As a party-based isometric role-playing game, Baldur's Gate 3 features an extensive cast of characters, each with their unique feelings, characteristics, and disposition towards the player's actions and dialogue choices. Over time, their approval rating will vary, depending on what the player does or does not do during gameplay, and it can affect how the party functions as a whole.
Players must walk a fine line with their companions. But, at the same time, this is the player's story. Not every companion will approve of your choices. Here's how players can keep track of companion approval in Baldur's Gate 3.
Updated by Abigail Angell on August 22nd, 2023: Companion approval is one of the core story mechanics of Baldur's Gate 3. It allows players to influence the opinions of the companion NPCs and explore their personal backstories. To help players understand the importance of approval, an explanation of its uses has been added. Additionally, all Related and Next links have been made more relevant to the reader.
What Is Companion Approval?
First and foremost, it's best to understand what companion approval is in Baldur's Gate 3. Every party member is a unique character with a different outlook and moral guidelines that affect how they react to the world around them. When the player performs any story actions, like completing a quest a specific way, one or more party members may not agree with the outcome or process. In such cases, a reaction message will appear in the top left corner of the HUD.
The higher their approval rating, the more sympathetic the character is to the player. As such, relationships will improve or degrade over time and may eventually lead to a falling out within the party.
Why Approval Matters
Approval in Baldur's Gate 3 is not only a reflection of how sympathetic the character is to the player but also how easily the player can influence that character. Companions who have a more positive opinion of the player will have lower DCs for dialogue-related checks. This becomes important if you'd like to convince a companion to use their Illithid Powers or to break up fights.
Additionally, companions with low approval values will not open up about their backstory -- effectively removing the possibility for romance or completing a number of interesting side quests. It is nearly impossible to make every companion like you at the same time, but you should definitely do multiple playthroughs to get to know each of them.
How To Check Companion Approval
When playing through Baldur's Gate 3, players may have a specific party composition in mind, along with a playstyle that fits their desires and game morals. For example, being a villain is entirely possible.
But, no matter which side of the line players falls on, it's essential to keep track of party approval. To do this, players will open the character sheet tab, navigate to the party member in question, and check their approval indicator halfway down the menu. Unfortunately, there is no numerical rating. Instead, the approval rating begins at Neutral and will move one way or another over time.
That said, the companion approval system isn't binary. The characters in Baldur's Gate 3 don't simply see good and evil; they see more gray than anything else. While a party member may dislike the player's actions at one stage, they may approve another in the same questline.