Best BG3 Evil Companions for an Evil Playthrough

Baldur’s Gate 3 allows players to pick and choose companions, some ranging from ambivalent to the world’s happenings and others striving to fight for the forces of good or evil. This guide will break down the best BG3 evil companions.

Best BG3 Evil Companions in Baldur’s Gate 3

Unlike its predecessors, Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t work on a rigid morality system that prevents “Good” and “Evil” characters from rubbing shoulders. However, there will be some conflict regarding party objectives and goals if you’re looking to appease the likes of Astarion and Minthara while having someone like Wyll in your party.

That said, some party members are clearly more inclined to make less than favorable choices when it comes to tipping scales toward good. For example, Jaheira and Minsc will not be happy if you choose to side with the Bhaalists in Act 3. They won’t leave your party but won’t be pleased with your decision. Astarion and Shadowheart (depending on the choices you’ve made during The Temple of Shar) will be happy if you take more callous actions toward NPCs.

With that said, here is a list of the best evil companions in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Shadowheart
  • Recruit: Rescue her from the Mind Flayer pod at the beginning of the game and agree to partner up with her.
• Astarion
  • Recruit: Find him near the Nautiloid Wreckage after the Mind Flayer ship crashes in the opening chapter. Agree to help and don’t attack him.
• Lae’zel
  • Recruit: Rescue her from the wooden cage trap north of the Nautiloid Wreckage in the opening chapter.
• Gale
  • Recruit: Pull his hand out of the Rift near the Nautiloid Wreckage.
• Minthara
  • Recruit: Find Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum. Later on, agree to raid the Emerald Grove with her. Following this, save Minthara at the Moonrise Towers.

All of these characters are available to get early on in the game, as you’ll come across Lae’zel and Shadowheart immediately. Astarion and Gale are encountered by wandering the area outside the Druid Enclave. Recruiting Minthara, who more or less follows the outdated stereotypes associated with the Drow, is a little more complicated. You will definitely have to murder more than a few people to recruit her, and you will lose out on Halsin as a companion.

But if you want to really embrace the chaos, then you won’t want Halsin as part of your roster anyways. Characters like Gale and Lae’zel won’t care if you start making less honorable choices as they’re more or less out for themselves. So, if you’re missing a Mage or some extra muscle, you can take these two along with you.

How to do a BG3 Evil Playthrough

At its core, a BG3 Evil Playthrough consists of making chaotic decisions regardless of morality. That means cheat, steal and kill whenever possible. However, as mentioned above you will need the best BG3 Evil Companions for this playthrough, as characters will get upset based on your unethical decisions.

Here are some tips for a BG3 Evil Playthrough:

• Help Minthara and agree to Raid the Emerald Grove in Act 1. Kill all the Tieflings and Druids.
• In Act 1, speak with Auntie Ethel in the Grove. Visit her house in the nearby swamp and agree to make a deal with her after she’s revealed to be the Hag. Allow her to kidnap Mayrina and her baby.
• At the Grove, side with Kagha and “keep silent” so she kills the Tiefling child named Arabella.
• Meet Wyll at the Emerald Grove and agree to help him hunt a demon down. Near the Risen Road, kill Karlach. You will lose her as a companion, but this is an evil playthrough.
• Once you reach the Underdark, betray Spaw by siding with Glut. Help Glut overthrow the Myconid leader, who will then take over the colony.
• After putting Glut in power at the Myconid colony, steal the Boots of Speed and belongs off of Thulla. You can even kill the poisoned Gnome for extra evil points.
• In the Underdark, Find the Kuo-Toa in the Festering Cove. Save them by convincing them that the Red Cap BOOOOAL is not a god. After you take BOOOAL out, choose to make the Kuo-Toa worship you instead.
• After reaching the Grymforge in Act 2, choose to mock and abuse the gnome named Stickpit. Next, make friends with Ward Magmar.
• Rescue Nere at the Grymforge and side with him. Don’t save the enslaved Gnomes.
• Later on at Moonrise Tower, convince Nere to kill the slaves.
• After reaching the No Light Inn during Act 2, side with Fist Marcus and help him kidnap the Cleric named Isobel.
• In the final boss fight of the game, have Gale set his bomb off and kill everyone (this will end your game, but it’s the most evil ending you can get).

If you do want to pick the “good” ending of Baldur’s Gate 3, having an evil party won’t bar you from doing so. So if, for some reason, you have a change of heart near the end of the game, know that you’re not locked into your ending until you make one of two choices at the end.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.