The Blade of Frontiers companion quest, which will lead you in the general direction of the Risen Road, north of the Blighted Village.
In the Risen Road, you will find a house with lifeless bodies. Inside, you will meet Anders who will tell you that a devil has attacked them. You can further talk to him and agree to hunt down the devil which will start the Hunt the Devil quest and reveal the devil’s location.
Follow the trail of blood and you will see Karlach on the other side of the river. Talk to her and ask her about her side of the story. She will reveal that she is being hunted down by Zariel to get her back into fighting for the archdevil. She also reveals that the paladins you talked to are fake and were also sent by Zariel. Agree to work with her and hunt down the paladins instead and she will agree to join your party.
If you have Wyll in your party, he will confront Karlach right away. Due to the parasite, Wyll will also see Karlach’s memories and learns about the truth. You can then convince Wyll to spare Karlach.
The second shortcut option requires you to head into Zevlor’s room in the Emerald Grove and head up to the sentry’s area. From here, you will need to make your way westward until you reach the ledge where you can see Karlach below. You will need the Feather Fall spell or someone who has high HP to survive the landing and reach where Karlach is. Doing this path will allow you to recruit Karlach earlier than how it is supposed to be, giving you an early advantage in places such as the Goblin Camp.
Karlach’s Companion Quest – Hunt the Devil
To start this quest, you will have to talk to Anders in the house in Risen Road to start the Hunt the Devil quest, especially if you chose to recruit Karlach early.
Once you have recruited Karlach, you can then meet up with her on your camp. Here, you will have an interaction with her, and if you have a Soul Coin, you will have an option to try using one for her, although Karlach suggests to try it out during combat.
Head back to where Anders is and bring Karlach along. Anders will be surprised that you have Karlach with you; reveal to him that you already know that they are just pretending to be paladins. Karlach will then be angry at them and a fight will break out.
At this point, you can then let her use the Soul Coin and she will enter her berserk mode. You will then need to kill everyone in the hunters’ side to complete the companion quest.
Karlach Personality and Preferences
Despite her brute looks and barbaric aura, Karlach is actually compassionate and approves actions where you would show care or defend other people, although she also does show approval for violent choices and actions.
If you managed to get Karlach early, you can get an early boost in gaining her approval by siding with the tieflings but without going against the druids. On the other hand, any actions you take that go against devils will also make Karlach happy.
Karlach is also romanceable and to gain her approval even more, you will need to help her in tuning up her infernal engine. Look for Infernal Iron and hand it over to Dammon and he will use it to tune up Karlach’s engine and help her control the heat. There are certain actions that may prevent you from seeing Dammon in the later part of the game, especially when you’re supposed to see him to fix the engine for the second time. Make sure to not kill Nightsong during the Gauntlet of Shar as doing so will prevent Dammon from dying.
During camp, you can try and talk to Karlach to raise your affection with her. At one point, you can also suggest a way to lower the heat of her body by casting a water spell on to her or using anything that has water in it. Doing this will lower Karlach’s body heat, allowing you to safely give her a kiss.
Karlach Stats
Karlach is a Barbarian with an Outlander background. She is a Zariel Tiefling which gives her both the Darkvision and Hellish Resistance traits. She has the following base stats:
- Str: 17
- Dex: 13
- Con: 15
- Int: 8
- Wis: 12
- Cha: 10
- Initiative: +1
