You can find Gale in Baldur's Gate 3 early in Act 1 at the Roadside Cliffs area, north of the Nautiloid crash landing site on the Ravaged Beach. Specifically, look for a strange glowing purple sigil or rune on the rocky cliff wall at coordinates approximately X:224, Y:326. Interact with this sigil to trigger an event where Gale will reach out from a magical portal. You must succeed in a skill check to pull him through and recruit him to your party. If you fail twice, he will slip back into the portal and you will miss the chance to recruit him at this point

. After rescuing him, Gale will introduce himself and can join your active party immediately if there is space, or wait at your camp until you are ready to bring him along

. He is a powerful wizard companion with a rich backstory and valuable spellcasting abilities

. In summary:

• Location: Roadside Cliffs, north of Nautiloid crash on Ravaged Beach
• Marker: Purple glowing sigil/rune on cliff wall
• Action: Interact with sigil, pass skill check to rescue Gale
• Result: Recruit Gale to party or camp

This is the earliest opportunity to find and recruit Gale in BG3