In Baldur’s Gate 3, one companion is particularly popular. We explain how you can win the attractive tiefling barbarian Karlach from Act 1 to Act 3.
It may be due to her appearance, her dominant and charming nature, or the fact that tieflings are generally among the most attractive races of the Forgotten Realms. The tiefling woman Karlach causes palpitations and weak knees in the Baldur’s Gate 3 community (and in the editorial office).
If you are thinking, “Wait a minute, I haven’t met her yet?” you don’t need to panic. Karlach is quite well hidden and won’t just show up in your camp. We explain how to find her and win her over.
Spoiler warning for Act 1 to Act 3! In this guide, we show you which decisions and situations need to happen for you to achieve a shared ending with Karlach.
How to awaken Karlach’s interest in you
To convince Karlach, you first need to talk to her and choose the right dialogue options to improve your relationship. To gain her recognition, you can follow these hints:
- Generally perform “heroic” deeds
- Show kindness towards children
- Express compassion towards tieflings
- Prefer to solve problems with violence, as long as it’s not evil or senseless
- Stand up for the weaker
Karlach Romance: Act 1 – How to find her
The tiefling barbarian is hiding in Act 1 south of the Stiegstraße, beneath the customs house by the river. There are several ways to start her quest:
- Recruit the warlock Wyll. He tells you that he is hunting a devil, and you start a side quest that marks a quest area on the map.
- You go to the customs house, where you find paladins of Tyr who are also hunting the devil. Here, you’ll even receive a concrete map marker for Karlach’s location.
- You go to Karlach without a quest. However, you have to make a persuasion roll to be able to talk to her calmly.
Depending on which path you choose, you should certainly talk to Karlach civilly instead of attacking her. She tells you that she is not a devil, but merely a tiefling who has been turned into a monster in stories.
She asks you for help to confront the false paladins of Tyr, and she will join your party if you agree. Now you go back to the customs house and clean the floor with the fake paladins.
We recommend saving before the fight. Depending on your level and your dice rolls, the confrontation with Anders and his companions is not easy. We recommend quickly taking out the sorceress in the adjoining room and keeping Anders at a distance with spells.
If you want to find out more about her, you need to question her about her mechanical heart and later bring her to the blacksmith Dammon. Our colleagues at GameStar have written a guide for you on how to find Dammon and complete Karlach’s quest.
If you rescue the tiefling refugees from the druid grove, there is the opportunity to talk to Karlach in the camp during the celebration. There, you can confess that you have mustered the courage to tell her how much you like her. Karlach will be happy and visit you during the night.
As long as you are not unkind during the conversation with the tiefling, you will increasingly please Karlach. It is even possible for a fleeting kiss, although this makes Karlach worry about possibly having burned you.
Only after you have completed the personal quest is an intimate and, above all, physical relationship with Karlach possible. However, since her literally burning heart heats you up quite well too, you should pour water over Karlach beforehand to cool the hot tiefling down.
You can find even more helpful tips in our video:
Karlach Romance: Act 2 – How to become intimate with her
To have sex with her, it’s not enough to cool Karlach down temporarily. The water is not long-lasting enough (and no, you’re not that quick either). You need to continue Karlach’s quest in Act 2, where you will meet Dammon again, who can now permanently help her and her burning heart.
Warning: If you want to visit Dammon, you should go to the Harpers after leaving the Underdark and meet him there. However, this is only possible if he and the tiefling refugees survived Act 1.
After Dammon’s intervention, you can properly hug or kiss Karlach for the first time, one of the most beautiful moments in Karlach’s romance. In another rest scene in Act 2, Karlach will visit you again at night, where (as far as you wish and she agrees) you can have sex with Karlach for the first time. The next morning, you will have the opportunity to tell her that you love her.
Karlach Romance: Act 3 – Shared time in Baldur’s Gate
Act 3 of the game involves the conclusion of Karlach’s personal questline. Once you meet Gortash in Wyrm’s Crossing, she wants revenge for what he has done to her. Remember to have Karlach in your team when you later fight Gortash, as she wants to see his lifeless body.
Despite the revenge, Karlach reacts very emotionally after the victory over the tyrant. His death does not change her life-threatening situation, but she does not want to die. After some time alone, you can find Karlach in the camp and calm her down.
Once you are in the city and the relationship with Karlach has developed far enough, the tiefling will invite you on a date. Order your food and try to learn more about Karlach. If the evening goes well, you will spend a night together at the inn.
How to save Karlach
At the end of the game, there are several fates for Karlach, most of which end fatally for her. With an incurably overheated heart and less and less time, things get urgent. After the finale of the game, she begins to ignite again, after which she says goodbye to you. Here you can follow her wish and let her burn.
However, you can flee with her (also together with Wyll) to Avernus to stay together with her and search for a potential solution for her heart machine. Even during the joint celebration of the epilogue, you will meet the rest of your crew and spend a cozy evening together.
Through our little guide, we have given you some help regarding tiefling love. Karlach seems to yearn for love and closeness since the first encounter, which can quickly lead to a loving and fun romance after overcoming some hurdles. However, if you are afraid of burns, other candidates in the game might be suitable for you: Baldur’s Gate 3: Romance Guide for all companions – How to land with your companions
