One aspect that’s surprisingly easy to overlook inBaldur’s Gate 3is that most companions come with unique abilities that no other character can access. In most cases, these exclusive abilities are always available to the companion regardless of their build, and can still be used if you decide to respec them.
Some are passive perks, while others are permanent actions or bonus actions. Many are available from the start of a campaign, though some require progressing through the companion’s personal questline. If you’re not aware of these unique traits,you might not be using your party to its fullest potential- so which of these companion abilities truly stand out?
9Lae’zel & Jaheira
These Two Might Not Have Unique Abilities, But They Make Up For It In Other Areas
Lae’zel and Jaheira are the only companions who don’t get any permanent unique skills or passive abilities. However, Lae’zel is the only githyanki companion, meaning she can use several powerful weapons like theSilver Sword of the Astral Planeto their full ability.
A githyanki holding this weapongets advantage on charisma, intelligence, and wisdom saving throws, resistance to psychic damage, cannot be charmed, and deals an extra 1d6 psychic damage.Unless you’re playing a githyanki with a melee-based build yourself, this more than makes up for her lack of special abilities.
Some players mistake the bonuses granted by Jaheira’s Sylvan Scimitar to be her innate abilities.
Jaheira and Lae’zel are also some of the best characters to have in your party story-wise, especially in your first playthrough. Lae’zel has some especially greatinteractions in the githyanki crèche, andJaheira provides some fantastic commentary on the events in Act 3,since she knows the secrets ofBaldur’s Gatebetter than anyone.
8Wyll
He’s Called The Blade For A Reason
As “The Blade of Frontiers,” it would be a little silly if Wyll wasn’t able to wield a blade.Level one human warlocks don’t typically get proficiency in any type of sword, so Wyll has a passive ability where he is granted proficiency with rapiers.
This isn’t anything special, butit does boost his melee attacksand allows him to use theInfernal Rapierrewarded by Mizora after freeing herfrom the Mind Flayer Colony. Though this may not deal as much damage as theDuellist’s Prerogative, it’s designed to be used by a spellcaster and allows you to summon a cambion to fight by your side.
7Minsc
Summon The Best Furry Companion To Fight By Your Side
Shortly after you recruit him, Minsc will gain the ability to summon Boo, his hamster companion.It’s always useful to have more allies on your side, no matter how small.
“Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes!” - Minsc
Boo actually has more health than Scratch,so even though he’s not one of the strongest familiars, it’s always good to keep him around for a bit of extra assistance. He has a bite attack that deals 7-13 piercing damage, and has a chance to blind enemies if he’s thrown onto them.
6Halsin
Make Some Interesting Class Builds With His Extra Wildshape
Halsin technically gets a permanent wildshape abilitywithhis cave bear transformation, but this isn’t as overpowered as you might think. Even though you’ll still have the ability in your hotbar, you still need a wild shape charge to use it, so you’ll have to keep him as a druid of any subclass for it to work.
Usually, only Circle of the Moon druids get access to bear wildshape,so this allows you to create a pretty capable build for him. You can make him into a powerful spellcaster while simultaneously being able to tank damage with his bear form when he’s low on HP.
However,there is one way for Halsin to be able to use his wildshape ability when he’s not a druid.If you equip the Shapeshifter Hat from Helsik in the Devil’s Fee, you’ll be granted an extra wildshape charge, which applies even if you’re not the intended class.
With that being said, there are plenty of builds where a good helmet will be more useful when using wildshape onceper long rest. Halsin’s extra wildshape can be extremely useful if you’re smart about how you use it.
5Shadowheart
Walk Around The Shadow-Cursed Lands Freely
Shadowheart has a unique debuffcalled “Fear of Wolves,” which forces her to make a wisdom saving throw when she’s within 30 feet of a lupine creature in order not to become frightened. However, it’s quite rare that you’ll run into wolvesoutside the Emerald Grove, and she will lose this passive condition if you free Dame Aylin, so it usually won’t pose much of a problem.
Upon reaching Act Two, you’ll quickly learn thatShadowheart has immunity to lesser effects of the Shadow Curse.This is extremely convenient, as you can use her to explore the Act Two area with a weapon in-hand instead of a torch. Though once you get the Blessing of Selûne or the Pixie’s Blessing, this becomes redundant.
4Karlach
Put Some Extra Punch Behind Her Attacks
Since most of thecontent in Avernus was cut,having Karlach in your party is the only way you can use soul coins for anything.There are a total of 19 of these scattered throughout all three acts, and the effects last until your next long rest, so even though they are finite, they’re pretty hard to run out of.
After a soul coin has been placed into Karlach’s engine, she deals an extra 1d4 damage with her attacks. This isn’t an awful lot, but it’s always useful to put some extra damage behind your attacks. The addition of this ability meansKarlach will always be slightly more deadly than any custom barbarian.
3Gale
The Key To Completing Many Honor Mode Runs
When it comes to unique bonuses,Gale is much better off as an origincharacter, since he can gain an extra spell slot and an exclusive ring only as the player’s avatar. As a companion, he doesn’t offer as much from a tactical standpoint until you reach the final fight. His Arcane Hunger can be a slight hindrance, but it’s usually quite easy to keep it at bay.
After meeting Elminster, he gets access to his iconic Netherse Orb Blast, which destroys everything within a wide radius.It’s generally better to avoid blowing Gale up, especially any time before Act 3, but it’s undeniable that this can be a massive help in reaching the end of an honor mode run.
Gale can gain advantage on concentration checks with the “Mystra’s Benevolence” passive if he destroys Balthazar’s ritual site, but this only lasts until a long rest.
Gale also gets easier access to the “Annointed in Splendor” permanent bonus,which grants a +2 to all saving throws. Any other avatar can earn this for themselves by leaving an offering at the Stormshore Tabernacle, but Gale can also be granted it through meeting with Mystra.
2Minthara
A Very Underrated Bonus Action That Makes Your Party Even Deadlier
Minthara gets constant access to her unique “Soul Branding” ability, which costs nothing more than a bonus action. This allows her to buff any ally holding a weapon, making their next attack deal an extra 3-9 fire damage.
If you keep Minthara as a paladin, she’ll only get access to a few low-level bonus action abilities.Using Soul Branding doesn’t require a spell slot,so it’s great to use it whenever you can.
The buff ends when the affected character lands a melee blow with their weapon, but if the weapon is thrown, the condition will stay, and you’ll still deal the extra fire damage. The bonuses also apply if you attack multiple enemies at oncewith something like Cleave, which makes Minthara one of the most useful characters to recruit.
1Astarion
A Force To Be Reckoned With When Ascended
Astarion gets some of the strongest unique bonuses in the game, but it comes at a grave price. Once he reveals his vampiric nature to the player, he’ll be able to use his Vampire Bite ability, which he can use once per short rest.
This deals a small amount of damage and can restore some of his health.If he successfully bites a humanoid, he’ll gain the “Happy” condition,which grants him a +1 bonus to all attack rolls until the next long rest.
However,if you choose to let Astarion ascend, this ability gets upgraded to “Ascendant Bite,“which can deal over four times the amount of damage that his regular bite inflicts. He will also be granted a 1d10 necrotic damage bonus to any attacks, which is incredibly convenient when fighting any non-undead creature.
2d4 Healing
6d6 Healing
As the Vampire Ascendant, he also gets access to a special version ofGaseous Formcalled “Misty Escape (Vampire Ascendant).” When in this form, he becomes resistant to all forms of damage and can fit through small burrows and crevices. If you’re doing an evil campaign inBaldur’s Gate 3, Astarion is going to be one of the most useful companions to have in your party.
