Baldur's Gate 3: Karlach Romance Guide

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Learn how to successfully woo the Tiefling in BG3

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: March 9, 2026 Fact Checked

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Act One

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Act Two

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Act Three

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Gaining Approval

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Avoiding Disapproval

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Karlach is one of the many romanceable NPCs in Baldur's Gate 3. Her romance is tied up with her personal quest, as her malfunctioning heart from Avernus makes her run too hot to even touch. While Karlach's romance has a couple of bugs and some specific cutscenes must trigger to continue it, it's a relatively easy romance to complete. In this article, we'll go over how to romance Karlach from start to finish, plus we'll also go over how to gain Karlach's approval (and avoid her disapproval) in Act 1.

Note: This guide contains major spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3. Read with caution!

Romancing Karlach

To start romancing Karlach, you must have at least 20 approval with her and must not have dated anyone else prior to the tiefling party. During the tiefling party, talk to her and express that you want to spend time with her. You must then progress her personal quest to get all of her romance scenes in Acts 2 and 3.

Section 1 of 5:

Act One

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1
Get at least 20 approval with Karlach. Karlach is pretty easy to get approval with in Act 1 as long as you're playing a relatively good-aligned character. To see which actions net you the biggest approval gains, check out Gaining Approval below. You should also not romance any other character before the party, as this will cause Karlach to reject your character.
- Previously, you could get Karlach's first romance scene early by getting 30 approval with her before the tiefling party, but this scene is bugged and no longer triggers without the help of mods.
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Progress Karlach's personal quest. In order to complete Karlach's romance, you must finish her personal quest, the Hellion's Heart. To do this, you must bring some infernal iron to Dammon so he can upgrade Karlach's heart. This will eventually cool her down enough so you can touch her, but you can't get this far in Act 1.
- You can get the first upgrade for Karlach's heart in Act 1, however, so don't forget to return to Dammon to get that upgrade. Getting the first upgrade also gives you a major approval boost.
- There are three places to get infernal iron in Act 1, and you only need two total to fully upgrade Karlach's heart.^{[1]
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  Research source} The locations are:
  - Inside a chest in the forge basement in the Blighted Village.
  - Inside Dror Ragzlin's treasure crates in the Shattered Sanctum.
  - Inside a chest in a locked room in the Zhentarim basement.
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Progress to the tiefling party. To get to the tiefling party, you must clear out the Goblin Camp, then return to your camp.
- You must start Karlach's romance at the tiefling party. If you don't, there are no other chances to start it.
- If you end up siding with the goblins and raid the Grove with Minthara, Karlach will leave the party permanently.
- After the party starts, you can initiate a romance with up to one other character and still romance Karlach, but you must end that other romance before you get Karlach's Act 2 scene. There's normally a confrontation cutscene where you can choose Karlach over the other character, but this scene is bugged and will not play.
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Talk to Karlach. When you talk to her, tell her how much you like her. This will cause one of four things to happen, depending on what happened before this point. The same scene will play whether Karlach is your first or second choice (an attempted shared kiss at night after everyone has gone to bed).
- Acceptance:
  - If you have 20 approval with Karlach, have not romanced anyone before the party, and have not started any romances during the party, Karlach will happily accept and offer to meet you after the others have gone to bed.
  - If you have 20 approval with Karlach, have not romanced anyone before the party, and have started just one other romance during the party, Karlach will accept if you say "I'd really like that." or "You. Me. Bed. Now."
- Rejection:
  - If you have less than 20 approval with Karlach, or you started dating two or more companions during the party, or you had a romance scene before the tiefling party started, Karlach will gently turn you down.
  - If you rejected Karlach by picking the option that said "Enjoy yourself tonight, Karlach." or the option to just leave, she will then turn you down entirely and decline more conversation.
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Tell Karlach how much you wish you could touch her during your party interaction. This will cause Karlach to talk to you the next day after the party. She will ask if you have any leads on how to cool her down enough so you can touch. If you use cold magic or water on her, a cutscene will play where you can share the shortest of kisses.^{[2]
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Make sure to fight Anders and the fake paladins of Tyr before leaving Act 1. You don't have to bring Karlach with you to fight Anders, but you must clear them out before heading into Act 2. If you don't deal with Anders and the paladins before leaving Act 1, Karlach will leave the party permanently.

Section 2 of 5:

Act Two

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1
Progress Karlach's personal quest once you reach Last Light Inn. You'll find Dammon at the inn, and you can give him another infernal iron to upgrade Karlach's heart for the second time.
- If you don't have a second infernal iron, you can find two in Act 2:
  - In the Reithwin Mason's Guild.
  - Inside an opulent chest in the vault room near Balthazar in the Gauntlet of Shar.
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Initiate a cutscene with Karlach at the next long rest. After the heat of Karlach's heart has been quelled, your character can finally touch her. During this scene, your character can choose to just cuddle Karlach, or they can choose to have sex with her. This cutscene is the solidifying moment of the relationship.^{[3]
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- If you started a romance with any other companion before this scene triggers, Karlach's romance will automatically end. There is usually a confrontation scene, but this scene is bugged for Karlach, so it won't trigger, and there will be no way to salvage the relationship without loading an old save.
- You must get this cutscene with Karlach in Act 2 before completing The Chosen of Shar (part of Shadowheart's personal quest) and before entering Act 3. If you do not get this cutscene, she will break up with you upon entering Act 3.

Section 3 of 5:

Act Three

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1
Have a "first date" with Karlach in the lower city. This cutscene will be triggered after you enter the lower city. There are no specific dialogue options to pick; just avoid any dialogue options that are obviously pushing Karlach away.
- After the date, you can go with Karlach to a room she rented for the night. Just like her scene in Act 2, you are able to choose to spend a non-sexual night together, or you can choose for your character to sleep with Karlach. Choosing the non-sexual option will not end the relationship.
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Avoid sleeping with Mizora. If your character has sex with Mizora, Karlach will be deeply hurt and demand an ultimatum. While it is possible to keep your relationship with Karlach after this moment, there is a possibility that the relationship could end here.
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Sleep with the drow twins at Sharess' Caress, if you want. On the other hand, Karlach doesn't mind if your character sleeps with either of the drow twins in Sharess' Caress. She will not join you, but she will neither gain nor lose approval of your character if they go through with it.^{[4]
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Section 4 of 5:

Gaining Approval

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The most important time to get approval with Karlach is in Act 1, as you must get her first romance scene before leaving the first act to start a relationship with her. She approves of acts of kindness, protecting the weak, bravery, but also some harmless mischief. She also approves of honesty and supporting friends, and approves if you're distrustful of anyone from Avernus.
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There are many ways to get Karlach's approval, but most only improve her relationship by +1. Below are the choices that have the biggest impact on her approval. To see the full list, check out the Baldur's Gate 3 wiki.^{[5]
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Research source} Note: To get some of these early approval points, you'll need to beeline to Karlach as soon as you're able to, without triggering some of the major story quests, like the Emerald Grove.
- Promise Zevlor you'll talk to Kagha about stopping the ritual (+3) and then agree to kill the leaders of the goblin horde. (+5)
- Assist Guex in training. (+5)
  - To do this, you must use your athletics skill, insight skill, detect thoughts, or unique lines available to Githyanki, Barbarians, and/or Monks.
- Persuade Kagha to free Arabella. (+5)
- Talk to Kagha after resolving the issue with Arabella and call her a monster or accuse her of killing Arabella in cold blood. (+5)
  - If you're playing as a Drow, you can get +5 approval by saying you don't threaten or kill children.
- Convince Kagha to fight the Shadow Druids. (+5)
- Refuse to open the gate of the Emerald Grove to Minthara. (+5)
- Successfully defend the Grove and talk to Zevlor. (+10)
- After defeating Auntie Ethel in the overgrown tunnel, intimidate her into handing over Mayrina and the fey hair. (+5)
- Allow Lump the Enlightened to have one lick after ending your deal with the ogres. (+5)
- Throw dung at Sentinel Olak at the Goblin Camp. (+5)
  - If you failed the athletics check to do this, choose to wink and fling dung at the other guards to get +5 approval.
- Tell Minthara that Liam escaped and pass an intelligence check. (+5)
  - Alternatively, you can lie and say that Liam told you everything and pass a deception check for +5 approval.
- Pick a fight with Minthara using any available option. (+5)
- Agree to kill the goblin leaders after freeing Halsin. (+5)
- Stand up to Nere and defend the deep gnome slaves in the Grymforge. (+5)
- Convince the duergar to free the deep gnomes after defeating Nere. (+5)
  - If you fail to convince them, pick the line "Just try and stop me." to get +5 approval.
- After freeing the gnomes, bid Barcus Wroot good luck. (+5)
- If you're a Paladin, swear on your Oath to rescue Duke Ravengard. (+5)
- Free Rugan in the Zhentarim Hideout. (+5)
- In the House of Hope, say "You're mad if you think I'll make a deal with a devil" or "Then fix it. Or die by my hand!". (+5)
- Tell Wyll and/or Shadowheart that you aren't going to trust Raphael. (+5)
- Convince Wyll to spare Karlach when he confronts her in camp. (+5)
- Tell Mizora not to lay a finger on Karlach. (+5)
- Speak to Karlach after Mizora turns Wyll into a devil and call him the best man of you all. (+10)
- After recruiting Karlach, promise to help find a cure for the tadpoles. (+5)
- Agree to kill the false paladins of Tyr. (+5)
- Successfully use detect thoughts on Anders to unveil his true intentions. (+10)
- If you kill Anders without Karlach in your party, tell her about it, and say you always care for your people. (+10)
  - If you say you can't let agents of a devil to roam the area, you'll get +5 approval instead.
- Agree to give Karlach a Soul Coin to power her up. (+5)
- Agree to let Dammon upgrade Karlach's heart for the first time. (+10)
  - After getting Karlach her first upgrade, say "I still can't touch you, though," then, "Of course I do." for +10 approval.
- Tell Karlach she looks "hot" after her rage after you take down the false paladins of Tyr. (+3)

Section 5 of 5:

Avoiding Disapproval

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Karlach disapproves of unkindness, leaving others in peril, unnecessary cruelty, deception, and acts of cowardice. She does not like cruel or evil comments or jokes, and doesn't approve of deliberately not helping the weak or her own kind. There are many ways to lose favor with Karlach, but we've listed just the biggest ways to lose approval in Act 1, as this is the critical time to increase Karlach's approval rating. For a full list of actions that earn Karlach's disapproval, check the Baldur's Gate 3 wiki.^{[6]
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- After Arabella's fate in the Emerald Grove is decided, tell Kagha you just wanted to see what would happen. (-5)
  - You'll also lose -5 if you praise Kagha for protecting her own or tell her she put on a show.
- Tell Zevlor that you lead the horde to the grove and claim the place for the Absolute. (-10)
  - You'll also lose -10 if you are with the horde when it attacks.
- Betray the Grove during the horde attack by opening the gate. (-10)
- If you meet Aradin on the bridge, tell him you don't waste time with devilspawn. (-5)
- When talking with Minthara in the Goblin Camp, agree to attack the grove. (-5)
  - If you confirm your intent with Karlach, she may permanently leave the party.
- After freeing Nere in the Grymforge, side with him or Brithvar. (-5)
- If you killed the duergar before freeing Nere, kill the gnome slaves as well. (-5)
- Let the duergar take the enslaved gnomes. (-5)
- Purchase Oskar Fevras in the Zhentarim hideout, then call Oskar a slave twice in conversation. (-5)
- When discussing Raphael after going to the House of Hope, say you don't trust him, then change your mind. (-5)
  - You'll get an additional -5 approval if you say he could be the friend you've been looking for.
- After Mizora turns Wyll into a devil, tell Karlach that it was a foolish decision. (-10)
- If you speak to Anders with Karlach in the party, decide to leave them in peace and tell Karlach to stand down. (-5)
- Tell Karlach you have doubts about using Soul Coins or keep her from using one of the coins. (-5)