Once a slave soldier, Karlach is an incredibly powerful brute-force attacker in Baldurs Gate 3, who uses the pain of her past to give her strength. In this article, you’ll learn everything that you need to know about Karlach, from her abilities to her romantic tendencies.
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Karlach Backstory
Karlach was originally a Tiefling Barbarian but was enslaved as a slave soldier to fight in Hell.
Eventually, she was freed from Hell and was chosen to board the Nautiloid as Zariel’s Champion. But, when the Nautiloid crashed, she was attacked and injured by the Paladin, Anders.
Karlach describes her own past in the game, saying:
‘I was a prisoner, forced to fight in the Blood War. The eternal battle between bad and worse. Most souls in Avernus are just meat for the grinder. But not me.’
Abilities
Karlach’s ‘bloody’ background caused her to become a fierce warrior, which is reflected in her impressive base abilities:
- Strength- 16
- Dexterity- 14
- Constitution- 16
- Intelligence- 8
- Wisdom- 12
- Charisma- 8
As a barbarian, Karlach has access to three different subclasses. These are:
- The Berserker- The Berserker subclass focuses on big damage, and not much else!
- The Wildheart- This subclass takes a more balanced and controlled approach to combat.
- Wild Magic- Choosing the Wild Magic subclass will allow you to incorporate magic into Karlach’s attacks.
Arguably the best subclass for Karlach in Baldurs Gate 3 is The Berserker. Her biggest strength is her raw damage output, so focusing on this allows you to truly maximize her potential. Furthermore, the Berserker subclass has access to some very nice mechanics such as Frenzy Strike.
Barbarians rely on rage generation to build their damage output. As they become more infuriated, they become more dangerous. This is a powerful mechanic, but at the start of a battle, barbarians will be at a disadvantage.
It’s recommended that you focus on Karlach’s strength ability to give you strong melee attacks. Next, you should focus on her health pool, as most of the time she will be close to her enemies and susceptible to taking a large amount of damage. Finally, focus on Dexterity to give Karlach a higher initiative to take out enemies.
As you level up Karlach, you’ll gain access to some really nice mechanics and abilities. For instance, at level two, you unlock Reckless Attack. Reckless Attack allows you to gain an advantage on melee weapon attack rolls. But, this does come at the price of granting the same advantage to your enemies until your next turn. And at level seven you unlock Feral Instinct, which gives you a +3 bonus to your initiative and stops you from ever becoming surprised.
How to Recruit Karlach in Baldurs Gate 3
You can find Karlach as early as Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3. However, there is actually two different ways to recruit her. One of which is a shortcut, though it does require the Feather Fall spell. Whilst the other is through a side quest.
SHORTCUT OPTION
To find her through this method you will need to, first equip the Feather Fall spell. This can be aquired through the use of multiple different character classes such as; Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard, Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight.
With the spell in your possession you will then need to head towards Zevlor’s Room in the Druid Grove. This room is known as the Secluded Chamber. Head up the ledge within this room and you should be overlooking Risen Road.
Karlach is actually be the river. Where you can begin her personal side quest. However, if you simply jump towards her from this location you can then speak to her. Completely ignoring her quest altogether. Her coordinates are X: 107 Y:516
SIDE QUEST METHOD
The actual legit way of being able to recruit her requires us to visit her actual coordinates over in Risen Road. North of the map. Along the way we can encounter a dog that you can bring back to your camp. As well as a bridge that we can cross over.
Once on the other side we will bump into a bunch of paladin. Inside is their leader, Anders. The quest for Hunt the Devil will now begin.
(Note: It is best to leave Wyll out of your party here, as he is not a fan of Karlach)
How to Romance Karlach in Baldurs Gate 3
If you want to romance Karlach, you’ll first need to make sure that you have a free space in your party when you talk to her. This way she can join you in the fight against Anders.
After the battle, keep going on adventures with Karlach to increase your approval. Over time, she’ll tell you that because of her Infernal Engine, anyone who touches her will be burned and experience terrible pain. To fix this problem, you will need to find infernal iron.
You can find infernal iron in Act One in two locations. The first location is in the treasure room behind Dror Ragzlin’s throne. You can also find it by talking to Stonemason Kith in Grymforge. The first option is probably easier though.
After you give the Ironforge to Karlach, the two of you will kiss to test if it has worked. It will turn out that you need more Ironforge.
You can find more Ironforge in Act 2 at the Gauntlet of Shar Dungeon. Once you give this to Karlach, you will be able to engage in a lovemaking scene simply by choosing the flirtiest dialogue choices.
However, there are a few problems with romancing Karlach. Upon talking to Damon at the Last Light Inn, you’ll learn that the Ironforge may end up killing Karlach, and right now, no player has found a cure.
Approvals
Here are some in-game examples of actions that you can commit to in order to increase your approval with Karlach in Baldurs Gate 3:
- Karlach doesn’t get on with Wyll. So, any dialogue or action that will annoy or upset Wyll will likely increase your approval with Karlach. For example, if you choose to argue with Wyll that Karlach is not a devil when he argues with her at your camp, you will increase your approval with her.
- A little like Lae’zel, Karlach admires strength. So, if you lick the dead spider met at the Gauntlet of Shar, you will increase your approval.
- While at Underdark, give Thulla the antitoxin.
Disapprovals
On the other hand, if you commit these actions, you will decrease your approval with Karlach:
- Treating Oscar Fevras as your slave.
- Telling Kagha that in some situations, cruelty is necessary.
- Choosing to make the Rothe in Grymforge work, rather than allowing them to turn against their masters.
- Flirting with other characters, or kissing Karlach only to sleep with another companion.
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