Baldur's Gate 3 has pre-set stats for all the recruitable companions and suggestions for those making their player character into a certain class. These ability scores are optimized for gameplay and are the first exposure many will have to character creation in a Dungeons & Dragons style. Despite this, there are certain default scores that feel misplaced and may confuse players who want to do certain origin runs.

This will also include some speculation on what BG3's lore-accurate scores may look like, though these will not be balanced for gameplay. There is a good reason why Larian sacrificed some scores in favor of others, as otherwise, the game would not be balanced, and combat would not be enjoyable. However, some specific companion stats may have players raising their eyebrows.

Shadowheart's Stats Aren't Befitting Of A Devotee Of Shar

Shadowheart's Ability Scores Don't Line Up With Her Backstory

Shadowheart is a cleric of Shar who defaults to the trickery domain. Players will learn throughout the game that she is surprisingly formidable and was the only survivor among a party of Shar worshipers sent to retrieve the Astral Prism from a Githyanki Crèche. She's excellent at fending for herself and is one of the only characters who will continuously appear if not recruited by the player immediately. In Acts 2 and 3, players gradually learn more about her backstory and how she was meticulously trained in methods of torture and stealth.

With lore-compliant Shadowheart obviously being very skilled at remaining unseen and sleight of hand, given her ability to steal the artifact, players would expect her to have similar stats to a Rogue. In BG3's Gauntlet of Shar, Shadowheart insists on completing Shar's trials herself and approves when players allow her to begin them, but players are much better off bringing in a character who is an actual rogue to go through the Gauntlet's challenges. This is because Shadowheart has a starting Dexterity of 13 - with characters like Astarion available, players will see no need to change Shadowheart's stats.

Shadowheart also has an abysmally low charisma score, which is extremely odd given her talent for deceit and extracting information out of people - it would make much more sense for her to at least be able to have proficiency in persuasion. Shadowheart only having a charisma score of 8 undermines some massive parts of her character and puts a damper on playing her as an origin character. Baldur's Gate 3 players unfamiliar with DnD mechanics may also not realize that her uncanny ability to miss with Firebolt is due to her low intelligence score, which also feels slightly unfitting.

Halsin Is Weaker Than Shadowheart

Shadowheart Is Also Stronger Than Baldur's Gate 3's Version Of Minsc

Though Shadowheart having a strength score of 13 is actually pretty believable, given her training in her Sharran temple and inherent ability to consistently survive, there is one character whose strength score makes no sense from an in-universe perspective, no matter how players look at it. Halsin has a strength three points lower than Shadowheart's, only scoring 10. In fact, Shadowheart is also apparently stronger than Minsc, who in Baldur's Gate 3 has a strength of 12. This makes even less sense, as Minsc had a more fitting strength of 18 in both previous Baldur's Gate games.

Halsin and Minsc are widely known for their strength, and their strength is a consistent topic of conversation among other characters. When players first find and recruit Minsc, he will bash down walls with his bare fists to find Boo. Shadowheart's ability to do the same is hardly imaginable, given how, if not rescued from her pod on the Nautiloid, she will be found failing to break through a wooden door in Act 1. It seems like past Baldur's Gate games had more in-character stats, whilst the third game prioritizes gameplay value.

Halsin has another ability score that is inconsistent with his lore - his intelligence score is relatively low, which would initially make sense with him being a druid who uses a different type of knowledge - wisdom. However, players will learn in Act 1 that Halsin is actually quite the scholar and has dedicated lots of his time to the study of mind flayer parasites. This is more along the lines of what intelligence in Dungeons & Dragons implies. Halsin having an average intelligence score does not line up with his character, with his experience in analytical research.

Astarion, Everyone's Favourite Charismatic Rogue, Actually Isn't Charismatic At All

Astarion's Charisma Score Is Oddly Average

Any Baldur's Gate 3 player will agree that Astarion's natural flair and charisma are a huge part of his character. Many players have mistaken him for a bard upon first meeting him. His inherent deceptive nature is hugely focused on in Act 1, and he has a knack for chaos and manipulation. The only thing is, Astarion doesn't have a very high charisma score at all, only that of 10, which is generally considered to be average in Dungeons & Dragons settings.

Lots of Astarion's story revolves around him tricking people with flirtatious gestures or otherwise swindling people. There's no denying that the vampire has wormed his way into the hearts of many inside and outside the game, coming in second place in Larian Studio's first anniversary statistics for the amount of kisses received from players. He was only second to Shadowheart, who is likely the default romance for many, given her constant presence in lots of parties as the only healer companion. However, Astarion may not be the best in battle, yet is usually kept around purely for his character.

Astarion is quite street-smart, so his wisdom being on the lower end is also a bit out of place, but his charisma score truly feels incorrect. In a setting where they were not player companions, many of the characters from Baldur's Gate 3 may have had some wildly different ability scores. It makes sense why Larian chose the ability scores present in the game, but players may be frustrated by some of the inaccuracies.

Source: Larian Studios/X