Among Tav’s companions, Lae’zel receives a lot of undue hate, likely because of her rather abrasive personality. However, with some background knowledge about the Githyanki, her actions show more compassion and loyalty than you might expect. Here’s why Lae’zel is the most caring Baldur’s Gate 3 companion.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Why Lae’zel is the Most Caring Companion
Lae’zel is the first companion you meet in BG3. We come across her in the middle of battle and strike an alliance out of a shared desire to survive. It’s clear she appreciates combat prowess. She also shows she can put aside Shadowheart’s dislike of her and work together to escape the Nautiloid alive. But to really understand how horrifying this prologue is for Lae’zel, we need to take a look back at the Githyanki’s history.
The Bad Blood Between the Githyanki and Illithid
Long ago, the Githyanki were enslaved by the Illithid. Naturally, the Githyanki became resentful of their oppressors, so they made it their mission to hunt down and eradicate all Illithids. Of course, that also meant that a tadpole infection was the worst thing that could happen to a Githyanki. But fighting the Illithid is basically a rite of passage for Githyanki warriors. As a younger Githyanki, Lae’zel wanted to please Vlaakith and prove herself as a worthy warrior by presenting a Mind Flayer head to her queen.
With that background in mind, we arrive at the point where the Nautiloid crashes. Lae’zel is infected with a tadpole like the rest of us, and she’s been captured by Tieflings. The infection alone is the worst possible scenario for a Githyanki. On top of that, she has no Mind Flayer head for her queen, and she’s trapped in a wooden cage. After being freed, she could leave us behind and seek out a créche alone for treatment. But she doesn’t.
What Makes Lae’zel the Most Caring Companion
She insists on taking us to the créche with her. It might be due to a sense of duty that she owes us that much help because we’ve helped her, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s trying to share the only cure she knows for the infection with us. And we aren’t even Githyanki. Not only that, but she travels with us and helps with tasks she disagrees with when we don’t go straight to the créche. Unlike other companions, she doesn’t have ulterior motives for helping us, such as receiving our help in her own quest or asking for anything in return. She just wants to be cured and takes us along to be cured in the process.
If she were as harsh as she presents herself, she would never put up with our sidetracking or bother bringing us to the créche at all. But it shows how much she cares about us in her own way because she’s trying to save us with the only method she knows: treatment at the créche. She’s not obligated to help us and could leave to go on her own, but she chooses to do what she can for us instead.
Looking into her culture and actions shows us why Lae’zel is the most caring Baldur’s Gate 3 companion. Like all companions, she undergoes a lot of character development as well if you give her a chance and help her through The Githyanki Warrior quest. From here, check out our guide hub for more content like Larian leaving BG3 behind isn’t a bad thing or the top mods for adding races and classes.
