One of the best companions players can recruit in Baldur's Gate 3 is Karlach, a fiery and rather chipper Tiefling Barbarian. Having escaped the Nine Hells, Karlach arrives on the Sword Coast only to find herself hunted by the minions of the archdevil Zariel, including Wyll, the party's resident Warlock. Players can find and recruit Karlach or bring about a much darker ending to her story.

Assuming Karlach isn't selected as a premade Origin Hero during character creation, she will appear a few hours into Act One. Like most other companions, Karlach can be befriended and even romanced if players play a noble hero who wears their heart on their sleeve. However, finding and recruiting Karlach isn't so simple, as doing so has lasting story consequences.

How To Find Karlach In Baldur's Gate 3

How To Find The Tiefling's Location

To find Karlach, head to the end of a small path just off the Risen Road at coordinates X: 108, Y:510, near the Toll House. If Wyll is spoken to at the Emerald Grove, he will mention he is sworn to hunt Karlach down. His personal quest, "The Blade of Frontiers," will mark Karlach's general location on the map.

After leaving Emerald Grove, the party can take two different approaches. The first involves following the general layout of the land by heading west and then south and clearing quests and activities from BG3's Act One checklist.

While this feels more natural, players must play for a few more hours before Karlach can be recruited. Certain party compositions may be left disadvantaged without her rage and brute strength, especially on Tactician difficulty and in Honor Mode playthroughs.

Instead, after recruiting Scratch the dog near the Blighted Village entrance, players can jump over the river to the north to reach the Risen Road early. This route byes some early quests and encounters, which can always be completed later. Once the party has crossed the river, head to find Karlach.

How To Recruit Karlach In Baldur's Gate 3

All Necessary Choices

Once players find Karlach, it becomes obvious that she isn't a merciless and bloodthirsty devil but rather an unlucky Tiefling swept up in the Blood War and forced to serve Zariel. She was also present on the Nautiloid and was infected by a mind flayer parasite, much like the rest of the party. Players can:

• Side with Karlach and recruit her into the party, although Wyll may need to be convinced to stand down. This is a morally good choice; however, by refusing to follow Zariel's commands, Wyll suffers some dire consequences.
• Side with Wyll and kill Karlach.

Karlach will start her new partnership with the party by immediately proposing they hunt down and kill some of Zariel's minions at the nearby Toll House. Zariel's minions can be found at the Toll House, pretending to be Paladins of Tyr.

However, player characters have multiple ways to figure out the truth, such as using the Detect Thoughts spell, ing an Insight check, or even using Speak with Dead on nearby corpses.

Tyr's clerics receive a unique dialogue option when confronting the impostor Paladins, which immediately reveals their deception.

Alternatively, Karlach can be killed. If he takes Karlach's head, Wyll will be visited by his patron, Mizora, who grants him the unique Infernal Robe set. However, unless players opt for a truly evil playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3, recruiting Karlach is the best choice, both for general party composition and a richer storytelling experience.