The full companion romances are Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Lae’zel, Shadowheart, Wyll, Halsin and Minthara. Jaheira and Minsc are permanent companions but are not romance options. The game also contains one-off intimate encounters — Mizora, the Emperor, Haarlep, the drow twins and others — but those are not equivalent to a multi-act companion relationship and can affect an existing romance differently.
Eight companions have full romance arcs
Approval matters, but romance is not a single approval bar: scenes, quest flags, location and camp-event order all have to line up.
Relationship stages: flirting is not commitment
Stage | What it means | Typical timing
Friendly | Companion relationship without active romance progression | Any Act
Dating / flirting | Act 1 or early Act 2 romance has begun; other early romances may still coexist temporarily | Act 1 → early Act 2
Partnered | The companion’s commitment event has fired; most Origin pairings now force exclusivity | Usually Act 2
Ex-partnered | Romance ended; friendship may continue depending on character/event | Any time after breakup
A common failure is treating “I saw two romance scenes” as proof that both relationships will survive. Up to two Origin relationships can coexist in the early stage, and the tiefling celebration can create unusual extra queues. Once an Origin romance reaches its partnered stage, the game generally forces a choice. Do not plan permanent polyamory around Act 1 flirting flags.
The eight full romances at a glance
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| Companion | How the route starts / commits | Critical warning |
|---|---|---|
Shadowheart | Act 1 bottle/waterfall; partners after Shadowfell decision | Bring her to the Shadowfell; Act 3 Selûnite swim has its own requirements. |
Astarion | Act 1 night/celebration; partners through Araj or Yurgir/Raphael confession | Act 2 confession is the true lock; respect bodily autonomy. |
Gale | Act 1 Weave/flirting; major Act 2 romance scene partners the route | Do not assume high approval alone queues every scene; long-rest the camp events. |
Lae’zel | Act 1/early Act 2 physical interest; Act 2 duel can partner the route | She can even start in Act 2 if the dialogue remains available; duel outcome itself does not prevent commitment. |
Wyll | Current unmodded route must start at the tiefling celebration; Act 2 dance advances it | Old “platonic Act 2 start” advice is no longer reliable/current. |
Karlach | Current unmodded route starts at the tiefling celebration; Act 2 second engine repair + night locks it | Old 30-approval pre-party night visit is bugged. |
Halsin | Act 3 after fully lifting the Shadow Curse | Can coexist with Astarion/Shadowheart/Karlach only with consent; permission has a next-Long-Rest deadline. |
Minthara | Formal route after Act 2 recruitment / approval | Highly exclusive; partnered status can automatically overwrite dating flags. |
Approval is necessary, but approval is not the romance system
Approval unlocks conversations, but the game also tracks whether a romance scene was queued, whether the companion was present for a quest, whether you crossed a region transition, and whether a higher-priority camp event is occupying the next Long Rest. This is why “I have 90 approval but nothing happened” is a common support question. Long rest after major companion quest beats and talk to the companion even when there is no exclamation mark.
Gale’s romance illustrates the system well: approval opens the door, but the relationship is still advanced through specific camp and story scenes.
Act 1: start the route before you try to optimise it
Recruit romance targets early enough to see their camp events.
Take normal Long Rests; Partial Rest can clear event queues when you do not need resources.
The tiefling celebration has special scripting and can offer romance starts at lower/unique thresholds.
Current Karlach: treat the tiefling celebration as the only reliable unmodded start.
Current Wyll: initiate at the tiefling celebration; failing the DC 15 kiss check does not lock the route.; If one romance is your priority, do not queue every available Act 1 scene and assume the game will sort it out in your favour.
Wyll’s current romance must begin at the tiefling celebration; the kiss check can fail without closing the route.
Act 2 is the lock-in danger zone
Most Origin romances change from “dating” to “partnered” in Act
2. This is where leaving the act too soon causes permanent losses. Shadowheart’s commitment pivots on the Shadowfell/Nightsong decision; Astarion needs either the Araj route or the high-approval Yurgir/Raphael route; Karlach needs the second engine upgrade and its long-rest scene; Wyll’s dance and Gale/Lae’zel relationship scenes are also Act 2 commitment beats.
The safest rule is simple: after a major companion-quest event, stop, return to camp and rest until the queue clears before crossing a point-of-no-return warning.
Lae’zel’s romance is character-specific: her Act 2 duel is a commitment scene, not a generic “approval threshold” event.
Halsin is the major committed-romance exception / Halsin compatibility snapshot
Halsin’s actual romance begins in Act 3 after Lift the Shadow Curse has been fully completed. If the player is already partnered, he asks them to obtain consent. Shadowheart, Astarion and Karlach can consent; Lae’zel, Wyll and Gale decline and force a choice. Minthara is possessive and exclusive; there is no functioning consent conversation for adding Halsin.
A hard timing detail is easy to miss: if Halsin makes the offer while you already have a partner and you do not obtain permission before the next Long Rest, the Halsin romance path closes permanently, even though his dialogue sounds as if you can take your time.
Halsin is the game’s clearest polyamory exception, but the existing partner’s consent is a mechanical requirement, not flavour text.
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Existing committed partner | Can add Halsin? / Notes |
|---|---|
Astarion | Yes, with consent / He asks for reassurance that the existing relationship still matters. |
Shadowheart | Yes, with consent / Explicitly supportive. |
Karlach | Yes, with consent / Skeptical/emotional but can agree. |
Gale | No / Choose Gale or Halsin. |
Wyll | No / Choose Wyll or Halsin. |
Lae’zel | No / Choose Lae’zel or Halsin. |
Minthara | No functioning consent path / Her romance is explicitly possessive/exclusive. |
Minthara’s relationship is one of the most exclusive routes and should not be treated like the Halsin-compatible Origin romances.
Act 3 scenes generally resolve a romance that already exists: Shadowheart after her Shar/Selûne path and House of Grief, Astarion after Cazador, Karlach through the Lower City date, Lae’zel after her Vlaakith/Orpheus progression, and so on. If the Act 1/2 relationship flags were never established, reaching the Lower City does not usually let the player start that romance from zero.
Act 3 is payoff, not a restart button / Safest romance workflow
1. Pick a priority companion before the end of Act 1.
2. Recruit them early and build approval through normal role-play rather than farming isolated +1s.
3. Long rest after major quest beats and before region transitions.
4. Trigger the Act 1 romance start or tiefling-celebration route.
5. In Act 2, complete that companion’s required quest/scene and wait for the Partnered event.
6. Resolve any forced relationship choice before assuming a dual route is safe.
7. In Act 3, complete the personal quest and then trigger the romance payoff.
Common failure points / FAQ
Using one universal approval number for every companion.; Treating the Emperor/Mizora/drow-twin encounters as full companion romances.
Following old Karlach/Wyll start instructions instead of current celebration scripting.; Leaving Act 2 with Karlach/Astarion/Shadowheart scenes still queued.
Waiting a Long Rest after Halsin’s offer without first obtaining partner consent.; Assuming two Act 1 dating flags equal permanent polyamory.
How many full companion romances are there? Eight.; Can I romance Jaheira or Minsc? No.
Can I romance two Origin companions permanently? Normally no; partnered Origin romances force a choice.; Who can share with Halsin? Astarion, Shadowheart and Karlach can consent.; Does approval alone trigger romance? No. Quest flags, location and camp-event order also matter.