Baldur’s Gate 3 has 10 companions who can be recruited throughout the game. Players can learn their backstories, many of which involve encounters which appear to be significantly above their power level. Although the canon reason for most of the companions as to why they perform differently in the game compared to their backstory is the illithid tadpole, some of the companions are not infected but are still less powerful than expected.

While in-game, the companions are on similar levels - and can be respecced to whatever the players desire - it’s interesting to think about which ones would be the most powerful from a canon standpoint. The cast includes a wide variety of characters, from a vampire spawn to an ex-archmage. If these characters weren’t companions, just how formidable would they be?

10 Astarion

The Weakest Of The Group When In His Initial Form

Astarion would rank slightly higher on the list if in his ascendant form, but as a vampire spawn, he is significantly less powerful than the rest of the cast. Vampire spawn only have a challenge rating of five in 5e Dungeons & Dragons, but he would also have the most weaknesses compared to the other companions. Under normal circumstances, without the tadpole, he would be weak to sunlight and radiant damage.

Astarion has a knack for killing, which is especially evident in his ending if he stays as a spawn, but it doesn’t compare to that of a gith warrior, monster hunter, or Blood War soldier. Most of his ability lies in his talent at manipulation - he has lived over 200 years, but most of his exploits involved tricking regular civilians. Though this certainly is a form of power, his influence wouldn’t be enough to allow him to stand a chance against the rest of the companions.

9 Lae'zel

The Youngest Member Of The Group, But Still A Respectable Warrior

Although Baldur’s Gate 3 put the githyanki in the spotlight after years of them being a fairly unpopular race, it still slightly downplays just how powerful the gith are. Githyanki are known for hunting down mind flayers, one of DnD’s most iconic monsters, and are ferocious beings most at home on the Astral Plane. However, it is important to note that Lae’zel is one of the younger of gith society, and is a lot less experienced than the rest of her kin.

The majority of the companions above Lae’zel on this list have some outside force which makes them more powerful. For example, Gale is the chosen of the goddess Mystra, and Wyll receives his powers from a cambion close to the Archduchess Zariel in order to hunt down devils and other fiends. While most of the deities in Baldur's Gate 3 are shown to hold their subjects in little regard, Vlaakith certainly does not care much for her githyanki subjects outside of increasing her power, and grants Lae’zel no blessings.

8 Shadowheart

A More Than Capable Sharran

It’s implied that before Shar’s influence, Shadowheart was going to be a "guiding light" for the followers of Seluné, perhaps a priestess, or even her chosen. This is probably why Shar took such a liking to her specifically, due to Shar's feud with her sister. This implies that she could have been magically gifted in some way. She carried this gift with her even under Shar's influence - for example, when she was sent to retrieve the artifact from the Githyanki crèche, she was the only one from her Sharran patrol to survive.

As a Trickster domain cleric by default, it’s safe to say that she is a rather skilled spellcaster, despite her reputation for constantly missing her attacks. Much like Lae’zel, Shadowheart went through brutal training in her youth in order to prepare her to become a Dark Justiciar. If she does follow this path and becomes the chosen of Shar, the blessing of her goddess would certainly place her a little higher. However, as a Selunite, Shadowheart is not very effective outside of her niche.

Shadowheart and Lae'zel are on similar levels in of power, but what places Shadowheart slightly above Lae'zel is how she is clearly able to overpower her. After their fight in camp, unless the player has selected the Shadowherart Origin, it is Shadowheart who ends up holding a knife at Lae'zel's throat. If anyone does die in this situation, it is usually Lae'zel, since the dialogue must lead to combat to give Lae'zel a chance to win.

7 Minthara

A Drow Paladin Who Was A Killer From A Young Age

Minthara is a bloodthirsty paladin who serves several different causes throughout her life. She was raised in the cruel drow society of Menzoberranzan, where her family endured several assassination attempts. Though it’s debatable whether it would be considered canon, In Larian’s 2024 Christmas calendar (A Very Larian Christmas), the reward for December 20 is an extract detailing how she thwarted an assassin sent to kill her at 10 years old. It also mentions how she survived after a murder attempt by her own mother.

An interaction between Minthara and Lae’zel reveals that in githyanki society, children aren’t subjected to combat until they are at least 13, while drow society consistently relies on the survival of the fittest. It could be argued that Minthara is a more seasoned killer than Lae’zel due to this. While Lae’zel does have dialogue about how she killed some of the other hatchlings as a child to remove the weaker links, Minthara would’ve been battle trained for longer, and would’ve killed to survive more. Along with her divine power, she is a force to be reckoned with.

6 Karlach

One Of The Archdevil Zariel's Best Assets

Karlach spent 10 years fighting on the front lines of the Blood War, and managed to hold up despite being a tiefling. She was such a good warrior that she became the Archdevil Zariel’s personal attack dog, and fought various demons and devils daily, to the point where she can recite to the player all the different ways to defeat them. Her infernal engine also gives her a boost, and her ability to use Soul Coins gives her a unique advantage in battle.

On top of her skill when it comes to hunting down fiends, Karlach is also one of the physically strongest out of the companions. It may be strange to see such an experienced warrior have such a low placement on the list; even though Karlach is not weak, there are other companions who are implied to have once held exceptional power. Despite most characters ing the party at level one, players can recruit some of the most influential figures in Baldur's Gate.

5 Halsin

An Archdruid With Some Unique Abilities

Halsin may be a surprising choice for this position in the ranking, but in Dungeons & Dragons, Archdruids are extremely powerful. In 5e, they are high-level spellcasters, which would make him one of the more powerful characters in the cast. Though in Baldur’s Gate 3, “Archdruid” may refer to more of a social/political position instead of an actual measure of ability, Halsin is over 350 years old, which would be plenty of time for him to work up his power.

Halsin is not infected with a tadpole, meaning theoretically, he shouldn't have lost any of his canonical power.

In Act 2, Halsin conjures a portal to the Shadowfell, where he initially enters alone to retrieve Thaniel. This is a massive display of power, though it does sap his strength. The Shadowfell is one of the more easily accessible realms, but for Halsin to willingly open a portal himself could be a testament to his canonical capacity for magic.

Halsin may also appear to be weaker to players because he is supposed to be a companion character, and being at such a high level in the first act would completely throw off the balance of the game. With that being said, it is hard to imagine that someone who is supposedly so powerful would allow himself to be captured by a mere hoard of goblins. His true power is a little vague, hence why he is not higher on the list - but as the protector of the grove, he is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

4 Wyll

A Monster Hunter Who Has Taken Down Some Extremely Powerful Foes

Many may not expect Wyll to place so high on this list. He is often considered the worst companion in Baldur’s Gate 3 due to how he is relatively weak compared to the other companions when it comes to gameplay, but in the lore, he is actually quite formidable, having made a name for himself as a legendary folk hero. Talking to Wyll will reveal that before the tadpole, he was able to summon hellbeasts and festering clouds, and even cambions - suggesting that he was a very high level warlock.

Like Karlach, Wyll was known to hunt devils, fiends, monsters, and all kinds of evildoers. What places Wyll above Karlach is how confident Mizora seems to be in his ability to hunt Karlach down and defeat her. Before they were captured and taken to the Nautiloid, Wyll was hot on Karlach’s tail. While Mizora certainly cares little for Wyll, it’s unlikely that she would knowingly send him into a death trap. Zariel also wanted Karlach gone from Faerûn - since Mizora answers to the Archdevil, it’s hard to believe that she would send Wyll after her with little conviction.

Wyll was trained in melee combat since he was young, often sparring with his father. With his default class being ranged-focused, though, it often doesn't come to light that he is a fantastic swordsman, being able to take down a cult of Tiamat shortly after receiving his warlock powers. Given Halsin's failure to ward off some goblins, Wyll appears to be more capable than him. Wyll has fought similar enemies to Karlach - and more - yet came out victorious. Some stories of his past adventures include fighting a dragon and killing a lich alone, which are absolutely outstanding feats.

3 Minsc

A Legendary Returning Character With Undying Strength And A Heart Of Gold

Both Jaheira and Minsc may be a surprising placement to anyone who is unfamiliar with the past Baldur’s Gate games, as the third installment of the series does little to portray the full extent of their past deeds, other than perhaps characters like Karlach hyping up the ancient heroes. For Minsc in particular, some aspects of his strength are on full display. His initial introduction is him ripping a mimic apart with his bare hands, and shortly after recruitment, he will punch down stone walls in order to find Boo.

Taking some of their feats from the previous games into consideration, Jaheira and Minsc have already fought Sarevok once, and defeated Demogorgon, the prince of demons.

Minsc’s default stats in BG3 don’t do him justice, and he starts out with a mere 12 strength, which is one below Shadowheart’s stat. This is a far cry from what players will see him being capable of in the game and is even further from the extent of his achievements in previous games. Though it’s important to note that levels and scaling worked differently in the early 2000s compared to modern DnD, Jaheira and Minsc would conceivably be past level 20 by the time BG3 began.

2 Jaheira

An Ancient Hero With A Drive To Protect Baldur's Gate

Though it’s difficult to completely determine which of the two heroes is the strongest, Jaheira certainly has power over Minsc. This is evident in Act 3, where Minsc is easily tricked by a shapeshifter taking the form of Jaheira to commit various criminal deeds as the Stone King. However, Jaheira is also significantly powerful herself. Minsc could possibly place above Jaheira, as in of physical strength he has the upper hand. After being turned to stone for many years, he retained most of his youthful physique - meanwhile, Jaheira may have grown weaker in her old age.

However, when it comes to raw ability, Jaheira has the magical advantage. In Act 3 of BG3, players can find a scroll in Jaheira’s house with writings about “the rite of timeless body,” which would allow her to extend her lifespan in order to continue protecting the city. If the player asks her about it, she will say that she is not yet strong enough to do it - but may be with the right preparations.

Though she does decide against ever performing the spell, as she would much rather not spend the rest of her days with the likes of those like Ketheric and Sarevok, the prospect of immortality is nothing to be scoffed at. The wizard Lorroakan does everything in his power to capture Dame Aylin so that he may reach immortality. So, Jaheira being able to possibly achieve similar results on her own is very impressive.

1 Gale

A Wizard Prodigy With Boundless Ambition

Gale is easily the most powerful of the companions lore-wise, especially if he ascends to godhood and becomes the god of ambition. But even as a human, he is a magical prodigy who became the chosen of the goddess of magic, being able to cast the third-level spell, fireball, at as young as eight years old. In his dialogue, he can talk to the player about how he tried to push the boundaries of magic, which Reddit Top_Judge2019 pointed out would likely warrant him the use of spells beyond that of a regular high-level wizard.

Before the tadpole, Gale’s power gave him the status of Archmage. Similarly to Halsin as an Archdruid, he would likely have been around level 20. Even without his ambition to explore the realm of magic to its fullest potential, this would give him access to some of the most powerful spells available to mortals, such as wish, which players can usually only witness if they manage to anger Vlaakith in the githyanki crèche. That's not even mentioning the Netherese Orb in his chest, which is enough to detonate anything within a huge radius, and is forceful enough to destroy the Netherbrain.

Though he may have a reputation for being “squishy” due to his low defense in the game as a wizard, his magical ability is immense. With his connections to the goddess Mystra allowing him to push past what is usually possible for mortals to achieve, and the possibility to become a god himself by reforging the Crown of Karsus, his capability knows almost no bounds. Gale is doubtlessly the most powerful of the companions in the lore of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Source: A Very Larian Christmas/Larian Studios, Reddit/Top_Judge2019