Unveiling the Unseen: Unlocking Karlach's Secret recruitment Method in Baldur's Gate 3

Highlights

A player discovered a hidden path to recruit Karlach early on in Baldur's Gate 3's opening act.

Recruiting Karlach typically involves investing approximately twelve hours in leveling and equipping, as the Risen Road presents formidable challenges.

The Emerald Grove cave provides a shortcut for players to reach Karlach ahead of time, but crossing the river entails either assistance or a substantial Strength ability.

A Baldur's Gate 3 player has discovered a secret pathway to recruit Karlach early in the game's opening act. This finding, shared on social media, demonstrates the game's meticulous attention to detail.

Warning! Minor spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3 Act 1. Karlach can only be found at the end of the Risen Road, which players can explore during Act 1. However, reaching the Risen Road is quite straightforward, but the area is filled with encounters with tough enemies like Bugbears, making it a challenge for low-level players. Consequently, it typically takes players around twelve hours to recruit Karlach as they need time to level up and obtain better gear to overcome the substantial challenge posed by the Risen Road.

On the other hand, there is a hidden shortcut that allows players to reach Karlach's location much earlier. This discovery was made by Reddit user SweetAndSourSoap in the Emerald Grove cave, which also serves as Zevlor's office, the leader of the local Tiefling refugees. By climbing the only ladder in Baldur's Gate 3's location, players can move forward towards the cave's other exit, where Karlach can already be spotted. Although the river separating her from the Emerald Grove hollow cannot be crossed on foot, it is possible to jump across it.

However, the stream is too wide for most characters to make the jump without assistance. SweetAndSourSoap, for example, had to consume the Baldur's Gate 3 Potion of Glorious Vaulting in order to reach Karlach from the Emerald Grove grotto. Another option is to use the level 1 Transmutation spell called Jump, which triples a character's leaping distance. This spell is available to the Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, and Wizard classes, as well as the Eldritch Knight subclass of Fighters.

Jumping distance in Baldur's Gate 3 is determined by a character's Strength ability. Characters who have invested heavily in this stat may be able to reach Karlach from the Emerald Grove cave on their own. However, it is unlikely that players will be able to do so early in the game. The same applies to teleportation spells like Misty Step. By the time these abilities become available, the party should already be strong enough to defeat enemies along the Risen Road and reach Karlach without missing out on any XP from battles.

Baldur's Gate 3 is currently available on PC. It will be released for PS5 on September 6, and an Xbox Series X/S version is expected to launch in late 2023.