Baldur's Gate 3: Karlach approval and romance guide

Karlach's approval is actually not that hard to gain if you're inclined towards being a generally decent person in Baldur's Gate 3. You just need to look past the surface of this fiery Tiefling to understand that, once you get over any false assumptions you might have made based on her appearance, she's probably the nicest of your companions.

She's also hot in multiple senses of the word, a pun the game is very much not afraid to get out of the way before you can start feeling smug for thinking of it yourself.

So: there's a good chance you want to romance lovely hot Karlach, right? At the very least, she's a loyal friend whose companionship is well worth cultivating. If you're looking for the dos and don'ts of winning her over, look no further, as this Karlach approval and romance guide is here to help you through the process of befriending and wooing her in Act 1.

How to get Karlach's approval

Karlach's approval is earned every time you make a choice — whether that be in dialogue or your wider actions within the narrative — that aligns with her particular values. Of course, going against these values can lead to earning her disapproval instead, so it pays to think before you speak and act if your main motive is to cuddle up to her down the line.

First and foremost, it's worth keeping Karlach — or indeed any character you plan on romancing — in your active party as you go about your business in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3. This allows your prospective paramour to react to even your more incidental actions, so as long as you're on your most impressive behaviour when she's around, you'll rack up approval points very quickly.

So, what does Karlach like? While she's not quite as much of a do-gooder as Wyll, she's even more impressed by your random acts of kindness, especially towards children and/or her fellow Tieflings.

Needless to say, being nice to the Tiefling kids in the refugee camp is a sure-fire way to win her over. She's also got an understandable soft spot for an underdog, so calling out and — if necessary — fighting against any injustices you witness will also get you into her good books. But despite her passion for destruction, she actually dislikes it if you attack first just because someone's being a bit hostile, unless they've been mean to a kid or are racist against Tieflings.

A few particular moments are key to winning Karlach's approval during Act 1. Naturally, when Wyll initially sends you to Hunt the Devil, you of course need to ignore his insistence that you fight her on the spot. It's easier to boot Wyll from your active party before you go find Karlach, in fact, as she's much more inclined to be friendly from the outset if he's not around when you recruit her. But if you face up to the challenge, talking Wyll down from this stand-off is a fantastic opportunity to gain the approval of both characters.

If you've recruited them both then you will need to deal with the whole Wyll/Karlach situation later at your camp, of course, but Karlach is surprisingly open to making peace, just so long as you make it clear to Wyll that he was wrong to want to persecute her. Remain firmly on her side while refusing to let the situation descend into a fight and Wyll ends up appropriately contrite, while Karlach will be frankly rather adorably excited at the prospect of having Wyll as another new friend.

Once recruited, Karlach will be particularly happy if you let her tag along with your active party when you go to confront the Paladins of Tyr who've been hunting her. Victory in this battle will see her let off a lot of steam but also take you into her confidences, which naturally leads to a huge approval boost.

Karlach is also hugely on Team Tiefling when it comes to the Tiefling refugees versus Goblin marauders questline in Act 1. This is hardly surprising, given that the Tieflings possess two of her favourite qualities: being the same species as her, and being the quite obviously wronged party in the whole affair. You choosing to side with the Goblins will eventually get back to Karlach even if she's not in your active party when you visit the Goblin Camp, and she'll be understandably upset with you if you do, so as ever it's best to stay on the side of the angels if you want to remain in her good graces.

Karlach romance guide

Like the other romanceable companions, you can initiate an intimate relationship with Karlach (pending her approval being high enough, of course) during the party in your camp that follows on from your successful rescue of Halsin near the end of Act 1.

However, while you can form a sincere romantic bond from then on, the Infernal Engine used to power Karlach's heart means that it's dangerous to get physical with her without taking proper precautions. You'll need the help of the Tiefling blacksmith whom you first encounter in the Emerald Grove: Dammon can use Infernal Iron you bring him to fix Karlach's heart. This process needs to be repeated several times over the course of the game at scripted intervals, so it's imperative that you keep Dammon alive if you want to get serious with Karlach.

After Dammon's first round of hotfixes, you and Karlach will be able to engage in some cautious canoodling, provided you can do something to cool her down immediately beforehand. Any non-lethal ice or water spell works, as does chucking water on her and/or chucking her into water. Love is weird. Find Dammon again at the Last Light Inn in Act 2 and repeat the trick, and her internal thermostat will be fixed for good, allowing the pair of you to finally fully consummate your slow-burn romance.

Karlach, incidentally, will be totally fine with you having other romantic partners at first, since she understands that you might have… you know, needs… that she can't fulfil while physical contact with her is liable to set you on fire. As intimacy becomes less of a dangerous prospect, however, Karlach will begin to want a monogamous commitment, so bear in mind that any polyamorous situation that includes her comes with a time limit.

That's all you need to know about building rapport with Karlach in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3. For more BG3 romance guides, you can check out our Shadowheart approval and romance guide — or perhaps our Astarion approval and romance guide is more to your tastes?