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Baldur’s Gate 3is stuffed to the gills with interesting characters, many of which are potential recruits to your party. These characters have interesting, well-written personal stories and serve specific, pre-defined roles in battle, perfect for getting you through the game’s many challenges.
That said, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game you’ll play over and over again, experimenting with new classes and strategies - it’s one of the game’s biggest draws! So what’s the best way to cram as much experimentation and sheer possibility into the game without forcing you to do something silly like turn Astarion into a Cleric? Hirelings are the answer.
Updated July 05, 2025: We’ve updated this guide with details on how Hirelings have changed with Patch 4.
What Is A Hireling?
A Hireling is aparty member that you can recruit for a small amount of gold. They are basically vessels that you can use to fight alongside you - they do not have personalities or personal quests, but you can level them up however you like.
You can think of these characters as ‘spares’ - they are useful for testing out new subclasses, multiclass combinations, and potentially doubling up on classes. Ever wanted to run with two Clerics? Well, now you can!
While you can talk to Hirelings, you can’t exactly have regular conversations with them. They are extensions of Withers, using vessels that aren’t exactly ‘alive’.
How To Recruit A Hireling
The prerequisite to being able to hire a hireling is havingrecruited Withers to your camp. To do this, you’ll need to head down to theDank Crypton the coast, where you land after the sequence on the nautiloid.
For a thorough guide to meeting Withers, click here!
Once he’s at your camp, you can inquire with Withers about hiring some extra help. There are some things to keep in mind when hiring extra help:
If you cannot recruit any Hirelingsdespite having Withers at your camp, you may need to level up a bit!You must be level threebefore Withers will prompt you to discuss these unique companions.
The Hirelings available to you are static, meaning youcannot customise their race. Their class and stat spread can be changed via the class change service, and their appearance via the Magic Mirror or upon recruitment. The table below detailsevery Hireling in the game.
17
13
15
8
12
10
11
14
All Hirelings will come with some basic equipment, includingtwo Healing Potions and aScroll of Revivify. This makes these items easily acquired for a very small amount of money.
