Karlach is a Zariel Tiefling of the Barbarian class in Baldur’s Gate 3 with an infernal engine instead of a heart. She is one of the origin characters in BG3 who you can recruit and can romance later.
Hailing from a tragic background, Karlach was sold to an archdevil years ago, who cursed her with an infernal engine burning inside her chest that grows hotter daily. Karlach excels in brute strength during combat and can be used as your main tank during intense battles.
We have a detailed guide outlining everything about Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Recruit Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3
There are two ways to locate and recruit Karlach in BG3. The first is to go to Risen Road and then go to the bridge ahead. Fight off the enemies there, and then you can meet Karlach and recruit her as a companion. The ‘Hunt the Devil‘ quest will begin when you see her.
In this quest, you must take Karlach’s side against the Paladins. If you do not do so, you will fail to recruit her. The other way to recruit Karlach is by recruiting Wyll, as he will ask you to find and hunt Karlach. This will also take you to the Risen Road, where you must stop Wyll from killing her.
How to Raise Karlach’s Approval Rating
To raise Karlach’s approval, you must make choices that align with her personality and interests. Karlach is a warrior who likes to be in the spotlight; you can raise her approval by performing heroic acts. Showing kindness will also make her form a better opinion of you.
As Karlach belongs to the Tiefling class, siding with them increases your approval of her rapidly. Goblins are her enemy, and you should treat them as such to gain approval from her. You can also engage in adventures and condemn cowardice to impress her.
How to Romance Karlach in BG3
Romancing Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3 starts with gaining her approval first. Once you have achieved high approval with Karlach, you can pursue a romance with her by taking her side in the ‘Save the Refugees‘ quest and being against the goblins.
Initiating romance with Karlach is not all that hard, but keeping it going is. The infernal engine burning inside her chest will not let you get close to her unless you find ‘Infernal Irons.’
You must also find a permanent remedy for her infernal engine before having a romance scene with her. This can only be done by maintaining a relationship with Dammon.
During Act 2, use Dammon’s services to fix Karlach’s Infernal heart for the second time. Once you reach the end of Act 2, take a long rest before the fight with Ketheric Thorm. This will initiate a sex scene with Karlach thu starting your romance.
Things will get a bit more difficult during Act 3. Make sure to raise Karlach’s approval as much as you can. Take a long rest after reaching the Lower City, and Karlach will ask you to meet her at Sharess Caress. Order some food and drinks and choose the good dialogue options. This will lead to another steamy sex scene with Karlach, cementing your relationship.
Karlach’s Companion Quest
Karlach’s companion quest is called ‘Our Fiery Friend’ in BG3 and begins at the Risen Road. There, you must look for an NPC, Anders, who will ask you to search for the devil, wreaking havoc everywhere. He will also promise you his legendary sword if you do what he asks.
You must look for the devil, who will be southeast of your current location. Talk to her, as she will tell you that the Paladins are also sent by her master, Zariel. You can kill the devil here or make her a team member. As the devil here is Karlach, and we are progressing through her companion quest, you must add her to your party and avoid killing her at all costs.
Once you have Karlach in your party, you can fight with the Paladins with her on your side. After the fight, the ‘Hellion’s Heart’ quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 will begin, in which you will need to find an Infernal Mechanic for her. He will ask you to bring the Infernal Iron to him, an item you will need to loot from various locations.
Karlach will tell you that she was purchased by Lord Gortash, who stole her heart to create his army of automatons. During Act 3, you will meet Gortash for the first time during his coronation. Whether you make a deal with him or not will not affect Karlach’s companion quest. Once you kill Gortash later in Act 3, the Our Fiery Friend quest will come to a close.
All Possible Karlach Endings in BG3
Karlach has multiple endings depending on how you approach her companion quest. There are only a few good endings in store for her, which have been detailed below.
- If you achieve the good ending and turn Wyll into Blade of Avernus, you can send Karlach with him to Avernus to kill all the demons.
- If you are romancing Karlach, you can join them both to participate in demon killings.
- Karlach can be turned into a Mindflayer and will lose all her memories at the end of Act 3.
- You can also allow Karlach to burn herself at the end of Act 3, honoring her wish.
- If you play as Karlach as an origin character, she will open the gates of Avernus, thus inviting all the hellish creatures. She will join them in killing everyone inside Baldur’s Gate.
Karlach Attributes and Proficiencies in Baldur’s Gate 3
Karlach is an origin character who belongs to the Tiefling race. Her class is Barbarian, with an Outlander background. You can select Karlach as your main character at the start of the game and experience her unique story and various endings in the process. Her attribute points are distributed as follows.
- Str 17
- Dex 13
- Con 14
- Int 11
- Wis 12
- Cha 8
Karlach is proficient in the following skills.
- Intimidation
- Animal Handling
- Perception
- Athletics
Being a Barbarian, Karlach can use special weapons and armor.
- Armour (Light/Medium)
- Weapons (Simple/Martial)
- Shields
You can’t change her race, class, and background, as Karlach is an origin character. However, you can change her ability points distribution to role-play as you see fit.
Best Build for Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3
While crafting the best build for Karlach in BG3, keep the three subclasses offered at Level 3 in mind. Karlach can be a Wildheart, Berserker, or Wild Magic, but the best is the Berserker build for Karlach.
As the Berserker subclass is best for close-range combat, Karlach can make the best out of it due to her impressive combat abilities. You can also add an ability improvement to better her build by +1 strength and +1 dexterity once you reach Level 4.
Choosing the Berserker class will allow Karlach to have the Enrage ability, immunity to various status effects, and short-range melee proficiency. For the weapons, you can provide her with melee weapons of close range, such as the Greataxe and Greatclubs.
