Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General What Party Compositions Do You Prefer Based On Your Class?

I will start with a paladin and try to pick companions I think is fun to have in the group and not necessarily to cover most bases.

If I had chosen a balanced party instead of who the paladin is compatible with I would go with:
* Me (paladin)
* Shadowheart (healer cleric with melee support)
* Astarion (ranged rogue or maybe even assassin)
* Gale (aoe spellcaster)

My plan is however, to pick a group like:
* Me (paladin)
* Karlach (melee DPS)
* Shadowheart (healer that I might give some rogue abilities)
* Gale (spellpower).

However, everything might change when we know the class of the new unknown companion. I hope that companion is a bard and then I might consider swapping out Karlach or maybe even Shadowheart if the bard has some healing power. Since the paladin can heal too it could be that a support healer is sufficient instead of a dedicated healer like a cleric. Shadowheart is less of a nuisance now than in the first early access versions so I don't mind having her in the group now.

As a paladin I would probably not get along with evil characters like Astarion and Laezel and struggle with characters like Wyll and maybe even Shadowheart. Both are neutral at best. Some say Wyll is chaotic neutral and Shadowheart is worshipping a neutral evil deity.

Karlach is supposed to be more towards lawful good. She is probably lawful neutral. Gale seems to have a personality compatible with a paladin. Maybe he is something like neutral good. I have a feeling the unreleased companion won't be aligned towards evil or chaotic so he / she could be an option too. A neutral good bard would fit many groups.

As companions we have fighter, barbarian, rogue, cleric, wizard and warlock covered. Halsin is a druid. Minsc is a ranger. Jaheira is a fighter / druid. Not sure which class Minthara is, but she seems to be a cleric, but some say she might be an evil paladin.

So for group balance the new companion would be a class we don't have yet. Bard is the most suited companion since it can be specced to replace Astarion or Shadowheart. We have enough melee companions and we have two spell dps toons too. A sorcerer would have been great in the group, but I doubt the new companion is that class. He / she could be a monk since the monk will be revealed in detail on Friday, but 3 melee companions seems to be too much. That's why I hope for a bard. Alfira would be perfect since she is revealed in chapter 1, but we saw her as a refugee in Baldur's Gate in a cutscene so I doubt we can pick her as a companion. That would also introduce a 2nd tiefling as a companion.

Knowing Larian I think they would let the new companion be from a race they don't have yet as a companion. Then dragonborn, half-orc or dwarf seems likely. We will know on Friday and can plan accordingly.

It might we will be encouraged to swap in and out companion members dependent upon certain quests so I e. g. might have to pick Astarion for trap heavy quests. Fortunately alignment is not part of BG3 so the paladin won't get punished for having evil characters in his group. In a PnP group I guess the DM would do something if the paladin associated himself with companions doing or saying bad things like Astarion does all the time. I wonder if a paladin would be obliged to destroy a vampire like Astarion if he had found out. Undead are supposed to be abominations for a paladin.

As paladin I might go for a half-elf vengeance paladin since they're supposed to be pretty uber, but I might go for a devotion paladin if I prefer the role playing aspect and not what's most useful for combat.