Too Few Good Characters who can join you during the Game

[Redwood]

So I have to play with evil characters, and they get tired of seeing good deeds and leave!

[Captain Pentium]

Keep looking, there are far more good and neutral companions (19) than there are evil ones (10).

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

--> https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Companions

[Redwood]

I will keep looking. I tried Kivan but he left the group because I could not destroy the bandit stronghold fast enough.

[Bigsby]

There’s a tremendous number of companions. I always feel like I’m missing out when I can’t take a new one.

[Redwood]

Companions are where a lot of the work went in making the game.

[Korhal]

If you want to bring along a mostly good party, you can grab the following basically from the get go:

- Imoen right from the start, you can dual-class her to mage later and she is the best thief in the game
- Jaheira and Khalid waiting for you in the friendly Arm
- go to Nashkell, like the former two want you to do anyway, there you find Minsk
- Minsk wants you to free Dynaheir (or he goes berserk on you!!)

After that, you have a Party of only good guys, except Jaheira, who is neutral, which contains:

Two decent fighters, one of them being awesome
A Thief
A Druid for heals and support
A Mage
Yourself

If you do not like Khalid or Jaheira, you can also find Branwen on the Nashkell Circus (you need a Scroll with Stone to Flesh for her, buy it in a temple), she is a cleric
If you go north to from the Friendly Arm, you can also find the Paladin Ajantis on the road.

[Wicket W. Warrick]

Quite the opposite.

Good or neutral:
- Just following the main plot before end of chapter 2: Imoen, Garrick, Jaheira, Khalid, Neera, Xan, Minsc, Rasaad....and if you go to Carnival Branwen
- Before going to Baldur's gate: Kivan, Coran, Safana, Dynaheir, Ajantis (but you can pick them up earlier, in chapter 2 or 1), Faldorn, Yeslick.

Some are neutral but most of them suits better in a good party than in an evil one.
On the other hand, for an evil party there are less choices.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

While the area north of Friendly Arm Inn is not on the path to the inn, it doesn't hurt to take a peek, and Ajantis can be picked up without trouble either before entering the inn or when leaving it.

[Redwood]

Thank you all for clearing things up. There had to be a way.

[grognardgary]

The real question is when do you want to pick up companions. And which ones best suit your party. Note Emoen is the only one who will not gain levels while you do if you leave her in the start area.

[I AM BAYTOR]

Originally posted by Redwood:

I will keep looking. I tried Kivan but he left the group because I could not destroy the bandit stronghold fast enough.

He leaves super quickly until you get to chapter 4 (or 5, idr exactly). I'd hold off on picking him up til you're about to start Cloakwood mines.

[I AM BAYTOR]

Most basic "good" party is probably Jahiera, Kahlid, Minsc, Dynaheir, and Imoen. But I always end up getting Corin because he's too good of an archer to pass up.

[Redwood]

Yes, Jahiera, Kahleid, Minsc, Dynaheir and Imoen are the good default. I was hoping for more good characters to make things different in later games. I cannot play an evil party; robbing houses is not for me.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Originally posted by Redwood:

I was hoping for more good characters to make things different in later games.

What exactly do you mean here? New good-aligned story companions in SOD and BG2EE? Or companions that transfer into those two?

Originally, only the canon story characters transfer into BG2. Those are the five good/neutral ones covered in this topic. Plus Viconia, Edwin and Sarevok. The enhanced editions added Rasaad, Neera and Dorn to those that transfer. And SOD is just an expansion. None of the extra companions added by it reappear in BG2EE.

Furthermore, given that BG2 resets story companions to game defaults, regardless of whether they may have been killed in BG1, what do you fear? There are enough options to finish BG1. As a last resort, create good-aligned custom companions using the "Create Party" button at the start of the game. Those transfer into SOD and BG2EE.

[Redwood]

I think I will go with the created custom characters. I played a little bit of BG2 already, but I am going to finish BG1 first. I don't think I am going to be able to survive the vampires in BG2 so I am going to have to remake one thief into a gnome thief/cleric...and keep the other cleric I already have...so I will have enough negative plane protection for a party of six.