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Karlach’s Act One romance starts at the tiefling celebration; her later relationship scene depends on completing both infernal-engine upgrades. Astarion’s romance can begin before or at the Act One celebration, but his Act Two scene hinges on how you respond to his refusal at Moonrise Towers—or on an alternate quest-and-approval route. The scene gates below distinguish optional moments from choices needed to advance each relationship.
At a glance: the scene gates
| Character and act | Prerequisite | Location or trigger | Choice that advances the romance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karlach, Act One | At least 20 approval; romance limits may also matter. | Tiefling celebration, then a long rest for the scene. | Tell her you like her and accept her invitation to spend time together. |
| Karlach, Act Two | Continue the romance and complete both infernal-engine upgrades. | After the second upgrade, the relationship cutscene can occur during the evening. | Use the available touch or hug option to show the upgrade worked. |
| Astarion, Act One | Either reach 40 approval before Save the Refugees resolves, or use the celebration route. | Accept his proposal and take a long rest, or agree to his proposal at the goblin or tiefling celebration. | Agree to spend the night together. |
| Astarion, Act Two | Take him to Araj Oblodra at Moonrise Towers, or meet the alternate quest, location and approval conditions. | Speak with Araj, or complete the alternate route and then take a long rest for the follow-up. | Respect his refusal and respond supportively; later, tell him you care about him to become partners. |
Karlach: initiate the romance in Act One
Build approval, then choose her at the celebration
Flirting with Karlach raises approval but does not, by itself, establish the romance. The romance reference lists telling her “Of course I do” when she asks whether you want to touch her after her first engine upgrade (+10 approval), and telling her she looks “Hot” after the Paladins of Tyr encounter (+3). These are examples, not a complete list of approval options. Karlach romance reference
At the tiefling celebration, the listed route requires at least 20 approval: tell Karlach you like her and accept her invitation to spend time together. If you want her scene to be your first celebration romance scene, do not initiate another romance scene during the celebration. The reference also describes a second-choice route if you have no more than one other active romance. An existing partnership, low approval or too many active romances can make her decline. Karlach romance reference
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Karlach’s engine is not yet upgraded enough for physical contact in this first romance scene. You can try a brief kiss, but it burns your lips. This scene begins the romance; it is not the Act Two relationship scene. Karlach romance reference
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The romance reference flags an earlier night-visit scene as bugged and says it does not trigger without mods. It therefore presents the tiefling celebration as the practical initiation route. That trigger note is from a live community reference, not a guarantee for every game build. Karlach romance reference
Karlach: reach the Act Two relationship scene
Keep the romance active and complete both of Karlach’s infernal-engine upgrades. After the second upgrade, an evening cutscene can progress the relationship. The approval reference also says that showing the upgrade works by touching or hugging her can start the romance if it has not already begun. Karlach romance reference Karlach approval reference
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Astarion: start the romance in Act One
Accept his proposal before the celebration
If Astarion has at least 40 approval before the Save the Refugees quest resolves, a subsequent conversation can lead him to propose spending the night together. Agree, then take a long rest to see the scene. The bite-night scene is not required for this romance route. Astarion romance reference
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Use the goblin or tiefling celebration
You can also initiate the romance at the goblin or tiefling celebration if relationship limits allow it. Agreeing to Astarion’s proposal triggers the romance scene. If you already slept together before the party, accepting again does not produce an additional romance scene. Astarion romance reference
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Astarion: advance the relationship in Act Two
Moonrise route: respect his refusal
Bring Astarion when you speak with Araj Oblodra at Moonrise Towers. Your dialogue choices can either progress the romance or end it. Respect his refusal and respond supportively to lead into the follow-up conversation after a long rest. Pressuring or manipulating him into sex, or making him feel used, can cause him to end the relationship. Astarion romance reference
Alternate route without speaking to Araj
The romance reference describes a similar follow-up if you have completed “Kill Raphael’s Old Enemy,” visited Moonrise Towers, not spoken to Araj, and reached at least 70 approval with Astarion. Take a long rest to reach the follow-up scene. Astarion romance reference
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Choose partnership in the follow-up conversation
In the second romantic cutscene, tell Astarion that you care about him to advance into a partnered relationship. A friend response ends the romance without an approval penalty, according to the approval reference. Astarion approval reference
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhich choices are optional, and what changes later?
- Karlach: Her listed flirt options build approval; the celebration choice initiates the romance, while both engine upgrades gate the later relationship cutscene. The brief kiss attempt in the first scene is not a substitute for those upgrades. Karlach romance reference Karlach approval reference
- Astarion: The bite-night scene is not a romance prerequisite. His Act One romance can begin through either the pre-celebration proposal or the celebration route. In Act Two, the Araj scene and the alternate quest route are alternatives; the partnership choice comes in the follow-up. Astarion romance reference Astarion romance reference Astarion approval reference
- Act Three: After confronting Cazador, helping Astarion ascend or convincing him not to changes later scenes and relationship consequences. That branch is separate from unlocking his Act Two scene. Astarion romance reference
How patch history affects these triggers
Larian Studios’ Patch 2 announcement said Karlach received additional scenes in Acts One and Two and a new epilogue scene. Larian’s Patch 4 notes show that romance triggers have been adjusted in patches, but the cited adjustment concerns Lae’zel, not Karlach or Astarion. The detailed thresholds and branches above come from live bg3.wiki romance and approval references; the approval pages say their listed changes derive from official dialogue files as of Patch 7. Exact triggers may differ by game build.
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