Politeness as a seduction strategy, or how to accidentally sleep with the entire camp in Baldur's Gate 3

In RPGs, being polite is usually the safe choice. Say a few warm words to a companion, nod in agreement, and collect a bump in approval with no strings attached. Especially when there's no heart icon next to the dialogue option.

But in Baldur's Gate 3, friendly support can turn into a wild night, and not just one, within a couple of lines.

One player ran into exactly that. By their own account, they "accidentally had f***ked the entire camp cz I was polite." It all started with Gale: the hero kept agreeing with the wizard, who suddenly showed romantic interest.

Next came a night with Shadowheart, flirting from Astarion, and Halsin, who was "so bulky and bear like." The cherry on top was Lae'zel, who wanted to "taste my sweat," which the player took as a challenge to a duel.

Many commenters flat-out didn't believe the githyanki part. A line about sweat is, to put it mildly, a poor match for a classic invitation to a brawl. The player's admission that they were trying to romance Jaheira added some irony, since Larian Studios never made the legendary druid available as a romance option.

There's a real backstory here, too. During early access, which began in October 2020, Baldur's Gate 3 companions gained a reputation for falling in love far too easily, and it was a cinch to send them "the wrong signal." By the August 2023 release, Larian had made the system much more transparent.

Gale romance, for example, only starts if you hold the wizard's hand or kiss him during the Weave scene, while the "just enjoying each other's company" option keeps things platonic. You can turn a character down even when they make the first move or invite you to spend the night together. Still, some players remember a bug that made Halsin suddenly decide he was the hero's boyfriend.

Traps await even those who read every line. Many players take Shadowheart's offer to share a bottle of wine at the Emerald Grove celebration as a harmless hangout, and Wyll leans in for a kiss after a dance out of nowhere.

The Emperor in Act 3 brings a whole other level of absurdity: in the middle of an intimate scene, he "accidentally" opens a dimension door, and the entire party watches with "wtf faces." One player admitted that after a failed romance attempt, they went and slept with a "squid" and then with the devil Mizora out of heartbreak, then spent a long time convincing the tiefling that it was all a mistake.