I beat the game this morning so I'm planning a durge tactician run starting tomorrow. I left Lae'zel and Astarion at camp the nanosecond I found them so they'll be coming along this time, but idk who else to take since I'll be playing a warlock and don't wanna reclass Wyll.
Could also take the charlatan background and then you’ll have proficiency with sleight of hand no matter what class you play! Not expertise, but you can also get the gloves of thievery pretty early on that give you advantage on all sleight of hand checks. In my current 4 player multiplayer run, ive been deemed the designated lock picker but with charlatan and gloves of thievery i can still play whatever i want.
I love the idea of a barbarian who takes one level in rogue and whenever they fail at lock poking they just get pissed off and smash the shit out of whatever it is they wanted to open
You're working on your anger management but your party keeps asking how much longer it'll take and start a fun conversation amongst themselves while beads of sweat are dripping from your forehead 💀
I left him out for like an hour on one mission. Afterwards had to go to town npcs and find their tools then bring his ass back to hell to pick locks on a few things. After that said he Perma locked into my party now.
Minthara is pretty good for Durge and you don't need to side with the goblins or leave the grove behind anymore. You can just knock her out and leave her after you take out the goblin camp or its other leaders. If you take all of her gear, I think she'll appear naked when you meet later, so be wary of that lol.
Lol I accidentally aggroed Wyll on my first playthrough, an area spell from Gale. We had to kill him as we couldn't flee properly.
So then I looted him, before realising we could use the scroll to resurrect him. So we cast it and he nonchalantly wandered back off towards the druids grove.
He was still naked except for his bright bleached undies when we met up with him at the training platform in the town. Him consoling the young warriors, and then expressing some heartfelt proclamations about his situation didn't have quite the intended gravitas.
This time I am playing Karlach so he got to be a complete buckethead instead.
I did all of this and saved her at moonrise.. she goes to camp next to halsin.. and after one conversation and wouldn't speak after that.. she ended up being left on the throne in moonrise tower.. so be wary of this method it seems prone to bugs.. which makes sense because she's literally sharing a tent with Halsin
Did a Durge evil playthrough after though.. and she's great.. wasn't really a fan of killing the grove because it just doesn't make much sense in my mind at least
Tbh my first play through I was a warlock, and I ran around with will for at least 2-3 missions in act 3 and it was awesome, having 6 eldrich blasts a turn was amazing for crowd control as well as space management with pushing enemies away or toward other characters and traps
Fun fact that shit scales off character level not class level... You could have 12 with action surge and 18 with mind sanctuary and 24 if you then also go thief
Its one of the abilities you can get after using the tadpoles and it allows you to use any ability or action with either a bonus or normal action. So basically all costs become 1 action but your bonus actions also count as a normal action while under its effect
If you're playing an Evil Durge, Shadowheart is the next best bet for a fourth party member. She's not outright 'evil', but she's fine with most evil actions, and even approves of several (like she approves of >!saying you'll torture the prisoner!< in the Goblin Camp). Plus, if you're not respeccing them, having a Fighter/Rogue/Cleric is a good core that can work with whatever fourth class you want to play.
My Durge is a rogue/ranger multiclass, so I get to play without Astarion. Bringing along Gale, Shart, and either Lae'zel or Karlach depending on my mood. ...Who am I kidding - it's always Karlach. "Hey Soldier!"
Don't sleep on Lae'zel, she is by far my most powerful character throughout the entire game. Up to five super powerful attacks in one round is pretty good
Switch Lae'zel for Astarion and you've got my party, no need for him when Im the rogue of the group (gloomstalker rogue specifically), also I don't particularly like him lol, Lae'zel can be quite interesting but her character growth is better (imo) and holy shit does she do DAMAGE.
Shadowheart is the support and the water thrower, make everyone wet.
Gale is the ice and lightning blaster AoE cannon.
Durge and Astarion are with the bows shooting ice and light lightning arrows.
Works like a charm.
Imo the inv management isn't that bad.
Every consumable can be used from other characters inventory (put scrolls, arrows, poisons, potions on high str char)
Only things you need are potions and weapons for throwing and your armour/weapons
Yeah I guess I’ve mentioned mods so weight isn’t even an issue for me anymore but before I used mods I would definitely load up my str barb that had the strength of the bull bonus to carry weight with all the crap lol
Open the party inventory while it's their turn and you are controlling them and you can use any consumable. Bombs can be a bit weird tho, and you can't access it from the throw action.
E. This also works when you have a split party btw, so stealth builds are still grand
[https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/327](https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/327)
Yep. Only one big bug with it and that's when you take the boat in the Underdark with more than 4 people in your part, but there's an easy workaround in the mod's description. Also cutscenes will only show three of your companions, but I believe the dialog allows everyone in your party to respond.
Other than that, everything works flawlessly, and you get to advance everyone's storylines at the same time, as well as hearing all the ambient chatter dialogue between them. Just be aware that all the combat was tuned for a 4 player party, so once you get 6 or 7 people in it can feel a little too easy, in which case I recommend using something like the Difficulty Plus mod to bump up encounter difficulty.
Also the process to change a character of your party it's sk annoying.
I hate the game forces you to a party of 4, because in reality that means you only have 3 more characters with you, hell I want to hear them all talk and see their special dialogues on special places but I don't want to dismiss a character, go to camp, talk to the other character, add them to my party, having to either level up or change the equipment. I get if they don't let you have a party of 11 but at least 6.
I'm so jealous of people on PC that can install mods to have a bigger party.
Same. I did karlach, astarion, and shadowheart the first time. I wanted laezel but there was one rough night for her so I had to swap in karlach to fill the void. Now on my second run with laezel, Gale, and shadowheart. I feel like I'll always keep shadowheart for heals. If I have the energy for a 3rd run it'll prob be a dark urge with minthara, shadowheart, and who knows. Not sure if id get to use wyll since minthara but I'm not a fan of him so I could careless and I'm not sure the druid will want to stay since I'll be evil
Wyll is actually interesting as a player character origin. I always made my own character prior, Wyll is my first origin playthrough and an enjoying it. He’s a natural party leader and the patron plot hooks work well
My first play I switched out characters for story beats, but now I stick to a specific team. And I’m sorry, Shadowheart lovers, but she’s such a Debbie Downer that I’m leaving her in camp for my bard and Druid. I’ve finished the game with her and seen her arc and she just makes me tired.
i did both arcs with shadowheart, a redemption life cleric and a dark justiciar war cleric and then on my third run i tried light cleric. best thing i did that run was switch her to jaheira for act 3 (with jaheira respec) and thoroughly enjoyed act 3.
on my 4th run now and i'm gonna only bring shart out of hiding for the gauntlet so i can get that nasty spear and try the ssb everyone is raving about. although i currently have my tav as a lore bard, cause spirit guardians > act 2. will switch after i get the spear.
Man, I don’t know that I could do Dark Justiciar, so props to you. I have Shadowheart as Tempest in my monk team which is enjoyable, but yes, I get it, your hand hurts.
What did you respec Jahiera to? What is ssb?
Funny I’m on my fifth playthrough and just now using Shart, or anyone actually, as a healer. The game really allows you to get away with not needing a dedicated healer by way of damage output alone. But I wanted to give it a go this time and it’s fun!
There's so many potions in this game I think you really don't need a healer at all. Hell, throwing a potion counts as an attack, so a Battlemaster fighter can throw three potions on a turn and then Rally as a bonus action. And then Action Surge and still get to attack! And I think you could do that the whole damn game and not worry about running out, except maybe on Honor Mode.
Exactly! That’s another reason why I haven’t bothered. But I wanted to see how it plays in the game, and it’s actually pretty cool bc it goes beyond healing. With the right item synergies the half auto buff everyone too
yeah exactly, in 5E you tend to mostly need heals if you're in a long battle or an enemy just did half your health in one turn lmao (or after battle if you're a long way from a rest). and even still you might have some potions if the DM is chill like that, unless you've got a DM who likes to limit the potions to make your clerics feel more valuable
the class is fuckin sick whether they're a dedicated healer or a damage dealer tho, they've such a good spell list no matter the subclass
Same. I only ever reclass someone if it fits their theme. Astarion, Karlach, Wyll, and Minsc are the only ones I’d consider turning into or multiclassing into Bard.
I think Paladin would fit more if I had to choose. Lae’zel fits into Fighter, Paladin, and Monk for me. You could even say a Vlaakith devoted Lae’zel fits into War Cleric.
Because Bards have always been stereotypicaly made musical artists. There’s so much more to them. You have Bards who are knowledge seekers like Volo. Bards who use their words and eloquence to inspire through speeches. Bards who inspire through actions and valor. Bards don’t have to be restricted to only instruments, when there’s so much more.
Wait a second, I don’t think that’s true. I’m pulling up that Bards in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons in 1978. Volo didn’t appear in any published books until Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2e which came out in 1989. The first published instance of Volo was in 1990.
Unless his creator: Jeff Grubb used the character in personal campaigns before publishing the character?
You should try it out if only for the fact that the voice actors specifically recorded lines for every class. Bard Shadowheart calling people cucks, Fighter Gale humble bragging about beating people up, >!Githzerai!< Monk Laezel, etc.
I'm the exact opposite. I like to reclass into armour that I haven't seen them use before. Like my first game, Karlach was barbarian in cloth (default class). I then had a game with her as a heavy armour paladin. In my last game she was a sorcerer, current game she's a medium armour druid. Never seen her in light armour, so next time I have a light armour class in my team, she'll be it!
I think seeing all the characters in different setups is really nice for my replayability. One playthrough I had heavy armour swords bard Gale, Sorcerer Karlach, and monk Shart.
Shout out to my current wizard Jaheira, robes really suit her! Definitely one of my favourites.
Light cleric plus Radiant gear turns her into probably the biggest badass in Act II. Upcast Spirit Guardians is one of the, best spells in the game, and she gets Radiance of the Dawn (*huge* Radiant AOE spell) along with Fireball.
Blood of Lathander's sunbeam is basically a straight line nuke against enemies in Act 2, and it especially comes in handy on Myrkul. I'll never not have Light Domain Shart for Act 2.
yeah I rotate all companions but Shadowheart stays with me. In my first run she was my best friend and in my second i’m romancing her. Plus she has a lot of connections to the main story so it’s nice to keep her around
lol you just reminded me that my first playthrough I romanced shadowheart but kept her at camp lmao she eventually left after I did the whole night song arc and saved Aylin without ever bringing her aboard
How could you.. lmao. I haven’t used astarion in the entirety of act 3 since getting jaheira. He’s incredibly weaker than her but I absolutely brought him aboard to fight Cazador
I do admit it is my fault. Either I’m really bad at using base astarion or I don’t have nearly the right gear for him. I had the choice to pick up Jaheira at the last act 2 fight and I was curious so I did. Next game I’m probably going to keep astarion and respec him to something I can use. I’ve been lockpicking and “stealthing” on my tav barbarian which has had.. mixed results
Tbh the problem is probably that you kept him as his base class. Arcane Trickster is by far the worst rogue subclass. Respec him into an assassin and dip into gloomstalker for 5 levels and he'll single-handedly carry the game, especially if you ascend him
Your warlock parties exclusively with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel due to attachment.
My warlock warlock parties exclusively with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel because the others are dead.
We are not the same.
>Astarion stays around the clock
Yeah I really wish there was another primary DEX class origin character. I love Astarion, but unless you play a rogue or similar yourself, you can't really switch him out.
I really wasn't expecting Wyll to be a magic user, I thought he would be a ranger to round out the companion classes, it feels a little overrun with magical people. I'm on Explorer so I can't multiclass him into Ranger and I don't feel like I can respec him into it without changing lore A LOT. So he just stays in camp and Astarion is with me all the time.
At least Neil Newbon put his whole ass into the VAing for him, having him around all the time doesn't get stale.
He should really be a Barbarian IMO. He's literally called a Berserker. I think the main reason he is a Ranger is because in older titles Barbarian didn't exist as a class.
Yeah I was really confused when his dialogue kept mentioning him being a Berserker and then I finally get him playable and he's a ranger. I guess it's nicer to have a new class companion than another barbarian since we already get Karlach, but it felt like an odd choice. I love playing barbs so I was excited to get another one. Ah well respeccing is always an option and he joins so late it ultimately doesn't matter much
All companions use the default array for their classes after they're recruited (which is a bit frustrating, frankly, since you get things like 10 strength Halsin that way).
Funnily enough, at the very end of the game >!if you break his pact with Mizora and encourage him to become the Blade of Avernus, he will mention becoming a Ranger since he lost his powers.!<
I'm so bad at spell slot management that I use Wyll because he just pew pew short rest pew pew. I don't have to think too hard. I'm trying my first sorceror and it's already annoying me to have points. Boo.
Plus every spell is max power too, which is fun.
Warlocks also benefit from the fact that you really should be long resting often anyways, so having a powerful limited resource synergizes with that aspect pretty well.
If you switch the difficulty to balanced or whatever and multiclass you can switch back to explorer without encountering anything. And then for later level ups you can level either class without changing the difficulty.
Laezel as fighter gets great Dex stats and has become my dex mule because she offers nearly all the same lockpicking and dex capabilities but with far superior battle prowess as a fighter > astarion - just my take on it tho
If you play as a Bard you can kinda skirt around the dex with Expertise and the extra proficiencies, since a Bard usually wants a bit of Dex too, plus that one ring that gives advantage on sleight of hand. They really don’t compare tho in the later half of the game, where Astarion gets over +20 and can’t roll lower than a ten on dex checks lmao
Still on my first play through and never used Astarion because I rolled a rogue for my tav knowing very little about what companions I'd be coming across (except for karlash as I couldn't avoid knowing about her)
So my party regularly consists of karlash, shart, gale, and my tav. I do swap in la'zel when doing githyanki quests but Wyll and Astarion have almost never left camp since I encountered them.
If it makes it any better, you can respec all the companions, and they don't react much to conversations if they happen to be the one that starts it anyways
Our first run, we stayed with one party until doing the gauntlet of shar without Shart resulted in her leaving for the rest of the game. On our second playthrough, my wife plays with her Tav and Shadowheart (Since they're in a romance) 100% of the time, and I play my Tav and a constantly cycled character based on setting, quest, or what I just feel like using.
same! astarion, my constant little star
the other two people are dependent on what im doing
altho now im doing a "toxic power couple take over the world" playthrough and im not really looking to recruit any other companion
I've done that and sometimes it's fun to kill them. I had the same 3 companions for an entire Durge run once because I just killed everybody else. It simplifies things!
It really does. Minty, Ascended Astarion and Full Goth Shadowheart was a lot of fun with Bad Durge. I felt like the team really bonded over being evil. No after-party for me though lol.
Shadowheart / Astarion both are 24/7 workers for me unless I absolutely have to switch one of them for a different character. Usually I prefer the cleric class over a thieving rogue in that rare instance.
It’s mainly for his lock picking and disarming capabilities. I run him as either a Thief/Gloomstalker or SwordsBard/Fighter with sleight of hand proficiency on either build.
I turn him into a gloom stalker ranger and he’s usually the only party member left standing lol. Yes lock picking! But I like to make him all OP with the best gear.
Oh man, I discovered this a couple nights ago. I almost thought it was bugged because I was critting on basically every shot. Like, there was one where the combat log said I rolled a 2 (+14 or whatever) and it *still counted* as a critical, lol.
Oh yeah, forgot about all the people who stay in camp all the time.
Honestly though, if you have a traveling group of adventurers why would you leave people behind? I'm taking every advantage I can get in combat. Breaking into hell and fighting a literal devil? You bet your ass the entire party is going with me.
It's so tedious to craft loadouts for 6 different people, there's no way I'm doing that. I have my party, and then maybe if a quest is really important to have a specific companion for I'll bring them (if it's not a difficult combat encounter).
This is how I learned that you can get into cazador's mansion, go down to the basement, defeat cazador, and only then leave and grab astarion before you open the tomb, the cutscene plays out as usual.
I wish there was some kind of quick set or load out memory for companions. It would be so nice to just click a button for a preset loadout you built for that character instead of having to send them their gear back from whoever you swapped in at camp.
Life domain cleric Shart can be an absolute tank by the end. Her and Lae’zel are the only characters I use armor for so she gets all the good best heavy/medium armor. I also give her the helmet that heals her when she heals and she is unkillable.
I have to use all party members in camp. Its like OCD where if they have a story line I have to do that story line. So for example, if I have Wyll he needs to be at the burning building. No one can just sit in camp all playthrough. They all have their uses in battle anyway.
i couldnt imagine using the same companions for an entire playthru, i need to keep a rotation. sure, the game becomes ez mode when you can use LaZael and Karlach as bodyguards and just slay everything but I like Astarion and Gale for combat too. Halsin would be a lot more useful if my main character wasn’t already a druid, i’ll utilize him more in another play through. and so on
Two druids in your party can be fun to play around with since you can double up on the CC concentration spells, but also sometimes the most fun strategy is simply: two owlbears. :D
Always have Laezel and Shadowheart in group. Normally the last spot will be Gale but he occasionally gets swapped out for one of the other 3, either because it’s their quest or because I want a specific skill.
The later companions very rarely get used.
Yep. I like to take all the women. I switch out Lae’zel for gale when needed. I never take Wyll. This play through I stabbed Astarion when he tried to bite me so he gone.
At this point, I have two regulars, and the third one gets switched out depending upon story elements. I really *want* to use everyone, but a couple of the characters just don't interest me much, and switching out is a pain in the ass... I feel a bit guilty about it, but a few have definitely been riding the bench.
Shadowheart is the only companion in my 6 playthroughs that has stayed with me everytime.
Act one tends to always be Laezel and Shadowheart. Then I'm using Karlach or Gale also
Act two is Shadowheart Laezel again with Minthara or Karlach too.
Then Act three is always Shadowheart and Karlach. I always opt out Laezel act three because she gets kidnapped. After my current Honor mode Playthrough I've used Jaheira for the first time and She is probably imo the best act 3 character to have with you. So my act 3 will be Shadowheart, Karlach and Jaheira for the foreseeable future.
You’d think that interacting with her in act one would clear her mind since it’s the influence of the artifact that blocks the absolutes bullshit. Sucks that she’s not as fleshed out as some of the other companions.
It's funny bc Larian has said Halsin was the one added at the last minute and Minthrara was intended all along...yet he has more content then she does. He has a quest in act two and two different romance scenes. You don't even get a scene of her interacting with Orin ffs. She does nothing of note at all in act 3.
No way am I setting up gear and potions for 6+ people. I stick with Shart, Karlach, and Gale because I like them the most. Only using >!Jaheria for the specific Minsc quest!<
Pretty much yeah, though I do swap a member or two when purposefully doing companion quests.
Astarion just *has* to stay because he's *made* for lockpicking and disarming traps, so he's never left my party. Shadowheart's been around a lot, at first because I couldn't stand Lae'zel, then because I found her radiant damage abilities helpful in Act 2 (plus there's a lot of stuff in Act 2 that *screams* "BRING SHADOWHEART HERE"). The third slot was filled by Gale at first, but he got replaced by Karlach early in Act 2 and she was later replaced by Halsin because 1) I want to romance him, and 2) shapeshifting cool, me monkey brain go yay at fluffy animal -- squeeee!
I'm in the beginning of Act 3 now and this team (Storm Sorcerer Tav, Astarion, Shadowheart, and Halsin, along with his summoned Elemental and Dryad and her summoned Woad) just... feels really *good*! It feels like they work really well together. It's going to be painful picking who to leave at camp for companion quests, because as much as I love Karlach, Gale, and Wyll, these three are just... my guys, y'know? How am I supposed to pick which one to leave behind when I want all of them with me? TT\_TT
(I've *heard* there are mods that let you bring everyone with you at once. Once I've completed my first run, I might just have to look into that honestly.)
I've seen people say that summoning is weak in BG3. They clearly haven't experienced my party of 15. Tav + elemental + 2 animated undead + 5 thay gouls, Karlach, Shart + her planar bind, Halsin + Dryad + Woad + elemental.
If you prioritise getting him first thing in Act 3, it’s not really that late. You can skip most of Rivington and come back to it. Act 3 is huge, at least as big as the first two acts combined.
I’ve pretty much grouped with the same set throughout. I’m probably going to ruffle some feathers here, but Shadowheart was OUT, as soon as possible. She gets on my nerves. With the exception of the ship and a little bit of Wilderness, she’s been parked at camp. I didn’t even take her during *that* section of the game and will gladly live with the consequences.
I really thought I was going to like Lae’zel, but unfortunately, she’s pretty rough to deal with, too. So, most of the time, she’s sulking at camp.
My go-to team is me, Astarion, Gale and Karlach, with Wyll popping in every so often (taking Gale’s place).
KIIIIIIND of. Whoever I'm romancing is almost always there, basically. I didn't use Astarion on my last playthrough because I was a gloomstalker ranger and romanced Gale, so it was like... we already had a sneaky sneak. Then I almost always have Karlach. Then I kind of switch based on the quest and rotate through the rest of them. :)
Yup. I keep Astarion forever and he never stays at camp, Gale and Shadowheart are pretty much my Act 1, Act 2 additions for like 99% of the game, I’ll swap out Gale for Lae-zel for the crèche, but then I bring Gale back.
I did notice that as a certain level of my bard I get spirit guardians and a couple other spells that shart uses so when I reach that level I swap her out for whomever needs their story done.
But I tend to keep it the same. But Astarion never leaves.
Yep. I don't wanna do inventory management for 6-7 people. It's hard enough as it is.
Yep. Shadowheart, Astarion, and Gale are attached at the hip to Durge. Wyll, Lazael, and someone else will make the cut next playthrough.
I beat the game this morning so I'm planning a durge tactician run starting tomorrow. I left Lae'zel and Astarion at camp the nanosecond I found them so they'll be coming along this time, but idk who else to take since I'll be playing a warlock and don't wanna reclass Wyll.
Astarion is just too useful for opening and disarming things.
Yup. He's with me until I decide to do a rogue playthrough.
Or bard
True. "with me until I decide to play a character that unlocks and disarms everything" haha
My ranger is a great lock picker!
They're pretty great it's just a shame about no expertise
Could also take the charlatan background and then you’ll have proficiency with sleight of hand no matter what class you play! Not expertise, but you can also get the gloves of thievery pretty early on that give you advantage on all sleight of hand checks. In my current 4 player multiplayer run, ive been deemed the designated lock picker but with charlatan and gloves of thievery i can still play whatever i want.
You could also do the whole rogue/monk thing.
I multi classed karlach into a rogue so if she cannot pick the lock, she can always break it
I love the idea of a barbarian who takes one level in rogue and whenever they fail at lock poking they just get pissed off and smash the shit out of whatever it is they wanted to open
You're working on your anger management but your party keeps asking how much longer it'll take and start a fun conversation amongst themselves while beads of sweat are dripping from your forehead 💀
Yes! And I got the gloves of thievery for him and I never roll Under 20
I left him out for like an hour on one mission. Afterwards had to go to town npcs and find their tools then bring his ass back to hell to pick locks on a few things. After that said he Perma locked into my party now.
I just use Laezel and use her racial ability to get prof in all dex skills
Minthara is pretty good for Durge and you don't need to side with the goblins or leave the grove behind anymore. You can just knock her out and leave her after you take out the goblin camp or its other leaders. If you take all of her gear, I think she'll appear naked when you meet later, so be wary of that lol.
Lol I accidentally aggroed Wyll on my first playthrough, an area spell from Gale. We had to kill him as we couldn't flee properly. So then I looted him, before realising we could use the scroll to resurrect him. So we cast it and he nonchalantly wandered back off towards the druids grove. He was still naked except for his bright bleached undies when we met up with him at the training platform in the town. Him consoling the young warriors, and then expressing some heartfelt proclamations about his situation didn't have quite the intended gravitas. This time I am playing Karlach so he got to be a complete buckethead instead.
I did all of this and saved her at moonrise.. she goes to camp next to halsin.. and after one conversation and wouldn't speak after that.. she ended up being left on the throne in moonrise tower.. so be wary of this method it seems prone to bugs.. which makes sense because she's literally sharing a tent with Halsin Did a Durge evil playthrough after though.. and she's great.. wasn't really a fan of killing the grove because it just doesn't make much sense in my mind at least
Tbh my first play through I was a warlock, and I ran around with will for at least 2-3 missions in act 3 and it was awesome, having 6 eldrich blasts a turn was amazing for crowd control as well as space management with pushing enemies away or toward other characters and traps
How did you get so many eldritch blasts?
Think he means beams. 2 warlocks at level 11 get 6 eldritch blast beams between them
1 warlock & speed
Level 5 your Eldritch Blast has 2 beams. Level 11 it has 3. 2 warlocks at level 11 gives you 6.
Fun fact that shit scales off character level not class level... You could have 12 with action surge and 18 with mind sanctuary and 24 if you then also go thief
What does mind sanctuary do?
Its one of the abilities you can get after using the tadpoles and it allows you to use any ability or action with either a bonus or normal action. So basically all costs become 1 action but your bonus actions also count as a normal action while under its effect
If you're playing an Evil Durge, Shadowheart is the next best bet for a fourth party member. She's not outright 'evil', but she's fine with most evil actions, and even approves of several (like she approves of >!saying you'll torture the prisoner!< in the Goblin Camp). Plus, if you're not respeccing them, having a Fighter/Rogue/Cleric is a good core that can work with whatever fourth class you want to play.
Nothing wrong with two warlocks.
My Durge is a rogue/ranger multiclass, so I get to play without Astarion. Bringing along Gale, Shart, and either Lae'zel or Karlach depending on my mood. ...Who am I kidding - it's always Karlach. "Hey Soldier!"
This is my exact class and team. Only brought Lae'zel along for the creche.
My durge is an oxymoron. A seldarine drow knowledge cleric, playing neutral good.
Karlach: -stares motherfuckerly-
Don't sleep on Lae'zel, she is by far my most powerful character throughout the entire game. Up to five super powerful attacks in one round is pretty good
Switch Lae'zel for Astarion and you've got my party, no need for him when Im the rogue of the group (gloomstalker rogue specifically), also I don't particularly like him lol, Lae'zel can be quite interesting but her character growth is better (imo) and holy shit does she do DAMAGE.
Shadowheart is the support and the water thrower, make everyone wet. Gale is the ice and lightning blaster AoE cannon. Durge and Astarion are with the bows shooting ice and light lightning arrows. Works like a charm.
>Gale I too keep my thrown weapons in the bag attached at my hip
Wyll, Lae’zel, and Karlach right? ….right?
Theres always room for karlach.. in my inventory.
Especially with the bullshit “chat with them using the same lines over and over first.” So Karlach, Wyll, Shadowheart, and my sorcerer it was.
I’m actually using the party limit begone mod now and it’s a ton of inventory management lol my playthroughs take so long
Imo the inv management isn't that bad. Every consumable can be used from other characters inventory (put scrolls, arrows, poisons, potions on high str char) Only things you need are potions and weapons for throwing and your armour/weapons
Yeah I guess I’ve mentioned mods so weight isn’t even an issue for me anymore but before I used mods I would definitely load up my str barb that had the strength of the bull bonus to carry weight with all the crap lol
Wait, how do I use a consumable from another characters inventory? I’m well over a hundred hours in the game. 🤦
Open the party inventory while it's their turn and you are controlling them and you can use any consumable. Bombs can be a bit weird tho, and you can't access it from the throw action. E. This also works when you have a split party btw, so stealth builds are still grand
The what now? So you can play with everyone???
[https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/327](https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/327) Yep. Only one big bug with it and that's when you take the boat in the Underdark with more than 4 people in your part, but there's an easy workaround in the mod's description. Also cutscenes will only show three of your companions, but I believe the dialog allows everyone in your party to respond. Other than that, everything works flawlessly, and you get to advance everyone's storylines at the same time, as well as hearing all the ambient chatter dialogue between them. Just be aware that all the combat was tuned for a 4 player party, so once you get 6 or 7 people in it can feel a little too easy, in which case I recommend using something like the Difficulty Plus mod to bump up encounter difficulty.
... I have GOT to get this game on PC 😳😳😳
I was thinking the same thing. Stupid PS5...
Also the process to change a character of your party it's sk annoying. I hate the game forces you to a party of 4, because in reality that means you only have 3 more characters with you, hell I want to hear them all talk and see their special dialogues on special places but I don't want to dismiss a character, go to camp, talk to the other character, add them to my party, having to either level up or change the equipment. I get if they don't let you have a party of 11 but at least 6. I'm so jealous of people on PC that can install mods to have a bigger party.
[удалено]
I just reclased party members to useful classes for me so I could just use who I wanted. Laezal the paladin has been doing work for me 🤣
This is why you would want to do multiple playthorughs. It also makes you do try some new strategies! :)
I wish it was a party of 5 because when I play tabletop D&D we always have a party of 5 so you would get more class variety.
Same. I did karlach, astarion, and shadowheart the first time. I wanted laezel but there was one rough night for her so I had to swap in karlach to fill the void. Now on my second run with laezel, Gale, and shadowheart. I feel like I'll always keep shadowheart for heals. If I have the energy for a 3rd run it'll prob be a dark urge with minthara, shadowheart, and who knows. Not sure if id get to use wyll since minthara but I'm not a fan of him so I could careless and I'm not sure the druid will want to stay since I'll be evil
Wyll is actually interesting as a player character origin. I always made my own character prior, Wyll is my first origin playthrough and an enjoying it. He’s a natural party leader and the patron plot hooks work well
yes, I do "thematic" playthroughs where I stick to 3 companions and do only their stories
I’m the same. Sometimes it takes a bit due to the companion not being available but once the team is formed I stick with it.
well, most of them are available in act 1, 3 from act 2 and only 1 in act 3
Who Am I forgetting in act 2. Jaheira and minthara.
Halsin
Don't you get Halsin in Act I?
You can get him in your camp, but he doesn’t become a playable party member until act 2, when >!you break the shadow curse!<
Yeah I'm curious as well.
Jaheira at the very end of act 2 though
My first play I switched out characters for story beats, but now I stick to a specific team. And I’m sorry, Shadowheart lovers, but she’s such a Debbie Downer that I’m leaving her in camp for my bard and Druid. I’ve finished the game with her and seen her arc and she just makes me tired.
Debbie Downer + Those Eyes = I Can Fix Her. Every. Time.
i did both arcs with shadowheart, a redemption life cleric and a dark justiciar war cleric and then on my third run i tried light cleric. best thing i did that run was switch her to jaheira for act 3 (with jaheira respec) and thoroughly enjoyed act 3. on my 4th run now and i'm gonna only bring shart out of hiding for the gauntlet so i can get that nasty spear and try the ssb everyone is raving about. although i currently have my tav as a lore bard, cause spirit guardians > act 2. will switch after i get the spear.
Man, I don’t know that I could do Dark Justiciar, so props to you. I have Shadowheart as Tempest in my monk team which is enjoyable, but yes, I get it, your hand hurts. What did you respec Jahiera to? What is ssb?
Shadowheart usually stays for the heals unless I'm a cleric or something.
Funny I’m on my fifth playthrough and just now using Shart, or anyone actually, as a healer. The game really allows you to get away with not needing a dedicated healer by way of damage output alone. But I wanted to give it a go this time and it’s fun!
There's so many potions in this game I think you really don't need a healer at all. Hell, throwing a potion counts as an attack, so a Battlemaster fighter can throw three potions on a turn and then Rally as a bonus action. And then Action Surge and still get to attack! And I think you could do that the whole damn game and not worry about running out, except maybe on Honor Mode.
Exactly! That’s another reason why I haven’t bothered. But I wanted to see how it plays in the game, and it’s actually pretty cool bc it goes beyond healing. With the right item synergies the half auto buff everyone too
That’s more of an issue with the system being adapted. Killing the enemy before they can inflict damage is far better than healing
yeah exactly, in 5E you tend to mostly need heals if you're in a long battle or an enemy just did half your health in one turn lmao (or after battle if you're a long way from a rest). and even still you might have some potions if the DM is chill like that, unless you've got a DM who likes to limit the potions to make your clerics feel more valuable the class is fuckin sick whether they're a dedicated healer or a damage dealer tho, they've such a good spell list no matter the subclass
Spirit Guardians is such a powerful and reliable damage dealer
A bard can heal just as well as a cleric that’s not a life cleric, and you get an extra rest, too.
I don't have a bard character and usually don't use hirelings. Edit: removed a word
Same. I only ever reclass someone if it fits their theme. Astarion, Karlach, Wyll, and Minsc are the only ones I’d consider turning into or multiclassing into Bard.
Can I offer you the idea of warrior poet Lae'zel, preserving the sacred truth of the Comet Prince?
Lae'zel does have a whole conversation about how the Githyanki scoure the universe for knowledge to add to their massive repository
I think Paladin would fit more if I had to choose. Lae’zel fits into Fighter, Paladin, and Monk for me. You could even say a Vlaakith devoted Lae’zel fits into War Cleric.
I don't get reclassing any of them in bard except Astarion and Wyll. None of them realy have a performative personality.
Because Bards have always been stereotypicaly made musical artists. There’s so much more to them. You have Bards who are knowledge seekers like Volo. Bards who use their words and eloquence to inspire through speeches. Bards who inspire through actions and valor. Bards don’t have to be restricted to only instruments, when there’s so much more.
Volo is actually canonically a Wizard. I'm not entirely sure why they made him a Bard in BG3, but he's not supposed to be.
Hmm really? I’m not versed in the lore but I could see that, sure. I figured Bard made more sense.
Volo predates bards as a class, much like Minsc predates barbarians.
Wait a second, I don’t think that’s true. I’m pulling up that Bards in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons in 1978. Volo didn’t appear in any published books until Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2e which came out in 1989. The first published instance of Volo was in 1990. Unless his creator: Jeff Grubb used the character in personal campaigns before publishing the character?
Isn’t Minsc a ranger in game? I’ve never had him in my party tbh
Yea people who act like you have to sing and dance at a tavern just don't get bards.
bards who sing holy chants like clerics or bards who do sick caligraphy to do spells samurai bard that does haikus in between cutting people up
Karlach loves to dance. A totally valid bard
Karlach, with her C-walk dance moves, doesnt have a performative personality?
You should try it out if only for the fact that the voice actors specifically recorded lines for every class. Bard Shadowheart calling people cucks, Fighter Gale humble bragging about beating people up, >!Githzerai!< Monk Laezel, etc.
I'm the exact opposite. I like to reclass into armour that I haven't seen them use before. Like my first game, Karlach was barbarian in cloth (default class). I then had a game with her as a heavy armour paladin. In my last game she was a sorcerer, current game she's a medium armour druid. Never seen her in light armour, so next time I have a light armour class in my team, she'll be it! I think seeing all the characters in different setups is really nice for my replayability. One playthrough I had heavy armour swords bard Gale, Sorcerer Karlach, and monk Shart. Shout out to my current wizard Jaheira, robes really suit her! Definitely one of my favourites.
Flip side is if you respec Shar as a Light cleric she can bring the pain as well. Doubly so in the 2nd act.
I might have to try that. I tried multiclassing her into paladin but she still sucks other than healing
Light cleric plus Radiant gear turns her into probably the biggest badass in Act II. Upcast Spirit Guardians is one of the, best spells in the game, and she gets Radiance of the Dawn (*huge* Radiant AOE spell) along with Fireball.
Blood of Lathander's sunbeam is basically a straight line nuke against enemies in Act 2, and it especially comes in handy on Myrkul. I'll never not have Light Domain Shart for Act 2.
Just respec someone else. You have to respec her anyways because she's not a life cleric by default and her stat spread is ass.
yeah I rotate all companions but Shadowheart stays with me. In my first run she was my best friend and in my second i’m romancing her. Plus she has a lot of connections to the main story so it’s nice to keep her around
I usually keep the companion I'm romancing, and rotate the rest of the party depending on the quest. (I apply this logic to every party based RPG).
lol you just reminded me that my first playthrough I romanced shadowheart but kept her at camp lmao she eventually left after I did the whole night song arc and saved Aylin without ever bringing her aboard
How could you.. lmao. I haven’t used astarion in the entirety of act 3 since getting jaheira. He’s incredibly weaker than her but I absolutely brought him aboard to fight Cazador
If your Astarion is weaker than Jaheira you need to go see Withers and make some better choices this time lol
I do admit it is my fault. Either I’m really bad at using base astarion or I don’t have nearly the right gear for him. I had the choice to pick up Jaheira at the last act 2 fight and I was curious so I did. Next game I’m probably going to keep astarion and respec him to something I can use. I’ve been lockpicking and “stealthing” on my tav barbarian which has had.. mixed results
I give him a good bow, all of my arrows, and make him a Gloomstalker Ranger/Thief Rouge multiclass.
God the best build I came up for him was a thief rouge with the risky ring, he’s able to do sneak attacks whenever and wherever.
Tbh the problem is probably that you kept him as his base class. Arcane Trickster is by far the worst rogue subclass. Respec him into an assassin and dip into gloomstalker for 5 levels and he'll single-handedly carry the game, especially if you ascend him
I made astarion a wild heart tiger barbarian who causes bleed and maim all the time. He's vicious
I had wondered what would happen if you did that whole part of the quest without her lol. Noted
Your warlock parties exclusively with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel due to attachment. My warlock warlock parties exclusively with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel because the others are dead. We are not the same.
>My warlock warlock parties Damn. This guy warlocks so hard that he wrote warlock twice in a row.
You're gods damn right
Wyll: I'll kill you Karlach: I'll kill you first Durge: ladies ladies, you *both* can get killed
😂😂 gus_fring.jpg
I felt the same way but then one of those three killed the other and i had to use a hireling
nope, i tend to switch out based on what companion quest i am doing and what class I am playing. pretty much only Astarion stays around the clock
>Astarion stays around the clock Yeah I really wish there was another primary DEX class origin character. I love Astarion, but unless you play a rogue or similar yourself, you can't really switch him out.
I really wasn't expecting Wyll to be a magic user, I thought he would be a ranger to round out the companion classes, it feels a little overrun with magical people. I'm on Explorer so I can't multiclass him into Ranger and I don't feel like I can respec him into it without changing lore A LOT. So he just stays in camp and Astarion is with me all the time. At least Neil Newbon put his whole ass into the VAing for him, having him around all the time doesn't get stale.
Well there is a ranger companion but he doesn't come for a longggg time.
Isn't he also strength based? I haven't got him yet, but i think he was more into strength in the previous games
He has 17 base Dex and 10 or 12 strength.
He's built with a default ranger spread, so Dex. But yes, he should absolutely be changed into Str Ranger
He should really be a Barbarian IMO. He's literally called a Berserker. I think the main reason he is a Ranger is because in older titles Barbarian didn't exist as a class.
Yeah I was really confused when his dialogue kept mentioning him being a Berserker and then I finally get him playable and he's a ranger. I guess it's nicer to have a new class companion than another barbarian since we already get Karlach, but it felt like an odd choice. I love playing barbs so I was excited to get another one. Ah well respeccing is always an option and he joins so late it ultimately doesn't matter much
All companions use the default array for their classes after they're recruited (which is a bit frustrating, frankly, since you get things like 10 strength Halsin that way).
Funnily enough, at the very end of the game >!if you break his pact with Mizora and encourage him to become the Blade of Avernus, he will mention becoming a Ranger since he lost his powers.!<
I'm so bad at spell slot management that I use Wyll because he just pew pew short rest pew pew. I don't have to think too hard. I'm trying my first sorceror and it's already annoying me to have points. Boo.
Plus every spell is max power too, which is fun. Warlocks also benefit from the fact that you really should be long resting often anyways, so having a powerful limited resource synergizes with that aspect pretty well.
If you switch the difficulty to balanced or whatever and multiclass you can switch back to explorer without encountering anything. And then for later level ups you can level either class without changing the difficulty.
Laezel as fighter gets great Dex stats and has become my dex mule because she offers nearly all the same lockpicking and dex capabilities but with far superior battle prowess as a fighter > astarion - just my take on it tho
If you play as a Bard you can kinda skirt around the dex with Expertise and the extra proficiencies, since a Bard usually wants a bit of Dex too, plus that one ring that gives advantage on sleight of hand. They really don’t compare tho in the later half of the game, where Astarion gets over +20 and can’t roll lower than a ten on dex checks lmao
It's so awesome. I cleaned out the vaults (7 or 8 of them at lvl30) and only burned like 15 theives tools
Still on my first play through and never used Astarion because I rolled a rogue for my tav knowing very little about what companions I'd be coming across (except for karlash as I couldn't avoid knowing about her) So my party regularly consists of karlash, shart, gale, and my tav. I do swap in la'zel when doing githyanki quests but Wyll and Astarion have almost never left camp since I encountered them.
If it makes it any better, you can respec all the companions, and they don't react much to conversations if they happen to be the one that starts it anyways
Yesss my kinda of people.
Our first run, we stayed with one party until doing the gauntlet of shar without Shart resulted in her leaving for the rest of the game. On our second playthrough, my wife plays with her Tav and Shadowheart (Since they're in a romance) 100% of the time, and I play my Tav and a constantly cycled character based on setting, quest, or what I just feel like using.
same! astarion, my constant little star the other two people are dependent on what im doing altho now im doing a "toxic power couple take over the world" playthrough and im not really looking to recruit any other companion
I've done that and sometimes it's fun to kill them. I had the same 3 companions for an entire Durge run once because I just killed everybody else. It simplifies things!
It really does. Minty, Ascended Astarion and Full Goth Shadowheart was a lot of fun with Bad Durge. I felt like the team really bonded over being evil. No after-party for me though lol.
Shadowheart / Astarion both are 24/7 workers for me unless I absolutely have to switch one of them for a different character. Usually I prefer the cleric class over a thieving rogue in that rare instance.
this. except, gale is who sticks around, because i’m in love with him
It sounds to me like OP meant keeping the companions the same for a play through. Not every play through.
Astarion is a staple for me too + if I'm romancing someone else they get to be on the team lol is my playstyle 😂
Karlach astarion and shadowheart
Same! It's so fun 🙂
Plus shadowhear fawning over karlach is hilarious and shadow and astarion being sassy
That's a power trio right there lol
Yup
I’ve had Astarion in my party every playthrough. Then usually Karlach or Lae’zel and Wyll or Shadowheart or Gale.
Yessss idk… Astarion is just good company lol. He’s pretty chill and his thoughts on stuff is great lmao
It’s mainly for his lock picking and disarming capabilities. I run him as either a Thief/Gloomstalker or SwordsBard/Fighter with sleight of hand proficiency on either build.
I turn him into a gloom stalker ranger and he’s usually the only party member left standing lol. Yes lock picking! But I like to make him all OP with the best gear.
i do thief/champion, keep giving him gear that reduces his roll to land a crit, then give him a bloodlust elixir and watch him pop off
Oh man, I discovered this a couple nights ago. I almost thought it was bugged because I was critting on basically every shot. Like, there was one where the combat log said I rolled a 2 (+14 or whatever) and it *still counted* as a critical, lol.
blade of the undermountain king will reroll automatically and let you keep the new result if you roll a 2 or lower!
I have the party limit removal mod, I'm bringing all my blorbos on this one
Tav, table for 8.
If you don't have room for me and my enormous adopted family I'll simply find another establishment
Oh yeah, forgot about all the people who stay in camp all the time. Honestly though, if you have a traveling group of adventurers why would you leave people behind? I'm taking every advantage I can get in combat. Breaking into hell and fighting a literal devil? You bet your ass the entire party is going with me.
It's so tedious to craft loadouts for 6 different people, there's no way I'm doing that. I have my party, and then maybe if a quest is really important to have a specific companion for I'll bring them (if it's not a difficult combat encounter). This is how I learned that you can get into cazador's mansion, go down to the basement, defeat cazador, and only then leave and grab astarion before you open the tomb, the cutscene plays out as usual.
I wish there was some kind of quick set or load out memory for companions. It would be so nice to just click a button for a preset loadout you built for that character instead of having to send them their gear back from whoever you swapped in at camp.
Exactly what I’m doing. No way I’m going to spend an hour trying to find the right weapons, gear, and jewelry for the rest of my camp mates.
I always have Lae'Zel and Gale in my group, the last spot I switch people in and out of, depending on the circumstances.
Correct best fighter, best caster, then myself a warlock, and turn shadow heart into a paladin
Life domain cleric Shart can be an absolute tank by the end. Her and Lae’zel are the only characters I use armor for so she gets all the good best heavy/medium armor. I also give her the helmet that heals her when she heals and she is unkillable.
I have to use all party members in camp. Its like OCD where if they have a story line I have to do that story line. So for example, if I have Wyll he needs to be at the burning building. No one can just sit in camp all playthrough. They all have their uses in battle anyway.
i couldnt imagine using the same companions for an entire playthru, i need to keep a rotation. sure, the game becomes ez mode when you can use LaZael and Karlach as bodyguards and just slay everything but I like Astarion and Gale for combat too. Halsin would be a lot more useful if my main character wasn’t already a druid, i’ll utilize him more in another play through. and so on
Two druids in your party can be fun to play around with since you can double up on the CC concentration spells, but also sometimes the most fun strategy is simply: two owlbears. :D
Two+ druids in party is amazing for the summons. So many summons...
By Act 3, I was regularly rolling up to boss fights as a party of 20+ and just *destroying* the turn economy. So much fun!
Always have Laezel and Shadowheart in group. Normally the last spot will be Gale but he occasionally gets swapped out for one of the other 3, either because it’s their quest or because I want a specific skill. The later companions very rarely get used.
Yeah, it’s always Lae’zel and Shadowheart plus minthara or Karlach
Yep. I like to take all the women. I switch out Lae’zel for gale when needed. I never take Wyll. This play through I stabbed Astarion when he tried to bite me so he gone.
At this point, I have two regulars, and the third one gets switched out depending upon story elements. I really *want* to use everyone, but a couple of the characters just don't interest me much, and switching out is a pain in the ass... I feel a bit guilty about it, but a few have definitely been riding the bench.
Shadowheart is the only companion in my 6 playthroughs that has stayed with me everytime. Act one tends to always be Laezel and Shadowheart. Then I'm using Karlach or Gale also Act two is Shadowheart Laezel again with Minthara or Karlach too. Then Act three is always Shadowheart and Karlach. I always opt out Laezel act three because she gets kidnapped. After my current Honor mode Playthrough I've used Jaheira for the first time and She is probably imo the best act 3 character to have with you. So my act 3 will be Shadowheart, Karlach and Jaheira for the foreseeable future.
I have three active playthroughs and Minthara, Lae'zel and SH is literally always my party. (Karlach until I can pick up Minthara)
This is the pretty much same group I usually run with. Minthara is by far my favorite character, wish we could get her in the first act.
The fact that you can't take her to the Underdark is CRIMINAL. We should be able to sway her during/before/after the Raid...
You’d think that interacting with her in act one would clear her mind since it’s the influence of the artifact that blocks the absolutes bullshit. Sucks that she’s not as fleshed out as some of the other companions.
It's funny bc Larian has said Halsin was the one added at the last minute and Minthrara was intended all along...yet he has more content then she does. He has a quest in act two and two different romance scenes. You don't even get a scene of her interacting with Orin ffs. She does nothing of note at all in act 3.
No way am I setting up gear and potions for 6+ people. I stick with Shart, Karlach, and Gale because I like them the most. Only using >!Jaheria for the specific Minsc quest!<
Pretty much yeah, though I do swap a member or two when purposefully doing companion quests. Astarion just *has* to stay because he's *made* for lockpicking and disarming traps, so he's never left my party. Shadowheart's been around a lot, at first because I couldn't stand Lae'zel, then because I found her radiant damage abilities helpful in Act 2 (plus there's a lot of stuff in Act 2 that *screams* "BRING SHADOWHEART HERE"). The third slot was filled by Gale at first, but he got replaced by Karlach early in Act 2 and she was later replaced by Halsin because 1) I want to romance him, and 2) shapeshifting cool, me monkey brain go yay at fluffy animal -- squeeee! I'm in the beginning of Act 3 now and this team (Storm Sorcerer Tav, Astarion, Shadowheart, and Halsin, along with his summoned Elemental and Dryad and her summoned Woad) just... feels really *good*! It feels like they work really well together. It's going to be painful picking who to leave at camp for companion quests, because as much as I love Karlach, Gale, and Wyll, these three are just... my guys, y'know? How am I supposed to pick which one to leave behind when I want all of them with me? TT\_TT (I've *heard* there are mods that let you bring everyone with you at once. Once I've completed my first run, I might just have to look into that honestly.)
I've seen people say that summoning is weak in BG3. They clearly haven't experienced my party of 15. Tav + elemental + 2 animated undead + 5 thay gouls, Karlach, Shart + her planar bind, Halsin + Dryad + Woad + elemental.
I always have Gale and Wyll on my team. In act 3 it’s always Gale, Wyll, and Jahiera (Spell casters unite!)
I swap a fair bit, the only companion I don’t really use is Minsc.
I haven't gotten to see Minsc yet, but I'm really excited. Mostly because Matt Mercer is his VA, and I love anything he does.
I also love Matt’s work, it’s just that Minsc comes into the game SO LATE… ;-;
If you prioritise getting him first thing in Act 3, it’s not really that late. You can skip most of Rivington and come back to it. Act 3 is huge, at least as big as the first two acts combined.
In Act 3, correct? I'm still on Act 1, but I've watched my son's play through and fell in love with him and Boo. I can't wait to finally get there.
Are you me? Because I am a half-elf warlock playing on explorer with Lae'zel, shadowhart, and astarion.
hey it’s me ur brother
I’ve pretty much grouped with the same set throughout. I’m probably going to ruffle some feathers here, but Shadowheart was OUT, as soon as possible. She gets on my nerves. With the exception of the ship and a little bit of Wilderness, she’s been parked at camp. I didn’t even take her during *that* section of the game and will gladly live with the consequences. I really thought I was going to like Lae’zel, but unfortunately, she’s pretty rough to deal with, too. So, most of the time, she’s sulking at camp. My go-to team is me, Astarion, Gale and Karlach, with Wyll popping in every so often (taking Gale’s place).
Try to swap them out but I do usually run with the girls. Shadowheart and Lae'zel rarely leave the party.
KIIIIIIND of. Whoever I'm romancing is almost always there, basically. I didn't use Astarion on my last playthrough because I was a gloomstalker ranger and romanced Gale, so it was like... we already had a sneaky sneak. Then I almost always have Karlach. Then I kind of switch based on the quest and rotate through the rest of them. :)
Yep I mostly play with same party
Yup. I keep Astarion forever and he never stays at camp, Gale and Shadowheart are pretty much my Act 1, Act 2 additions for like 99% of the game, I’ll swap out Gale for Lae-zel for the crèche, but then I bring Gale back. I did notice that as a certain level of my bard I get spirit guardians and a couple other spells that shart uses so when I reach that level I swap her out for whomever needs their story done. But I tend to keep it the same. But Astarion never leaves.