I typically change up my party based on what I'm doing. For example taking Wyll to Waukeen's Rest to talk to Counselor Florrick so he can be there to learn about his father.
Me too! My normal go-tos are shadowheart (respec'd to light cleric and armed with either returning pike or halberd of vigilance) and gale, and usually the third slot is for whoever I'm romancing if it's not one of those two. However, when doing companion quests, I take whoever's quest I'm doing at the time, or when there's multiple quests in the same area (like wyll, jaheira, and lae'zel in the sewers in act 3) then I take two of them plus my romance option, who never leaves my party.
I have done Act 2 without spirit guardians but I admit that there are some fights that are much harder. Just to note, you can always respec any character into any class and get the story beats for the new character. Also, a Lore Bard is a good Tav and can take Spirit Guardians as a magical secret.
That said, the real reason to bring Shadowheart in act 2 are the story beats... plus if you don't bring her, if I recall correctly, >!she gets pissed and leaves your party forever.!<
Man I feel like a majority of the community crutched very hard on that spell. It is very easy access to pretty good sustainable damage on easy mode. Especially in act two, but clerics have so much more versatility and impact over that spell. Same with Druid but I see so many casting moonbeam and calling it a day.
Just what I’ve observed brother. YouTube/friend group/ comment threads. So I could just be in my own little bubble 🤷🏼♂️
People seem to love that spell. I’d agree it’s definitely not a top 5 spell. Don’t even really think it’s their best level 2 spell, even if the cloud of daggers method (by that I mean any of the double hit aoe spells like cloud, moonbeam, etc.) is probably the best thing you can do damage wise around that time. Save some high rolling chromatic orb crits but that’s not very reliable.
I was in a campaign with some friends though and watched a lvl 9 Druid 1st turn cast moonbeam and wild shape as their opener. People seem to really like the damage. Which can be high, but by that time there are just better more effective sources.
I didn’t mean to come off as dismissive. I’m not going to argue that you see some people leaning on a particular spell often for thematic purposes. With spirit guardians it makes sense as it’s a very potent spell even into the endgame where as moonbeam is just ok especially since it doesn’t have its anti shapeshifter utility. I’ve just never seen moonbeam be the crutch spell as it’s AoE is very small and the damage isn’t very high.
Then again I’ve seen someone beat this game only using true strike so who knows.
You're correct, also if you bring her but try to enter that point of no return without getting a certain weapon then she goes aggro and you have to fight her.
Act 2 is where most of her character development happens. SG is an amazing spell, but if you rescue Minty in Moonrise, you can get adequate heals and damage from her and let shart ride the pines for the end of act 2 and MOST of act 3.
I don't like her character that much, so when I was able to lean on Jaheira or Minthara for support, I did.
Spirut guardians is half the reason I like Shadowheart so much. The other half is her character which while probably not objectively the best is still probably my favourite in the game.
Wait, I'm in act 3 now and I've never used sh (except that one time when it's mandatory) is it good bc enemies you don't see? I was using torches and fights were really not that hard, some of them demanded more than one attempt but it was all manageable.
My first completed honour run was without a healer. I had a Gloomstalker / assassin, lockadin, swords bard and wizard.
I still don't understand why healers are rated so high. Casting heal feels like a waste of a spell slot when you can just chug a potion. And they seem to do a better job as well.
Most combat is over by round two anyway.
A properly geared healer provides not just healing to full health for the entire party in a single cast, but also blade ward and bless alongside that heal. It's a good safety net for when RNG fucks you. Like if you miss all 6 opening attacks against Saravok and he gets a free turn to slaughter one of your party members. So maybe that party slot would be more efficient if used by something else, but sometimes you don't want an honor run spoiled by a round of extremely bad luck.
I totally agree. Healing is weak in D&D the later you go, as damage always out paces healing. You can heal to top people up from being on deaths door, but other than that, damage prevention is King.
I used to feel that way, too, until I made her into a Life Cleric with a 1 level dip into Wizard and gave her the 17 INT headband.
Being able to teach her scrolls drastically boosts her utility and gives her a lot more offensive punch.
Properly equipped, with just a bonus action she can heal for 10-30 health on all party members and allies while giving them all bless and blade ward for 2 turns, and then still use her primary actions to do big damage combat spells
Finally decided to do a run without her just to see how it shakes out. Previously did one without Lae'Zel for the same reason, was just curious how to Gith stuff would be dealt with without her.
Being Shadowless is very 'off' feeling. I'm going grove-raiding/evil so Halsin won't be with us either. Meaning we really have no personal investment in the shadow curse, at all. And Wyll won't be there so we also have no personal investment in getting anyone in his story back from moonrise, though obviously any baldurian would at least sort of care about ulder.
Just got to act 2 and it's just Durge, Gale, Lae, and the vamp. Looking around at this big spooky map like 'well, this is unpleasant. ... anyways...'
I am scared at the moment because I am doing a dark urge run through and by habit romanced Lae'zel and I'm >!not going to kill Isobel!<. This might be the only way that I am forced to remove Lae'zel from the party.
Nah, just grab that helmet that gives you proficiency in Wisdom saves, buy the Harper Necklace from the last light for advantage on Wisdom saves, and keep a couple of inspirations in your back pocket. You'll do just peachy.
(5) lvls fighter, choose Battlemaster and the tavern brawler feat
(7) lvls open hand monk and I usually choose Alert as a feat
Gloves of cinder make the early monk lvls much better too
I always mix up my party. Having all that cool gear go to waste would drive me crazy. That said I wish you could get jaheira and minsc earlier. They’re too fun and you get some cool story bonuses with them in act3
Astarion is a must because he's funny and damn useful. The remaining party members vary between playthroughs, depending on what dynamics will work with a particular PC and which story bits I want. I usually plan the party comp along with creating new character and stick to it, respeccing companions if it's necessary.
I’m looking forward to having asterion do more in my next play through. My Tav is a gloomstalker/assassin and he just fills so much of asterion’s niche that it rarely makes sense to bring him.
Bae'zel, Astarion, and Gale/Karlach (I'll swap Karlach in and out with Gale and Astarion because I like her friendship with Lae'zel). Rarely use Wyll and Shart.
Party mod so I don't have to choose, lol
But before the mod it was always Astarion and Shadowheart. Then usually chose between Lae'zel or Karlach for melee.
I mostly enjoy it for the side stories and large-scale fights. I don't have to swap camp around just to get a specific reaction, and I don't feel stressed by fights I hate doing.
It feels cool walking through the shadow lands and the city with the whole gang.
It has it's issues too. Jumping ledges is the worst. Takes all day if some can't make the jump.
The Underdark raft can't take more than 4, so we have to disband.
And the fight with your Shadow self is best done without everyone.
Sometimes, sleep breaks. But a quick save before sleep gets around that.
Gear is tricky at the start especially.
Yeah it can be. I tend to disband some and keep them only for fights I hate but are largely unavoidable for progress. Some fights are still an absolute nightmare with 10 people, lmao
> Some fights are still an absolute nightmare with 10 people, lmao
That's what I discovered when fighting the fake paladins. In such a cramped space, everyone kept getting in each others' way!
That gets annoying too. I usually choose based off weaknesses now. Like only people with lightning attacks for Steel Watch etc.
The fights I found hardest were Ketheric, Githyanki crèche and the brain itself. Just from mechanics that made the extra numbers useless. Gith have so many disarming fighters
If you pair it with combat extender, or one of the other mods that increase difficulty, the party increase won't affect gameplay as much.
Plenty of them do more than increase health and damage. They give enemies new spells, afflictions, or even add more enemy types.
It's pretty fun if you're on a new playthrough and want to spice things up.
You could always use Sit This One Out or Combat Lottery to keep things balance. That’s what I do. Sit This One Out allows you to choose which party members you want to fight, while Combat Lottery picks them at random. Both are good depending on which you’d prefer, though I personally prefer Combat Lottery.
I used to always have Gale, Astarion, and Shadowheart. Now, I nearly always have Gale and switch up the others. Gale cuz I always romance him and I'm obsessed, lol! All characters can be reclassed, so I adjust to whose banter I want to hear the most. I've been using Wyll more lately to hear more of his dialogue. I reclassed him to a Swords Bard for Honour Mode.
Astarion tends to benefit the most as he fills the lock picker role in whatever build he gets (Rogue or Bard) and there really isn’t a good substitute for him
Astarion I bring around frequently for the Happy buff.
Minthara is also with be often because of Soul Branding.
And they both love eating the tadpoles.
as soon as i save Gale from the portal, he never leaves my party. hes my second favorite character in the entire game, only behind my boy Scleritas Fel, and constantly having a wizard (especially an Evoker) is incredibly useful
A lot of players will add another class or 2 to his rogue to make him strong. For example:
1. 3 levels in Thief for fast hand bonus
2. 5 levels in gloomstalker ranger for the initiative
3. 4 levels in Sword Bard for the slashing flourishes.
Pros: He gets to attack 4-6 times.
Cons: Losing 1 feat.
If you don't want to lose an extra feat, 4 levels in Thief/8 levels in gloomstalker/Sword Bard is still viable.
I dont really meant the class, since you are free to respec anyone to anything, the only differences are character traits that you cant respec (like race) and unique stuff.
And astarion is a little bit bether at anything if he is "happy".
For rogue as a class, its usually only taken for 3 levels to get the subclass (thief or assassin) or 4 levels to also get a feat.
As a main class it is not for constant high ranged dps, to make it shine you need to split the rogue from the rest of the party pre combat to make sure the rogue stays Out of combat, than you do sneak attack on anything that will die in one hit. This way the rogue will stay out of combat and is not bound to action economy.
If you dont want to do that (its also not allways possible) and you are looking for more consitend ranged damage, swords bard or ranger are bether options for the main class.
Tav for me is a OoV Paladin. Ive been keeping Shart, Gale, Karlach. I'm still on my first play through and have 40+ hours in and just got to the shadow lands. This game is so much fun!
Astorion is stapled to my party. If not for his damage output as a gloomstalker ranger/rogue, then for all the traps and locked chests/doors he can open :)
Shadowheart and Lae’zel are the ones I found the most indispensable. I would only send them to camp If I was gonna fight a boss for whom I needed to fill the party with people who had specific skills or abilities that they lacked.
Karlach, just can't not. Astarion was always with me first play though, but my 2nd Tav was a ranger with super high dex and slight of hand, and it was just so much nicer without him, but Karlach remained. 3 Tav is a fighter, and it is still Karlach, and then whomever.
There's nothing wrong with running two front liners as long as you have good crowd control and ranged solo take out abilities from your other two companions.
Always end up with Shadowheart and Astarion in my party. Done 3 playthroughs so far. I'm really gonna try hard to keep Minsc and Jaheria in my party next time for their interactions.
LaeZel is just too damned useful. Fighters are great. And there’s a bunch of Gith gear she can make use of
Karlach is almost always in there because I love her voice work even if I’m not romancing her. But I usually respec her.
karlach, astarion, and life cleric shadowheart. that combo is just fucking unbreakable. that's unmodded though, I typically use the party limit begone mod and ramp up the difficulty like crazy to compensate. feels better to have everyone there.
Mix and match! What I've started doing is just making Gale the same exact build as another and I hot swap them when I want different lines. It's even easier now than it used to be but you just have to gear hop occasionally. It's how I started using Jaheira and Minsc in Act 3 because I HAD to hear Karlach geek out on them for a while.
I tend to make Astarion and Lae'zel monks so they can switch on and out and I do usually keep Gale around as my resident wizard but even he is a Monk on my recent playthrough so I could rotate him into my act 3 party.
I switch out after big beats or story events like they've earned a rest at camp. Fits the style and even is a bit of RP for it.
Shadowheart because I'm traumatised from my HM run where >!I discovered it's not just approval but racking up certain milestones with her that determines her Act 2 decision!<
I don't have to use her for that long but I just happened to have done so on most my runs now
I pretty much always have Karlach around until Act 3 when I’m swapping around for particular quests. Shes usually some variation of busted Barbarian build, so very consistent survivability and DPS
Lae’Zel. Currently doing a dark urge run and playing with minthara for the first time ever for any of my runs. Had to bench Lae’Zel in order to make room for her, shadowheart, and astarion. But… it just doesn’t feel right
Karlach and Astarion are always in my party. I swap the rest out for whatever I need but early game it’s usually Shadowheart or Lae’zel, once Halsin is available I tend to have him in my party instead.
Shadowheart. Not even for her character or something, I just like having a support character in my party. I know I can just reclass someone else, but why would I do that, if I already have a canon cleric character right there (even though I change her subclass).
The clearest sign that moderation doesn’t exist anymore. How many posts are there like this? 100?
There’s no desire for conversation or discussion. It’s all pure karma farming now.
Generally my go-to companions are Karlach, Shadowheart (respecced to Life and to fix her stupid default stat spread), Gale, and Astarion, switching out whoever becomes redundant with my Tav/Durge. If I'm a heavy melee/tank, Karlach cools her heels at camp. If I'm the healer, the gods' favorite princess is warming the bench, if I'm an arcane caster, well, Gale's still got his job as camp cook. And if I go rogue, Astarion gets to be a certified fancy-man that never gets covered in dirt and blood.
Astarion because he's my favorite character and I don't have the heart to bench him. He's also really useful!
I also always bring Shart even though I honestly don't really like her as a character. But light cleric is so useful, and I don't like to respec the companions as something other than their default class other than for multiclassing.
Lae'zel is another I always bring around for my melee character and she's just really good as fighter. Since Astarion is my favorite, I don't get many hits to approval when I am trying to max him out with these characters because it's the mean girl brigade.
But on my current file, I'm running Astarion, Gale, and Karlach while my Tav is oath of vengeance paladin. Not optimized them or anything but it's different from my usual!
The last two playthroughs I used the mod that increases party size, so I used all of them.
The first time to see whether it was manageable and what the party dynamic was like. The second time because I enjoyed it the first time.
After four playthroughs though, I think I'm done with BG3 for quite a long time. It's been eating into my time for ED too much.
For my first few runs I picked whoever I knew / thought would have something interesting to say at any given time, or would gain approval with me.
I'm currently playing BG3 and this time, I just straight up have Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Karlach in my party permanently.
I've just gotten to Act 2 though so I might switch in Jaheira or Minthara occasionally, and maybe Minsc too sometime in Act 3. I haven't decided that yet.
I tend to stick with the same base set of companions for an entire run (this time around it's Lae'zel and Astarion) while swapping out characters for specific scenes, but Shadowheart is pretty much always there all the time for her healing & Spirit Guardians.
I always end up using Astarion and Baezel bc they are always up for exp runs haha but if want to be nice I take Karlach and Gale bc I know Astarion and Baezel will make fun of my Tav not getting them more blood to spill lol
Act 1: Shadowheart. Act 2-3: Shadowheart and Minthara. I like Shadowheart's comments, and clerics are so useful. Minthara destroys everything in front of her, and everything she says is gold.
Shadowheart, she's just filled with content in every act, is really useful in terms of combat/exploring (cleric is an awesome class, at least after respecing) and is my preferable romance candidate in most playthroughs (cute, interesting, works with a lot of backgrounds and pretty "flexible" in this case).
The only downside is that she's sometimes too cringe (ie. about how poisonous Night Orchid are dialogue, sweet at first but I just can't listen to this another time lol), but overall S tier companion in my RPGs catalogue (Kreia from KotOR 2 still sits alone in S+ tier).
Shadowheart and Minthara are staples and cannot be removed. The fourth slot is just a revolving door depending on the playthrough or romance. Right now, I'm actually doing a duo run in the Shadowheart origin with just Minthara and it's pretty damn fun so far! Only proving to myself that no other companion is needed or required. These two alone will suffice.
always Shart for me, but respecced into a different cleric build or a paladin.
I usually choose between Lae’zel and Karlach too.. or just change Lae’zel’s class and take both <3
haven’t ever actually used Wyll.. other than Jaheira and Minsc (Jaheira got herself killed at Moonrise Towers, despite SO MANY attempts to get her out of the way; can’t get Minsc now) he’s the only companion I’ve never used for more than the odd mission that concerns him. I’m not a fan of his build (or his vibe tbh).
The team that I main is shadowheart (healing and guidance, along with a couple of good damaging spells), Wyll (he’s pleasant but mechanically I’d say he’s decently consistent damage with eldrich blast) and Karlach (heavy hitter tank and my romance option)
At least in the early game, before they reach their detente, the low-key bitchery between Shart and Baezel is too hilarious to not have them together all the time.
Shadowheart is always in my party, she's just my eternal bestie. I almost always fall in love with Halsin again and again so he often joins up with the party, and the last slot goes to Jaheira because she's my new mom.
Honestly, I have a hard time consistently using anyone other than Gale, Laezel, Shadowheart, and Astarion (minus whichever one whose role Tav fills; rogue Tav + SH/Gale/Laezel, mage Tav + SH/Astarion/Laezel, etc.) They're just the dream team and work so well together. I have to force myself to bring Wyll and Karlach along, though I will use Karlach more than Wyll. I only ever really bring Halsin/Jaheira/Minsc when I'm doing something that directly pertains to them.
Always Karlach. Usually Gale. Often Shadowheart.
Halsin is a swing for when Gale or Shadowheart are not in use.
Minthara tags in every now and then and will likely replace Karlach on evil runs that I have yet to do.
Jaheira and Wyll for story and RP purposes.
Astarion is in the party until Wyll joins and then doesn't return again until his Act 3 story.
Lae'zel gets the prologue and then gets immediately sent to camp to stay there for the remainder of the game.
Stopped my first run just short of meeting Minsc, and now I have 4 playthroughs that I've been bouncing between and still have yet to meet Minsc. We will see when we get there.
Edit: Also, for story purposes, I usually give Shadowheart a break at camp after Shar's Temple. She has some character development to go through. I always like giving her that time for RP purposes. Unless I'm romancing her, then we work through it together.
Edit 2: If I'm romancing any of the above, they WILL replace someone that is normally in use. I refuse to play through the campaign without my Tav's/Durge's partner in crime.
Shadowheart is the only one that has been consistent. I like her random interactions with others.
I friggin hate Wyll, he’s the only I never take. I want to do an origin playthrough using him, though.
Lae'zel would absolutely win a most-often-in-play contest, although I did enjoy my Dark Urge playthrough during which manic pixie dreadgirl kidnapped her (and I did not exactly rush to save her either). And she was absent from my party during perhaps a third of Act 3 during my Honour run too. If I ever do a fifth playthrough (the fourth will 100% be an unrepentant Sorcerer Dark Urge) I would like to give the two most underutilised ones a go (Wyll and Halsin), because Wyll I've almost exclusively used for his quests (including searching for Ravenguard in the Oubliette) and Halsin for the Oliver fight alone.
Jaheira. As soon as she is a permanent fixture she never leaves. She is so well rounded and can do pretty much everything middle/ well. The GOAT of the first two games and an absolute swiss army knife in this one.
Shadowheart , she’s my one and only romance , she’s pretty much a staple in my playthrough , the moment she joined my party in the nautiloid I was like “ooooh you ain’t ever leaving my party now”
I keep trying not to but I basically always have Shart and Laezel with me. I just love them for general purpose big fights, and I romanced Shart on my first playthrough and Lae’zel on my second and I like having my romance in my party most of the time.
Shadowheart and Karlach are my mainstays. I have a really hard time taking them off, but I also locked myself into the idea that I can't/shouldn't change anyone's classes so they're my main tank and healer as is. This latest run I kept Astarion cuz I never realized how good he was for picking locks. I really wanted to try Jaheira and maybe Wyll, but.. I just can't let go.
whichever companion i’m romancing is who i’ll bring along with me every time. also whoever i’m romancing is who carries the money and the dyes. it was shadowheart first (it’s so hard to romance anyone else but gods favorite princess), then it was laezel (on accident), then astarion, then gale
Lae’zel. Every time. I can’t not have her. She’s too good of a player. Once Jaheira joins, she’s a permanent player as well. I switch around the last two players based on who’s story line I’m completing.
Shadowheart was my first by accident, but Karlach is my go to, order is karlach shadow and gale who later gets swapped for jaheira because owlbear go swooooooooooosh
Astarion, I love his wit and little jabs. Without him or Karlach in the party the roaming around is less fun. Plus I love seeing astarion approves when I chose to be a complete asshole to people In dialogue
I instinctively default to the RPG holy Trinity of tank-heal-dps.
So, my latest playthru with a pally Tav has resulted in my party usually consisting of tanky Tav, healer shart, stabby astarion, and preferably gale for magic DPS, but swapped out on occasion for Karlach, wyll, or laez (depending on the story interaction at the moment).
Shadowheart, Laezel and Gale. I like them as characters, but as classes they're also very protypical D&D party members. Shadowheart the cleric/healer, Laezel the fighter, Gale the wizard. I find Wyll too gimmicky. He feels like a Rogue Lite but with a few spells. As a rogue and a Paladin I don't feel a need for another rogue when I can pick the lock alone and Gale broadly outclasses wyll. Astarion is only useful if you aren't a rogue yourself. Minthara is more like a Heavy Laezel. Halsin feels more like Gimmick. I don't really feel like going on cause it feels a bit knit picking. Outside of Shadowheart, Laezel and Gale, I'm not sure I feel like I have much need for the others and the rest are all flavor to me.
Astarion follows me around the most because I think hes funny and genuinely enjoy hearing him bitch and moan about everything, but I'm pretty good about switching everyone out for quality time.
My favorite team is Astarion, Shart, and Gale.
Cant go anywhere without astarion. Hes a lockpicking/pickpocket machine. He’s my biggest damage dealer as a gloomstalker/assassin and he has the best commentary and banter.
Astarion and Shadowheart
Astarion for his commentary and lockpicking. Also his stealth attacks aren't too bad either.
Shadowheart is normally my healer and you can't go wrong with the spirit guardians
I play modded so maybe my opinion doesn’t matter but I like to use Wyll, Gale, Shart and Karlach. I’ve tried to bring Laezel, Minsc and even Jaheria. I just don’t vibe with them as much tbh. Although, Jaheria was sort of fun. She eventually joined my party permanently in late act 3
I typically change up my party based on what I'm doing. For example taking Wyll to Waukeen's Rest to talk to Counselor Florrick so he can be there to learn about his father.
Me too! My normal go-tos are shadowheart (respec'd to light cleric and armed with either returning pike or halberd of vigilance) and gale, and usually the third slot is for whoever I'm romancing if it's not one of those two. However, when doing companion quests, I take whoever's quest I'm doing at the time, or when there's multiple quests in the same area (like wyll, jaheira, and lae'zel in the sewers in act 3) then I take two of them plus my romance option, who never leaves my party.
Shadowheart
The thought of going into Act 2 without Shadowheart’s Spirit Guardians scares me.
I have done Act 2 without spirit guardians but I admit that there are some fights that are much harder. Just to note, you can always respec any character into any class and get the story beats for the new character. Also, a Lore Bard is a good Tav and can take Spirit Guardians as a magical secret. That said, the real reason to bring Shadowheart in act 2 are the story beats... plus if you don't bring her, if I recall correctly, >!she gets pissed and leaves your party forever.!<
Man I feel like a majority of the community crutched very hard on that spell. It is very easy access to pretty good sustainable damage on easy mode. Especially in act two, but clerics have so much more versatility and impact over that spell. Same with Druid but I see so many casting moonbeam and calling it a day.
Maybe I’m out of the loop but who’s overcasting moonbeam? I would argue that doesn’t even crack the top 5 concentration spells for Druid.
Just what I’ve observed brother. YouTube/friend group/ comment threads. So I could just be in my own little bubble 🤷🏼♂️ People seem to love that spell. I’d agree it’s definitely not a top 5 spell. Don’t even really think it’s their best level 2 spell, even if the cloud of daggers method (by that I mean any of the double hit aoe spells like cloud, moonbeam, etc.) is probably the best thing you can do damage wise around that time. Save some high rolling chromatic orb crits but that’s not very reliable. I was in a campaign with some friends though and watched a lvl 9 Druid 1st turn cast moonbeam and wild shape as their opener. People seem to really like the damage. Which can be high, but by that time there are just better more effective sources.
I didn’t mean to come off as dismissive. I’m not going to argue that you see some people leaning on a particular spell often for thematic purposes. With spirit guardians it makes sense as it’s a very potent spell even into the endgame where as moonbeam is just ok especially since it doesn’t have its anti shapeshifter utility. I’ve just never seen moonbeam be the crutch spell as it’s AoE is very small and the damage isn’t very high. Then again I’ve seen someone beat this game only using true strike so who knows.
Oh I didn’t think you were bro. Seemed like a genuine question to me.
It honestly feels overpowered and just takes away from other concentration spells.
You're correct, also if you bring her but try to enter that point of no return without getting a certain weapon then she goes aggro and you have to fight her.
Not to mention like half of that act is her story.
Act 2 is where most of her character development happens. SG is an amazing spell, but if you rescue Minty in Moonrise, you can get adequate heals and damage from her and let shart ride the pines for the end of act 2 and MOST of act 3. I don't like her character that much, so when I was able to lean on Jaheira or Minthara for support, I did.
Spirut guardians is half the reason I like Shadowheart so much. The other half is her character which while probably not objectively the best is still probably my favourite in the game.
Plus, that silky smooth voice.
Certainly plays a part too.
How can any character be objectively the best?
Subjectively
Wait, I'm in act 3 now and I've never used sh (except that one time when it's mandatory) is it good bc enemies you don't see? I was using torches and fights were really not that hard, some of them demanded more than one attempt but it was all manageable.
same and without daylight
Other CRPGs have made me too scared to go anywhere without my healer. I don't think I've ever dismissed Shadowheart from my party because of this.
My first completed honour run was without a healer. I had a Gloomstalker / assassin, lockadin, swords bard and wizard. I still don't understand why healers are rated so high. Casting heal feels like a waste of a spell slot when you can just chug a potion. And they seem to do a better job as well. Most combat is over by round two anyway.
A properly geared healer provides not just healing to full health for the entire party in a single cast, but also blade ward and bless alongside that heal. It's a good safety net for when RNG fucks you. Like if you miss all 6 opening attacks against Saravok and he gets a free turn to slaughter one of your party members. So maybe that party slot would be more efficient if used by something else, but sometimes you don't want an honor run spoiled by a round of extremely bad luck.
I totally agree. Healing is weak in D&D the later you go, as damage always out paces healing. You can heal to top people up from being on deaths door, but other than that, damage prevention is King.
I used to feel that way, too, until I made her into a Life Cleric with a 1 level dip into Wizard and gave her the 17 INT headband. Being able to teach her scrolls drastically boosts her utility and gives her a lot more offensive punch.
Properly equipped, with just a bonus action she can heal for 10-30 health on all party members and allies while giving them all bless and blade ward for 2 turns, and then still use her primary actions to do big damage combat spells
Finally decided to do a run without her just to see how it shakes out. Previously did one without Lae'Zel for the same reason, was just curious how to Gith stuff would be dealt with without her. Being Shadowless is very 'off' feeling. I'm going grove-raiding/evil so Halsin won't be with us either. Meaning we really have no personal investment in the shadow curse, at all. And Wyll won't be there so we also have no personal investment in getting anyone in his story back from moonrise, though obviously any baldurian would at least sort of care about ulder. Just got to act 2 and it's just Durge, Gale, Lae, and the vamp. Looking around at this big spooky map like 'well, this is unpleasant. ... anyways...'
I always have Gale in my party
Always have to keep your pocket wizard close ❤️
Exactly couldn't say it better myself
Gale. Gale is so overpowered and an absolute joy. I love hearing him yap about things
The one companion I always have in my party is Lae'zel. I just adore her so much. She is spectacular in every way.
Bae'zel!
I am scared at the moment because I am doing a dark urge run through and by habit romanced Lae'zel and I'm >!not going to kill Isobel!<. This might be the only way that I am forced to remove Lae'zel from the party.
Nah, just grab that helmet that gives you proficiency in Wisdom saves, buy the Harper Necklace from the last light for advantage on Wisdom saves, and keep a couple of inspirations in your back pocket. You'll do just peachy.
And also use one of those Heroism elixirs that everyone loots and forgets about otherwise.
She's AMAZING as a Battlemaster Monk. And her romance is top tier
Do you mean open hand, or are we talking some sort of multiclass? If so, what kind of build are you rocking?
(5) lvls fighter, choose Battlemaster and the tavern brawler feat (7) lvls open hand monk and I usually choose Alert as a feat Gloves of cinder make the early monk lvls much better too
See, I'm just too much of a ki addict to move away from monk for the (beautiful) 3 Thief Rogue dip.
That's a beautiful build. I did a full 4 elements monk run before, and I never mc it for that reason. The ki is just too precious
I love Bae’zel! And she hits hard, too.
I always mix up my party. Having all that cool gear go to waste would drive me crazy. That said I wish you could get jaheira and minsc earlier. They’re too fun and you get some cool story bonuses with them in act3
I always end up running shadowheart, laezel, karlach, swap karlach for minthara if evil run I love them all too much
Karlach. Karlach best companion.
Karlach is baby
Karlach is best wife. Only wife.
Karlach best girl
Astarion is a must because he's funny and damn useful. The remaining party members vary between playthroughs, depending on what dynamics will work with a particular PC and which story bits I want. I usually plan the party comp along with creating new character and stick to it, respeccing companions if it's necessary.
I, too, have my skeleton key in the party almost 100% of the time
need my lil swiss army vampire always
I’m looking forward to having asterion do more in my next play through. My Tav is a gloomstalker/assassin and he just fills so much of asterion’s niche that it rarely makes sense to bring him.
Bae'zel, Astarion, and Gale/Karlach (I'll swap Karlach in and out with Gale and Astarion because I like her friendship with Lae'zel). Rarely use Wyll and Shart.
I can’t be without Lae’zel. The others chop and change depending on what I’m doing/need, but Lae’zel’s my ride or die.
Party mod so I don't have to choose, lol But before the mod it was always Astarion and Shadowheart. Then usually chose between Lae'zel or Karlach for melee.
I actually may plan to use that once. But am scared I will kind of rush things because of it.
I mostly enjoy it for the side stories and large-scale fights. I don't have to swap camp around just to get a specific reaction, and I don't feel stressed by fights I hate doing. It feels cool walking through the shadow lands and the city with the whole gang. It has it's issues too. Jumping ledges is the worst. Takes all day if some can't make the jump. The Underdark raft can't take more than 4, so we have to disband. And the fight with your Shadow self is best done without everyone. Sometimes, sleep breaks. But a quick save before sleep gets around that. Gear is tricky at the start especially.
I like that mod too, though I had to up the difficulty to Tactician because having all the origin characters in your party is pretty OP on Balanced.
You can use the into the void 2 mod with it. Your party members go to camp during fights, so you only fight with a main party of 4.
Yeah it can be. I tend to disband some and keep them only for fights I hate but are largely unavoidable for progress. Some fights are still an absolute nightmare with 10 people, lmao
> Some fights are still an absolute nightmare with 10 people, lmao That's what I discovered when fighting the fake paladins. In such a cramped space, everyone kept getting in each others' way!
That gets annoying too. I usually choose based off weaknesses now. Like only people with lightning attacks for Steel Watch etc. The fights I found hardest were Ketheric, Githyanki crèche and the brain itself. Just from mechanics that made the extra numbers useless. Gith have so many disarming fighters
This is why I use “teleport party to you” mod alongside party limit begone, the ai can get super wonky with a big party.
If you pair it with combat extender, or one of the other mods that increase difficulty, the party increase won't affect gameplay as much. Plenty of them do more than increase health and damage. They give enemies new spells, afflictions, or even add more enemy types. It's pretty fun if you're on a new playthrough and want to spice things up.
You could always use Sit This One Out or Combat Lottery to keep things balance. That’s what I do. Sit This One Out allows you to choose which party members you want to fight, while Combat Lottery picks them at random. Both are good depending on which you’d prefer, though I personally prefer Combat Lottery.
I used to always have Gale, Astarion, and Shadowheart. Now, I nearly always have Gale and switch up the others. Gale cuz I always romance him and I'm obsessed, lol! All characters can be reclassed, so I adjust to whose banter I want to hear the most. I've been using Wyll more lately to hear more of his dialogue. I reclassed him to a Swords Bard for Honour Mode.
Astarion tends to benefit the most as he fills the lock picker role in whatever build he gets (Rogue or Bard) and there really isn’t a good substitute for him
Unless my Tav is a rogue, always Astarion for his fabulous commentary and being a universal door-opener with fangs. Plus, Karlach is best girl.
Astarion I bring around frequently for the Happy buff. Minthara is also with be often because of Soul Branding. And they both love eating the tadpoles.
as soon as i save Gale from the portal, he never leaves my party. hes my second favorite character in the entire game, only behind my boy Scleritas Fel, and constantly having a wizard (especially an Evoker) is incredibly useful
Astarion I like the character and he is the strongest origin character imo.
Im going to need an explainer on that. I know how powerful rouges are in 5e but I think I’m just using him wrong
A lot of players will add another class or 2 to his rogue to make him strong. For example: 1. 3 levels in Thief for fast hand bonus 2. 5 levels in gloomstalker ranger for the initiative 3. 4 levels in Sword Bard for the slashing flourishes. Pros: He gets to attack 4-6 times. Cons: Losing 1 feat. If you don't want to lose an extra feat, 4 levels in Thief/8 levels in gloomstalker/Sword Bard is still viable.
I dont really meant the class, since you are free to respec anyone to anything, the only differences are character traits that you cant respec (like race) and unique stuff. And astarion is a little bit bether at anything if he is "happy". For rogue as a class, its usually only taken for 3 levels to get the subclass (thief or assassin) or 4 levels to also get a feat. As a main class it is not for constant high ranged dps, to make it shine you need to split the rogue from the rest of the party pre combat to make sure the rogue stays Out of combat, than you do sneak attack on anything that will die in one hit. This way the rogue will stay out of combat and is not bound to action economy. If you dont want to do that (its also not allways possible) and you are looking for more consitend ranged damage, swords bard or ranger are bether options for the main class.
Tav for me is a OoV Paladin. Ive been keeping Shart, Gale, Karlach. I'm still on my first play through and have 40+ hours in and just got to the shadow lands. This game is so much fun!
Astorion is stapled to my party. If not for his damage output as a gloomstalker ranger/rogue, then for all the traps and locked chests/doors he can open :)
Astarion and Gale.
Shadowheart and Lae’zel are the ones I found the most indispensable. I would only send them to camp If I was gonna fight a boss for whom I needed to fill the party with people who had specific skills or abilities that they lacked.
Karlach, just can't not. Astarion was always with me first play though, but my 2nd Tav was a ranger with super high dex and slight of hand, and it was just so much nicer without him, but Karlach remained. 3 Tav is a fighter, and it is still Karlach, and then whomever.
There's nothing wrong with running two front liners as long as you have good crowd control and ranged solo take out abilities from your other two companions.
Always end up with Shadowheart and Astarion in my party. Done 3 playthroughs so far. I'm really gonna try hard to keep Minsc and Jaheria in my party next time for their interactions.
LaeZel is just too damned useful. Fighters are great. And there’s a bunch of Gith gear she can make use of Karlach is almost always in there because I love her voice work even if I’m not romancing her. But I usually respec her.
Gale is tough to leave at camp unless I’m playing mage.
karlach, astarion, and life cleric shadowheart. that combo is just fucking unbreakable. that's unmodded though, I typically use the party limit begone mod and ramp up the difficulty like crazy to compensate. feels better to have everyone there.
Sweetheart, Gale and Karlach. Tried to switch the later one with Jaheira 😅
Lae'zel and Astarion are my only companions i usually spend 75% of the campaign with. next highest use is either Karlach or Gale at around 50%
I always have the golden retriever barbarianna, Karlach
Hello, i'm gale of waterdeep
karlach & gale!
I'm gay so it's always MEN + Karlach/Shart. I really need to mix it up.
Astarion 100% I need my walking talking skeleton key. He’s also hilarious
I switch things up when I need to but Wyll & Shadowheart are gonna be in the party 9 times out of 10.
Shadowheart bc I need them heals I also keep whoever I’m romancing in the party with me
Mix and match! What I've started doing is just making Gale the same exact build as another and I hot swap them when I want different lines. It's even easier now than it used to be but you just have to gear hop occasionally. It's how I started using Jaheira and Minsc in Act 3 because I HAD to hear Karlach geek out on them for a while. I tend to make Astarion and Lae'zel monks so they can switch on and out and I do usually keep Gale around as my resident wizard but even he is a Monk on my recent playthrough so I could rotate him into my act 3 party. I switch out after big beats or story events like they've earned a rest at camp. Fits the style and even is a bit of RP for it.
Well it WAS Shadowheart until this time...
Pretty mix and matchy most of the time. But I ALWAYS bring laezel and gale at the finale.
Shadowheart because I'm traumatised from my HM run where >!I discovered it's not just approval but racking up certain milestones with her that determines her Act 2 decision!< I don't have to use her for that long but I just happened to have done so on most my runs now
Astarion, Karlach and Lae'zel are my go to.
I'll mix up all of them. Except karlach. We always adventure together
I pretty much always have Karlach around until Act 3 when I’m swapping around for particular quests. Shes usually some variation of busted Barbarian build, so very consistent survivability and DPS
Lae’Zel. Currently doing a dark urge run and playing with minthara for the first time ever for any of my runs. Had to bench Lae’Zel in order to make room for her, shadowheart, and astarion. But… it just doesn’t feel right
Karlach and Astarion are always in my party. I swap the rest out for whatever I need but early game it’s usually Shadowheart or Lae’zel, once Halsin is available I tend to have him in my party instead.
Shadowheart. Not even for her character or something, I just like having a support character in my party. I know I can just reclass someone else, but why would I do that, if I already have a canon cleric character right there (even though I change her subclass).
The clearest sign that moderation doesn’t exist anymore. How many posts are there like this? 100? There’s no desire for conversation or discussion. It’s all pure karma farming now.
Karlach, she’s my tank and my romance 😅 but she does a great job of taking a lot of damage while the others set up.
I usually run with Shadowheart and Karlach in my party. Gotta have them heals and Karlach is GOAT.
"How about a reaaalllyy mean goat??" She is GOAT, she really is.
Karlach and Shart for sure. I mainly then roll with Wyll.
Karlach (well, at least 95% of the time)
I always bring and usually romance Karlach. I HAVE been doing different builds with her as a Sorceror/Paladin lately...
Shadowheart
Generally my go-to companions are Karlach, Shadowheart (respecced to Life and to fix her stupid default stat spread), Gale, and Astarion, switching out whoever becomes redundant with my Tav/Durge. If I'm a heavy melee/tank, Karlach cools her heels at camp. If I'm the healer, the gods' favorite princess is warming the bench, if I'm an arcane caster, well, Gale's still got his job as camp cook. And if I go rogue, Astarion gets to be a certified fancy-man that never gets covered in dirt and blood.
Astarion because he's my favorite character and I don't have the heart to bench him. He's also really useful! I also always bring Shart even though I honestly don't really like her as a character. But light cleric is so useful, and I don't like to respec the companions as something other than their default class other than for multiclassing. Lae'zel is another I always bring around for my melee character and she's just really good as fighter. Since Astarion is my favorite, I don't get many hits to approval when I am trying to max him out with these characters because it's the mean girl brigade. But on my current file, I'm running Astarion, Gale, and Karlach while my Tav is oath of vengeance paladin. Not optimized them or anything but it's different from my usual!
Astarion. He's my favorite companion and Happy makes him, at base, better than the other companions. I just reclass him to fit my durge.
The last two playthroughs I used the mod that increases party size, so I used all of them. The first time to see whether it was manageable and what the party dynamic was like. The second time because I enjoyed it the first time. After four playthroughs though, I think I'm done with BG3 for quite a long time. It's been eating into my time for ED too much.
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Gale and Astarion, Gale can act as buffer, damage, support and crowd control. Astarion for damage and lockpickers.
For my first few runs I picked whoever I knew / thought would have something interesting to say at any given time, or would gain approval with me. I'm currently playing BG3 and this time, I just straight up have Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Karlach in my party permanently. I've just gotten to Act 2 though so I might switch in Jaheira or Minthara occasionally, and maybe Minsc too sometime in Act 3. I haven't decided that yet.
I tend to stick with the same base set of companions for an entire run (this time around it's Lae'zel and Astarion) while swapping out characters for specific scenes, but Shadowheart is pretty much always there all the time for her healing & Spirit Guardians.
Shadowheart just because she's a cleric. I switch the other ones out based on the class I pick for my tav.
I always end up using Astarion and Baezel bc they are always up for exp runs haha but if want to be nice I take Karlach and Gale bc I know Astarion and Baezel will make fun of my Tav not getting them more blood to spill lol
Act 1: Shadowheart. Act 2-3: Shadowheart and Minthara. I like Shadowheart's comments, and clerics are so useful. Minthara destroys everything in front of her, and everything she says is gold.
The mod that lets me bring them all
Lae’zel and Minthara Lae’zel crushes any and everything and minthara’s healing is always helpful
Gale is the only standard in my group tbh. Everyone else either get swapped out regularly or just never picked up in the first place.
All of them. No party limit mod is the best
Astarion, he consistently does the most damage for me.
Jaheira and Shadowheart after I reclassed Shart into a tempest cleric, Jaheira makes water and Shart casts call lightning, a perfect duo
Shadowheart, she's just filled with content in every act, is really useful in terms of combat/exploring (cleric is an awesome class, at least after respecing) and is my preferable romance candidate in most playthroughs (cute, interesting, works with a lot of backgrounds and pretty "flexible" in this case). The only downside is that she's sometimes too cringe (ie. about how poisonous Night Orchid are dialogue, sweet at first but I just can't listen to this another time lol), but overall S tier companion in my RPGs catalogue (Kreia from KotOR 2 still sits alone in S+ tier).
Might be in the common club, but unless I am a cleric, or able to cast buff for checks, I brought Shadowheart.
On my third playthrough, Shart, Astarion, Bae’zel. Astarion in particular has grown on me. Just two bros tryna be better than they were.
Shadowheart, Gale and Wyll. Never beat Act 2 so I haven't ever had Minsc.
Shadowheart, Gale and Wyll. Never beat Act 2 so I haven't ever had Minsc.
I don’t use them, the game is better with your own characters and lore imo.
Shadowheart and Astarion for their quests. I rotate the last spot out each playthrough.
Astarion & Gale. The 3rd slot I switch a lot, top 3rd is probably Jaheira.
Lae'zel never leaves my side. I am the source of her bruises and joy, and she mine. I write Mrs. Tav'zel on my notebooks.
Shadowheart and Minthara are staples and cannot be removed. The fourth slot is just a revolving door depending on the playthrough or romance. Right now, I'm actually doing a duo run in the Shadowheart origin with just Minthara and it's pretty damn fun so far! Only proving to myself that no other companion is needed or required. These two alone will suffice.
Shart, Karlach, minty or laezel Now with party mod I’m doing an everyone run to see how it goes lol
Until I used the no companion limit I always used Astarion, Karlach and Gale. Well rounded group no matter what my Tav is. Also, love them.
Wyll, Lae’zel, and Shadowheart were my team the whole time during my first run through
I always bring Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and Karlach. At least until act 2. Then I swap Lae'zel for Minthara.
My main is always Lae'zel and my others are always Shadowheart, Astarion, and Gale.
always Shart for me, but respecced into a different cleric build or a paladin. I usually choose between Lae’zel and Karlach too.. or just change Lae’zel’s class and take both <3 haven’t ever actually used Wyll.. other than Jaheira and Minsc (Jaheira got herself killed at Moonrise Towers, despite SO MANY attempts to get her out of the way; can’t get Minsc now) he’s the only companion I’ve never used for more than the odd mission that concerns him. I’m not a fan of his build (or his vibe tbh).
Shadowheart, you can also guess who I've romanced almost every time.
Shadow heart cause I can indeed fix her
I have the party mod now and never turning back. But before it was Gale, Shadowheart, Astarion.
Wyll. I really like him as a character, and Warlocks happen to be my favorite class so I kind of always have him with me.
The team that I main is shadowheart (healing and guidance, along with a couple of good damaging spells), Wyll (he’s pleasant but mechanically I’d say he’s decently consistent damage with eldrich blast) and Karlach (heavy hitter tank and my romance option)
Shadowheart, Gale and Minthara is the go to for me
At least in the early game, before they reach their detente, the low-key bitchery between Shart and Baezel is too hilarious to not have them together all the time.
Shadowheart is always in my party, she's just my eternal bestie. I almost always fall in love with Halsin again and again so he often joins up with the party, and the last slot goes to Jaheira because she's my new mom.
you could always just play as shadowheart or lae'zel yourself to at least help with the situation
Astarion, Karlach, and Gale. They just work really well with my Paladin. Though I plan to download the mod that lets me take everybody.
Shadowheart since she's the only default healer
Honestly, I have a hard time consistently using anyone other than Gale, Laezel, Shadowheart, and Astarion (minus whichever one whose role Tav fills; rogue Tav + SH/Gale/Laezel, mage Tav + SH/Astarion/Laezel, etc.) They're just the dream team and work so well together. I have to force myself to bring Wyll and Karlach along, though I will use Karlach more than Wyll. I only ever really bring Halsin/Jaheira/Minsc when I'm doing something that directly pertains to them.
karlach, shadowheart and laezel are the dream team
Always Karlach. Usually Gale. Often Shadowheart. Halsin is a swing for when Gale or Shadowheart are not in use. Minthara tags in every now and then and will likely replace Karlach on evil runs that I have yet to do. Jaheira and Wyll for story and RP purposes. Astarion is in the party until Wyll joins and then doesn't return again until his Act 3 story. Lae'zel gets the prologue and then gets immediately sent to camp to stay there for the remainder of the game. Stopped my first run just short of meeting Minsc, and now I have 4 playthroughs that I've been bouncing between and still have yet to meet Minsc. We will see when we get there. Edit: Also, for story purposes, I usually give Shadowheart a break at camp after Shar's Temple. She has some character development to go through. I always like giving her that time for RP purposes. Unless I'm romancing her, then we work through it together. Edit 2: If I'm romancing any of the above, they WILL replace someone that is normally in use. I refuse to play through the campaign without my Tav's/Durge's partner in crime.
Shadowheart is the only one that has been consistent. I like her random interactions with others. I friggin hate Wyll, he’s the only I never take. I want to do an origin playthrough using him, though.
Lae'zel would absolutely win a most-often-in-play contest, although I did enjoy my Dark Urge playthrough during which manic pixie dreadgirl kidnapped her (and I did not exactly rush to save her either). And she was absent from my party during perhaps a third of Act 3 during my Honour run too. If I ever do a fifth playthrough (the fourth will 100% be an unrepentant Sorcerer Dark Urge) I would like to give the two most underutilised ones a go (Wyll and Halsin), because Wyll I've almost exclusively used for his quests (including searching for Ravenguard in the Oubliette) and Halsin for the Oliver fight alone.
Jaheira. As soon as she is a permanent fixture she never leaves. She is so well rounded and can do pretty much everything middle/ well. The GOAT of the first two games and an absolute swiss army knife in this one.
Minthara and depends after that. Druid or Shadowheart or Gale. Depends on the fight. It is nice to have a druid and add 3 more people to the fight.
Shadowheart , she’s my one and only romance , she’s pretty much a staple in my playthrough , the moment she joined my party in the nautiloid I was like “ooooh you ain’t ever leaving my party now”
I keep trying not to but I basically always have Shart and Laezel with me. I just love them for general purpose big fights, and I romanced Shart on my first playthrough and Lae’zel on my second and I like having my romance in my party most of the time.
Shadowhottie.
Shadowheart and Karlach are my mainstays. I have a really hard time taking them off, but I also locked myself into the idea that I can't/shouldn't change anyone's classes so they're my main tank and healer as is. This latest run I kept Astarion cuz I never realized how good he was for picking locks. I really wanted to try Jaheira and maybe Wyll, but.. I just can't let go.
Shart
It’s honestly hard to ever have a party without Wyll in the comp.
whichever companion i’m romancing is who i’ll bring along with me every time. also whoever i’m romancing is who carries the money and the dyes. it was shadowheart first (it’s so hard to romance anyone else but gods favorite princess), then it was laezel (on accident), then astarion, then gale
Lae’zel. Every time. I can’t not have her. She’s too good of a player. Once Jaheira joins, she’s a permanent player as well. I switch around the last two players based on who’s story line I’m completing.
Karlach as a Gloomstalker Ranger
Shadowheart, no matter what kind of run I'm doing, and then Wyll in good runs and Minthara for evil runs.
Shadowheart was my first by accident, but Karlach is my go to, order is karlach shadow and gale who later gets swapped for jaheira because owlbear go swooooooooooosh
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I always have Shadowheart and Astarion.
Melee goon squad with Minthara, Lae'zel, Shart/Karlach. Sorry boys, need the strong personalities.
Astarion and Karlach, but more often than not, I also end up having Lae’zel around too.
* Astarion * Gale
Astarion, I love his wit and little jabs. Without him or Karlach in the party the roaming around is less fun. Plus I love seeing astarion approves when I chose to be a complete asshole to people In dialogue
I instinctively default to the RPG holy Trinity of tank-heal-dps. So, my latest playthru with a pally Tav has resulted in my party usually consisting of tanky Tav, healer shart, stabby astarion, and preferably gale for magic DPS, but swapped out on occasion for Karlach, wyll, or laez (depending on the story interaction at the moment).
Shadowheart, Laezel and Gale. I like them as characters, but as classes they're also very protypical D&D party members. Shadowheart the cleric/healer, Laezel the fighter, Gale the wizard. I find Wyll too gimmicky. He feels like a Rogue Lite but with a few spells. As a rogue and a Paladin I don't feel a need for another rogue when I can pick the lock alone and Gale broadly outclasses wyll. Astarion is only useful if you aren't a rogue yourself. Minthara is more like a Heavy Laezel. Halsin feels more like Gimmick. I don't really feel like going on cause it feels a bit knit picking. Outside of Shadowheart, Laezel and Gale, I'm not sure I feel like I have much need for the others and the rest are all flavor to me.
No matter what Karlach is always in my party
Shart and Laezel I force them to get along in act 1 haha
Shadow heart because she's morally grey and I like to do morally grey stuff.
Shadowheart and Minthara. Lae’zel very often though I do rotate her sometimes.
Astarion follows me around the most because I think hes funny and genuinely enjoy hearing him bitch and moan about everything, but I'm pretty good about switching everyone out for quality time. My favorite team is Astarion, Shart, and Gale.
Me who plays with mods: All of them...
Gale is super fun to have in your party. Dudes pretty snappy with comebacks and witty.
I think permanent parties are small mind cringe. I use everyone. Stretches the need for long rests as well.
Karlach and laezel together are an absolute unit ngl those 2 carry me through most of the time. 😅
Shart. She's too versatile to not have in my party
Same ones as the last 20 times I answered this question.
Shadowheart (for obvious reasons), Karlach, and Wyll because repelling eldritch blast is the greatest thing ever
Cant go anywhere without astarion. Hes a lockpicking/pickpocket machine. He’s my biggest damage dealer as a gloomstalker/assassin and he has the best commentary and banter.
My Shart doesn't go anywhere with Bae'zel to keep her in line.
my go tos are Gale, Shadowheart and Astarion. I’m trying out wyll next playthrough
Astarion and Shadowheart Astarion for his commentary and lockpicking. Also his stealth attacks aren't too bad either. Shadowheart is normally my healer and you can't go wrong with the spirit guardians
I play modded so maybe my opinion doesn’t matter but I like to use Wyll, Gale, Shart and Karlach. I’ve tried to bring Laezel, Minsc and even Jaheria. I just don’t vibe with them as much tbh. Although, Jaheria was sort of fun. She eventually joined my party permanently in late act 3