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If Karlach has fought her way into your heart, then you’ve come to the right place. The burning hot hellion is a force of positivity that makes her a welcome party member inBaldur’s Gate 3. In battle, she is a powerful ally, using her rage to tear enemies down.
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In dialogue, she’s funny, and upbeat despite the struggles you face. Romancing her as a companion is not difficult, but requires some questing to make work. Here is how you’re able to win the heart of Baldur’s Gate’sbest barbarian.
Updated by Mitchell Reid on August 18, 2025:With more time passing since the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, more information about Karlach’s romance in Act Three has been added. Now, you can know the steps to completing Karlach’s romance toward the end of the game.
Recruiting Karlach
You won’t have any chance at romancing Karlach if she’s not joined your adventuring band, so your first step is to get her in your party. Luckily, this can be done early in act one. To recruit her, you must head north from the blighted village to the risen road, and you can find Karlach sitting wounded under a bridge.
Talking to her there recruits her, and grants the quest to kill devils posing as paladins. You can meet the paladins first, and they’ll ask you to kill Karlach, but you’re not locked into anything. After dispatching the devices, Karlach tells you her infernal engine, a heart replacement she possesses that empowers her, needs a mechanic.
Repairing Karlach’s Infernal Engine
Unfortunately, the engine making Karlach burn with hellfire is out of control. She cannot touch anyone without burning them, and needs it to be repaired before she can even hug someone again. In act one, you’re able to start this process by speaking to the mechanic himself, Dammon, in the druid grove.
He can help with Karlach’s engine. All he requires is a rare metal called infernal iron. As it sounds, this iron comes from D&D’s nine hells, and can only be found in a few locations. The first and most accessible infernal iron is inside the blighted village.
You can find the infernal iron in the blacksmith’s workshop just to the right of the front gate. You’ll have to pick the door. Inside, the Iron is up a ladder and in a trapped chest. Best use your rogue to attain this piece of iron.
The second opportunity to acquire the metal is inside the shattered sanctum at the goblin camp. To get it, you’ll likely have to defeat Dror Ramblin, the hobgoblin boss. Take his key and unlock the gate to his treasure horde. He has a piece of Infernal Iron that is yours for the taking. With the Iron in hand, all you have to do is bring it back to Dammon with Karlach in your party, and he will stabilize her engine.
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Raise Karlach’s Approval
Romancing any character is impossible if they don’t like your avatar, and Karlach is no different. Raising her approval, however, is quite easy as long as you stick to what she likes best: crushing evil baddies and helping folks out. Generally, when someone is being abusive, mean, or controlling to the downtrodden, Karlach will approve of crushing them. She also supports general acts of kindness. Since she was surrounded by devils for a long time, being open, honest, and direct will also raise her approval.
Given her own captivity in hell, she despises slavers. She will be happy to kill every single one you come across. This does work two ways, however. If she sees your avatar controlling another being, through a spell, or through other means, she will greatly disapprove. Karlach is pretty direct, and she will make her feelings known on matters you deal with.
Romancing Karlach
When Karlach’s approval is high enough, your avatar will have the chance at the camp party to tell her how they feel. With high approval, Karlach will reciprocate the feeling and visit you that night. While Karlach and the avatar still can’t touch each other due to the infernal engine, they are still able to have a heart-to-heart and agree upon a relationship. Karlach is also a polyamorous character, so she is alright with an open relationship. Karlach’s romance is continued into act two.
Cooling the Infernal Engine
As Dammon tells you in act one, he needed time to design a modification for the infernal engine that would insulate its heat. you’re able to find him again in act two at the last light inn. There, if you have more infernal iron, he can craft the upgrade that will let Karlach touch people again. All you have to do is reach him. If you did not find a second piece of iron in act one, don’t fret, there is at least one available in act two. When you eventually infiltrate Moonrise tower, there is a bugbear merchant that sells a piece from his inventory.
With the upgrade in place, your avatar can give Karlach a much-needed hug, and eventually spend a night with her. From there, just keep on making good choices to keep her approval high, and you will have one of thestrongest alliesin the game at your side.
Resolving Karlach’s Quest
Act three is a big act for Karlach, as it revolves around one of the remaining antagonists: Gortash. If you’ve spoken with Karlach, you’ll have learned that Gortash was the one who sold Karlach to Zariel in Avernus. He is the reason Karlach has an engine instead that is killing her instead of a heart.
Karlach wants revenge. On seeing him again, she will try to lash out and get arrested unless you persuade her to calm down. From then on, her main focus is to see him dead. Once he is, Karlach will demand to see his body up close and make sure he’s dead. On doing so, she will have a breakdown as her own impending demise finally sinks in, and she returns to camp.
Affirming Your Bond
Approach Karlach in camp to speak to her about her breakdown. There, you can share a moment about the unfairness of her situation and provide her some much needed comfort. She will ask if you will stay with her when her time comes.
After that heavy conversation, on a later night in camp, Karlach will request to go on a first date with your character. You both enjoy a calm evening, bantering as if you’d just met. At the end, she will offer to go to bed with your character. Agree, and you will see Karlachs final romance scene until the end of the game. Her romance is complete, and you will receive the “Hot Date” achievement.
Next:Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Guide And Walkthrough
