10 Best BG3 NPCs Fans Still Want to Join the Party All These Years Later

Imagine this exasperating scenario: A valiant paladin shepherds their displaced people away from a blazing camp, holds the remaining massacre survivors together, and successfully repels Absolute cultists on two separate occasions—only to bid you a swift farewell. Here is another frustrating example: A druid nearly causes an entire enclave to be slaughtered, spends the remainder of the narrative grappling with those devastating consequences, and the game decrees that such drama isn’t quite enough to keep them around. Pardon me?!

Baldur’s Gate 3 is brimming with scenarios of this nature: a brilliant persona, a compelling arc, and zero intuitive ways to discover what happens next. Take Mizora—Wyll’s infernal patron who bestowed his warlock abilities—whom a clever mod has finally made fully accessible. While Mizora technically drops by your camp, she strictly operates on her own terms, typically leaving you wishing you could banish her right back to whatever abyss spawned her. Unless, of course, you choose to harness her fiendish strengths for your own agenda. Fortunately, thanks to the Mizora Joins the Party modification crafted by modder WorldWalker42, that exact feat is now entirely possible. She is far from the only non-player character deserving of an upgrade to full companion status. Here are 10 additional figures who deserve a permanent spot at the hearth.

Why we’re inviting Alfira to camp: A single musical composition from her was never going to suffice.

Alfira is a tiefling bard you encounter within the Emerald Grove during Act 1. Upon your introduction, she improvises a touching melody on the spot that reflects your ongoing journey. If such an enchanting event transpired in reality, anyone would be thoroughly captivated, and the in-game impact is nearly identical. It proves to be a wonderful interaction—yet it constitutes the absolute extent of your bond with her. The base game lacks a dedicated bard companion, making Alfira the premier candidate to rectify this glaring omission. (As a quick caveat: If you have consistently desired to spend extended time with Alfira, under no circumstances should you embark on a Dark Urge playthrough. Consider this your final warning.)

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Why we’re inviting Barcus to camp: He endured three entire acts of torment and still fails to secure a seat by the fire?

Barcus is a resilient gnome you can rescue from a spinning windmill early in Act 1. Following that ordeal, his existence hardly grows tranquil. He faces subsequent capture, undergoes brutal interrogation regarding his former associate Wulbren’s whereabouts, gets dragged to Moonrise Towers, and ultimately assumes leadership of the Ironhand faction in Act 3 once all other authorities fail him. His narrative journey possesses the depth typical of any primary companion—he merely requires a dedicated class build. After enduring such immense hardship, he has certainly earned that distinction.

8

Zevlor

Why we’re inviting Zevlor to camp: He protected his people twice, only for the game to let him wander off into obscurity?

Zevlor serves as the steadfast tiefling paladin holding the Emerald Grove refugees together during Act 1, executing the grueling responsibilities of a leader without ever receiving an official mandate. Should you successfully defend the grove and ensure his survival, he guides the refugees toward the metropolis of Baldur’s Gate—a milestone heavily emphasized by the plot—before abruptly disappearing from the overarching narrative entirely. That leaves us (along with the broader Reddit community) wondering: If players can recruit Minthara during a villainous run, why on earth is Zevlor unavailable as a righteous counterpart? I will be standing by awaiting a satisfactory reply, Larian.

7

Volo

Why we’re inviting Volo to camp: He possesses an uncanny knack for talking his way into and out of every catastrophe across Faerûn.

Volo is the intrepid scholar initially discovered trapped headfirst inside an owlbear nest during Act 1. From there, his judgment merely deteriorates further—such as offering supremely flawed guidance, functioning as a camp merchant alongside his role as a highly questionable ocular surgeon, and masterfully navigating predicaments he has no business surviving. He poses zero physical threat and lacks any genuine tactical prowess; throwing him into actual combat would be a liability. However, for the delightfully eccentric commentary he would contribute to every misadventure you stumble into, Volo remains an inspired choice for a prospective party member.

6

Araj

Why we’re inviting Araj to camp: She craves your vitae, your destiny, and—with high probability—likely avoids seeking your demise.

Araj manages an establishment within Moonrise Towers dedicated entirely to blood samples, alchemy, and disconcerting eye contact. Specifically, she desires a sample of your blood, arguing that the life force of a True Soul holds invaluable secrets. (This exact brand of vague intrigue is scientifically designed to hook me every single time.) Because she is tied to the ruined noble house Oblodra, her presence could easily unlock a sweeping, unwritten redemption arc centered on restoring her family’s prestige. While she never explicitly asks to travel with you—nor would she—her aura of mystery does all the recruiting necessary.

5

Sazza

Why we’re inviting Sazza to camp: She has been rescued repeatedly, emerging sassier with each iteration.

Sazza is a goblin scout initially encountered during the assault on the Emerald Grove. Depending on your narrative decisions, you can end up preserving her life on three distinct occasions across three different acts—a feat that unlocks a dedicated achievement. She is abrasive, intensely arrogant, and completely conscious of her own utility. Gamers continually clamor for a playable goblin companion primarily because of her…and additionally because rescuing an individual that many times without retaining them in your roster begins to feel strangely personal. (“What do you mean you are departing? I literally just saved you yet again!”)

4

Kagha

Why we’re inviting Kagha to camp: She nearly orchestrated a massacre within her own sanctuary and continues to bear that heavy burden.

Kagha functions as the second-in-command of the Emerald Grove during Act 1. Such authority naturally demands accountability—an obligation she undermines by colluding in secret with the Shadow Druids behind her circle’s back. You possess the agency to expose or pardon her betrayal depending on the thematic tone of your run. Spare Kagha, and she is granted a redemption trajectory arguably more riveting than Halsin’s entire background, primarily because she possesses raw, contemporary sins to atone for in real-time. (Bear in mind that Halsin’s conflicts are centuries old and largely resolved by the time you cross paths.) Kagha’s drama unfolds directly before you, and yet the game simply permits her to walk away from it.

3

Popper

Why we’re inviting Popper to camp: The finest of boys deserves every single treat!!!

Popper is an endearing kobold discovered within the Circus of the Last Days during Act 3. He stands out as one of the few entertainers who isn’t secretly a shape-shifting doppelgänger. His entire personality revolves around absolute devotion to “His Majesty”—a domestic cat he is unwaveringly convinced is actual royalty—alongside an endless supply of snacks he terms “treatos.” Much like Volo, he lacks combat power or tactical utility, and no one is pretending otherwise. But do we desperately want the absolute best boy in our party to supply him with endless treatos around the clock? Affirmative, without a doubt. Next query.

2

He Who Was

Why we’re inviting He Who Was to camp: He is departed, vindictive, and thoroughly relishing his post-mortem existence.

Deep within the grim expanse of the Shadow-Cursed Lands, you can stumble upon a deeply unsettling ritual. An undead entity is actively animating skeletons exclusively to torment a woman who wronged him centuries prior—reveling in every sadistic moment of the procedure. He Who Was lacks a fully fleshed-out questline, appearing solely for this haunting, unforgettable vignette before vanishing entirely. While this brief encounter might seem sufficient, it ultimately leaves players wanting more. If you happen to pursue a villainous playthrough, your roster of potential companions shrinks significantly. Having the option to enlist He Who Was as an unhinged, spectral ally instead of watching him dissolve into the mists would instantly solve that deficiency.

1

Arabella

Why we’re inviting Arabella to camp: She is a youth exhibiting arcane abilities that caught everyone unawares—not least of all herself.

You rescue Arabella, a tiefling child, from Auntie Ethel’s subterranean lair in Act 1. She subsequently spends the following chapter processing that severe trauma safely within your camp—a reaction that makes complete logical sense. By Act 2, however, she begins manifesting erratic, volatile magical surges. Come Act 3, she abruptly strikes out on her own path. Closure is entirely absent, leaving behind only lingering questions and untapped potential. Witnessing her wander off amid an unfolding mystery stands as arguably the single most unresolved narrative thread in the entire production.

Baldur’s Gate 3 certainly did not run out of phenomenal personalities once it exhausted its formal slots for companions. This remains, admittedly, an enviable issue to confront, assuming it counts as an issue at all! Yet it places inquisitive, lore-obsessed players in a peculiar dilemma: Even with six incredible allies prepared to join your ranks, you may spend the entirety of your playthrough wondering what it would be like to adventure alongside Kagha or unwind by the fire with Barcus. For Mizora, at least, that scenario is no longer purely hypothetical. If you have been eager to recruit her, explore the aforementioned mod—and begin pondering which figures you would nominate next for transformation from humble NPCs into full-fledged party members!

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Source: Polygon