[ACT 3 SPOILERS] When is a character selected?

[Orion Invictus]

When does the game determine which companion will be kidnapped and replaced? Also, can I figure out who it is?

[Hawke]

A story companion at your camp. I've heard that the one with the lowest positive attitude, but cannot confirm.

I figured it out by having only one at the camp in order to save Grub the cat who dies if a companion is not kidnapped. They later appeared in the Sewers, 6 levels stronger than they were, which kind of gave it away. Otherwise, it is probably the one who suggests to kill Grub's human.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Hawke:

A story companion at your camp. I've heard that the one with the lowest positive attitude, but cannot confirm.

I figured it out by having only one at the camp in order to save Grub the cat who dies if a companion is not kidnapped. They later appeared in the Sewers, 6 levels stronger than they were, which kind of gave it away. Otherwise, it is probably the one who suggests to kill Grub's human.

Thing is, I've spoken with all of them and not one says anything that might give it away. I also tried inspecting their character sheets, nothing out of the ordinary. They all behave like themselves.

[Hawke]

Have you been in the Sewers? Either from the Elfsong tavern or north from the sorcerer with slimes?

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Hawke:

Have you been in the Sewers? Either from the Elfsong tavern or north from the sorcerer with slimes?

Yes. This isn't my first rodeo. I'm asking how the game picks the companion. No more, no less.

[Hawke]

I see. The only thing I can tell with certainty is that the companion must not be in the active party when Orin is met in the sewers.

[Lust]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Originally posted by Hawke:

Have you been in the Sewers? Either from the Elfsong tavern or north from the sorcerer with slimes?

Yes. This isn't my first rodeo. I'm asking how the game picks the companion. No more, no less.

It's whoever you have the least amount of approval with.

Lets say you have all companions unlocked (minus Minthara for this explanation) but you never use Lae'zel or Astarion once you recruited like Karlach and Wyll it means their approval will pretty much never increase making one of the two become the kidnapped.

I've done two runs and both times it was Lae'zel that got kidnapped (because I never use her). A friend of mine never used Halsin at all so had no approval with him, Halsin ended up being the one kidnapped in his playthrough.

It's always the companion you use the least. I'm not quite sure how it works if you have two companions at the same low approval rating though, nor what would happen if you don't have any companions in the camp to be kidnapped.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Lust:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Yes. This isn't my first rodeo. I'm asking how the game picks the companion. No more, no less.

It's whoever you have the least amount of approval with.

Lets say you have all companions unlocked (minus Minthara for this explanation) but you never use Lae'zel or Astarion once you recruited like Karlach and Wyll it means their approval will pretty much never increase making one of the two become the kidnapped.

I've done two runs and both times it was Lae'zel that got kidnapped (because I never use her). A friend of mine never used Halsin at all so had no approval with him, Halsin ended up being the one kidnapped in his playthrough.

It's always the companion you use the least. I'm not quite sure how it works if you have two companions at the same low approval rating though, nor what would happen if you don't have any companions in the camp to be kidnapped.

That can't be. I have never used Wyll nor Gale in this playthrough (they're literally still at level 1), but Lae'zel is the one who got kidnapped.

[CorwynCorey]

The one with the highest approval who is not in your party is my GUESS.

Since so far they captured ones I had at 100% but were not in the party... could have been anyone. MUST be an Origin character.

[Lust]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Originally posted by Lust:

It's whoever you have the least amount of approval with.

Lets say you have all companions unlocked (minus Minthara for this explanation) but you never use Lae'zel or Astarion once you recruited like Karlach and Wyll it means their approval will pretty much never increase making one of the two become the kidnapped.

I've done two runs and both times it was Lae'zel that got kidnapped (because I never use her). A friend of mine never used Halsin at all so had no approval with him, Halsin ended up being the one kidnapped in his playthrough.

It's always the companion you use the least. I'm not quite sure how it works if you have two companions at the same low approval rating though, nor what would happen if you don't have any companions in the camp to be kidnapped.

That can't be. I have never used Wyll nor Gale in this playthrough (they're literally still at level 1), but Lae'zel is the one who got kidnapped.

It can be cause that's how the kidnapping works. Your approval with Lae'zel was still lower. You probably did a couple good things with her in party that she didn't like hence the knock to approval and her getting kidnapped.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Lust:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

That can't be. I have never used Wyll nor Gale in this playthrough (they're literally still at level 1), but Lae'zel is the one who got kidnapped.

It can be cause that's how the kidnapping works. Your approval with Lae'zel was still lower. You probably did a couple good things with her in party that she didn't like hence the knock to approval and her getting kidnapped.

I checked. The lowest approval I have is with Halsin (turned out I haven't used him or Jaheira either) at 0. Lae'zel is at 35, same as Wyll. Jaheira is at 20.

My conclusion is that IF it is indeed getting the companion with the lowest approval, it's only picking companions that have actually been in my party at some point.

[Lust]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Originally posted by Lust:

It can be cause that's how the kidnapping works. Your approval with Lae'zel was still lower. You probably did a couple good things with her in party that she didn't like hence the knock to approval and her getting kidnapped.

I checked. The lowest approval I have is with Halsin (turned out I haven't used him or Jaheira either) at 0. Lae'zel is at 35, same as Wyll. Jaheira is at 20.

My conclusion is that IF it is indeed getting the companion with the lowest approval, it's only picking companions that have actually been in my party at some point.

Hmm then I don't know because I never used Lae'zel at all besides putting her in my party at camp to level her up yet she got kidnapped in both my save files.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Lust:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

I checked. The lowest approval I have is with Halsin (turned out I haven't used him or Jaheira either) at 0. Lae'zel is at 35, same as Wyll. Jaheira is at 20.

My conclusion is that IF it is indeed getting the companion with the lowest approval, it's only picking companions that have actually been in my party at some point.

Hmm then I don't know because I never used Lae'zel at all besides putting her in my party at camp to level her up yet she got kidnapped in both my save files.

If I'm right, that would be enough. Gale, Wyll, Halsin, and Jaheira have literally never been in my party.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Lucifronz:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Thing is, I've spoken with all of them and not one says anything that might give it away. I also tried inspecting their character sheets, nothing out of the ordinary. They all behave like themselves.

Yeah, I've found articles online claiming you have to speak to the characters to find out which one doesn't remember their own backstory or slips up in conversation.

Those articles are full of ♥♥♥♥. They're AI-generated trash that have nothing to do with the game.

There is absolutely zero interaction that spells out who the traitor is.

For the record, I never read any articles precisely because I expected a bunch of clickbait, fake info, SEO ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (like Fextralife). I just expected there would be a way to do it because it seems like a logical possibility to add, a sort of "reward" for getting to know your companions instead of just skipping through dialogue.

[WildOrchid]

Originally posted by Lust:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Yes. This isn't my first rodeo. I'm asking how the game picks the companion. No more, no less.

It's whoever you have the least amount of approval with.

Lets say you have all companions unlocked (minus Minthara for this explanation) but you never use Lae'zel or Astarion once you recruited like Karlach and Wyll it means their approval will pretty much never increase making one of the two become the kidnapped.

I've done two runs and both times it was Lae'zel that got kidnapped (because I never use her). A friend of mine never used Halsin at all so had no approval with him, Halsin ended up being the one kidnapped in his playthrough.

It's always the companion you use the least. I'm not quite sure how it works if you have two companions at the same low approval rating though, nor what would happen if you don't have any companions in the camp to be kidnapped.

A little googling tells me it's only Gale, Lae'zel, Halsin, Minthara or the little kid who can be kidnapped (a lot of people mention these companions specifically). It's not a matter of low or high approval, it's randomized because i had all of them on high approval and yet one got kidnapped. But apparently ONLY those companions can be taken, god knows why.

I kept reloading and i always had either Halsin or Lae'zel taken. As for who the 'fake' is, you don't get the hints by talking to them which is kind of dumb but by only a cutscene of said companion who got kidnapped.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Originally posted by Lust:

Hmm then I don't know because I never used Lae'zel at all besides putting her in my party at camp to level her up yet she got kidnapped in both my save files.

If I'm right, that would be enough. Gale, Wyll, Halsin, and Jaheira have literally never been in my party.

Update: I was not right. Halsin was kidnapped in my current playthrough, despite also never having been in my party.