Baldur’s Gate 3 has several characters you can recruit as companions and add to your party as you adventure to discover the secrets of the Mind Flayer Tadpoles and Cult of the Absolute. However, while these companion characters are great, many NPCs are just as, or sometimes even more fascinating than those available to recruit. This has left many players longing for the opportunity to team up with these individuals and continue the adventure with new and intriguing faces.
Mysterious personas, wholesome personalities, or even the potential to add more chaos and flavor to an evil playthrough—no matter the reason, we’ve rounded up 10 of the most worthy characters who deserve to be added to your party as allies and take part in your adventures. Without further ado, here are 10 Baldur’s Gate 3 NPCS we wish were recruitable as companions.
Araj Oblodra
Right from the moment you first meet Araj in Moonrise Towers, she’s a complete enigma, taking a specific interest in the blood of True Souls and speaking in riddles when it comes to her intentions. Though she refrains from sharing her story and plans with your party, Araj believes herself to be the last surviving member of the noble House Oblodra, a house known for its insanity and obsession with Mind Flayers and Illithid Powers.
Araj has dark plans to raise an army of mindless souls to revive her House before slaughtering the city of Menzabarren in revenge for the exile and culling of her people. In other words, this mysterious Drow is much more sinister than she lets on, which makes her incredibly interesting. Sure, she’s pretty evil deep down, but there’s a complexity to her and her ideals that makes her rather fascinating.
Many players, myself included, would have loved to see Araj become recruitable as a companion, learning more about the history of Hosue Oblodra along your journey. I’m sure Araj would have some unique Traits and Abilities thanks to her Alchemist skills, so she’d likely be a blast to play in combat. Besides, imagine all of the potential for dialogue between her Minthara; they both belong to opposing noble Drow families, so there would surely be some choice words shared between them – especially because House Oblodra and House Baenre have a history of conflict.
Alfira
Alfira stole the hearts of many players as one of the most wholesome Tiefling individuals in the game, with a feel-good interaction and good vibes all around. Alfira is a Bard who has lost her touch with music due to some inner conflict and turmoil, but fortunately, you can help her regain her creative passions and complete her song. Alfira is just a sweet personality that you can’t help but want to befriend, with even some Dark Urge players going out of their way to make sure she’s spared.
There is no Bard companion available in the game, which has many players wishing that Alfira could be recruited as an addition to their party. Her interactions with Tav just carry such feel-good vibes, and that’s something that many players would like to have for the remainder of their journey. I must admit, it would undoubtedly be fun and intriguing to have Alfira by your side, creating songs of your adventures as you go.
Lakrissa
If Alfira is on this list, there’s no way we could miss Lakrissa too. After all, these two self-proclaimed ‘Tiefling Queens’ are practically joined at the hip. While Alfira is certainly a sweet person to converse with, Lakrissa balances her more reserved personality out and adds to her with light, upbeat banter and outgoing, borderline flirty exchanges that make them both extremely enjoyable to be around.
Honestly, I’d love the idea of doing a Chaotic Good Tiefling playthrough with Karlach, Lakrissa, and Alfira as the party, so I’m hoping that Lakrissa is among those considered if Larian decides to add more recruitable characters in the future, or if a mod is ever created to do so.
Isobel Thorm
Isobel is a fascinating and heartwarming character, playing a pivotal role in Act 2 as the protector of Last Light Inn, follower of Selune, and daughter of the twisted Leader of the Absolute Cultists, Ketheric Thorm. Isabelle is tough to dislike, always speaking in calm and gentle tones, going out of her way to protect others, and even making peace with the death of the father she once loved in favor of ensuring her people remain safe from his clutches for good. Talk about BG3’s best wholesome girl, right?
Isabelle is the exact kind of ally you want, cheering you on, patching you up, and providing you with a safe and positive environment throughout your journey. For this reason, many players wish she could tag along with your party following the events of Act 2 rather than remaining just a camp visitor. She already has ties to the Absolute through Ketheric, and her quest could involve righting his wrongs and restoring good to the Thorm name. Plus, her faith in Selune would even tie into Shadowheart’s story, allowing for exciting dynamics and dialogue between the two.
Sazza
While they can be a pain in the ass to deal with depending on which story route you opt to follow, there is one thing most players can agree on; the Goblins of Baldur’s Gate 3 are generally pretty entertaining to watch, fight, and converse with. Sazza is no different, full of overconfidence, arrogance, and fearlessness. A common complaint is that while the companion characters in BG3 are undoubtedly beloved by all, there seem to be many players who wish there was more Race variety, such as recruitable Half-Orcs, Dragonborns, or Goblins.
On top of this, there is a lack of recruitable characters when it comes to running an entirely evil playthrough, which pretty much locks players to the party of Tav plus Minthara, Astarion, and Shadowheart (Shar variant). It would be great to have some more choice when it comes to recruitable evil characters, and Sazza is a perfect contender—adding another Race to the party, becoming accessible in Act 1, and tying into the Absolute through Minthara’s influence and alliance. I can already hear the potential dialogue shared between them, and I imagine it to be hilarious.
Volo
I have to admit, I find Volo to be an Absolutely insufferable character, but damn, would he make a hilarious party companion. His embellishing of tales and loud, confident (yet cowardly and lowkey idiotic at times) personality would be incredibly painful to witness, especially in the more serious moments of the game. However, a part of me also really wants to hear him yelling incredibly specific, Volo-styled insults at enemies through Vicious Mockery in combat or praising himself and scribbling ridiculously unfaithful tales of the party’s adventures in his journal.
As mentioned in reference to Alfira, there is no eligible Bard companion in the game, so Volo is yet another worthy contender to fill this void. There’s even a Quest in Act 1 that revolves around saving him from the Goblin Camp and potentially having him attempt to operate on your Mind Flayer Tadpole, so this is the perfect opportunity to introduce him as a full-time ally.
Rath
Rath is one of the many Druids you can meet at Emerald Grove, though unlike some of his fellow companions (cough, cough, Kagha), he doesn’t seem to share the same prejudice towards the Tieflings. Rath is one of the only people to stand up to Kagha in favor of letting Arabella go free, radiating good-guy energy right from the very beginning.
Rath is also somewhat involved in Kagha’s Shadow Druid Questline, allying with you if you make a stand against her, and thanking you for your efforts in stopping her plans. Honestly, it just seems like there could be so much more to Rath, and I do feel that he deserves more than Emerald Grove. He’s just too good for that place; he deserves to explore the rest of Faerun alongside you and spread that goodness wherever he goes.
Abdirak
Another perfect contender as an additional companion for an evil playthrough is none other than Abdirak, a follower of Loviatar, the Maiden of Pain. This man is obsessive when it comes to pain and torture and heavily enjoys both inflicting and enduring such activities in the name of Loviatar.
Honestly, while Abdirak is a bit creepy, very few NPCs would suit the role of an evil comrade as well as he. Just imagine how cool it could be to explore his devotion to Loviatar in more depth, especially as the Maiden of Pain is the servant of Bane, one of the Dead Three influencing the plans of the Absolute.
Zevlor
Zevlor is the leader of the Tiefling refugees that you meet within Emerald Grove, faced with the issue of the Druids wanting to complete the Ritual and drive them out. Honestly, I’m astonished that though we do receive a Tiefling companion in Karlach, there isn’t also someone from the Tiefling Refugees who are eligible to permanently join your party. After all, you get Halsin from the Druid’s side, so in comparison, it would only seem fair to be able to receive Zevlor at the end of Act 1 if you help the Tieflings.
Plus, it would be so interesting to have Zevlor leave the Refugees, wanting to better the world for them and ensure safety for his people, defeating the looming, bigger threat of the Absolute. Imagine his reaction when you learn from Alfira in Act 2 that the majority of the Tieflings have been killed or captured by the Cultists – this would raise the stakes of the Rescue the Tieflings Quest and make it feel even more personal, as well as rewarding to complete.
Kagha
Lastly, we have Kagha, the first character who proves not everything is how it seems in Faerun and that many characters will often have secrets and ulterior motives. Kagha is another character that would have made a fantastic companion character for a more evil playthrough if there was the option to actually encourage her to embrace the opportunity to become a Shadow Druid and have her succeed in this. On the other hand, Kagha would also make an excellent companion to obtain in Halsin’s place, joining you on your adventure to truly prove herself as a Druid, just as she intended.
Much like Lae’zel, Kagha is rather headstrong and harsh, but she also appears to have a good heart, despite her shady introduction – as revealed by your persuasion on her to see the errors of the Shadow Druids. She would no doubt make a fascinating companion to develop and explore more throughout Acts 2 and 3, and I do not doubt that seeing her grow and reach her full power and potential as a Druid would be extremely satisfying.
