Who is Baldur’s Gate 3’s Shadowheart? Shadowheart is one of the first Baldur’s Gate 3 companions you’ll come across, and although she’s immediately happy to cooperate with you to find a solution to the wiggly little problem you’ve both got festering in your ocular region, you’ll soon find her to be sassy, condescending, and frequently disagreeable.
If you have read our Baldur’s Gate 3 review, you’ll know that you’ll need all the help you can get. To assist you in recruiting her, we’ve got everything you need to know about gaining approval with BG3 Shadowheart, but fair warning; there will be extensive Baldur’s Gate 3 spoilers ahead. Don’t forget to check out our other companion guides for Minsc, Halsin, and Wyll if you want to try someone a bit different.
How to recruit Shadowheart
You can find Shadowheart banging on a Cephlapod pod door at the very start of Chapter One as you flee the nautiloid ship.
If you’re wondering how to free Shadowheart from the pod on the nautiloid ship, there is a way to do so. For step-by-step instructions, follow our guide at the link above.
If you don’t recruit her there, she’ll wind up on the beach still in the pod or later appear in the druid enclave and eventually turn up at your camp with murderous intent – after which you can persuade her to join you. It’s difficult not to bump into her at some point.
Shadowheart abilities, starting equipment, and skills
Shadowheart is a high half-elf cleric and can offer both offense and support in equal measure, depending on how you want to build her.
Here are Shadowheart’s stats:
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 14
- Constitution: 14
- Intelligence: 10
- Wisdom: 16
- Charisma: 10
Shadowheart starts the game with a circlet, chain shirt, leather boots, mace, and studded shield. Her starting skills are Slight of Hand, Stealth, Religion, and Insight.
Shadowheart, as a high half-elf, also has extra features Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, and Minor Illusion.
How to complete Shadowheart’s companion quest
Shadowheart’s personal quest is called ‘Daughter of Darkness’, and is automatically unlocked upon recruiting her. She will eventually reveal she’s a worshipper of dark goddess Shar and is on a mission for her god – and has had her memories suppressed to better serve her. Things come to a head later on in the main story, and she’ll have a choice to make.
How to change Shadowheart’s hair
So, spoilers ahead, but there is a scenario in which Shadowheart will reinvent herself, both spiritually and aesthetically. She dyes her hair white and gets rid of the sharp fringe in favor of a softer-looking part. To get Shadowheart to change her hair, you must take her to visit the Nightsong and convince her not to kill the imprisoned woman. Once this happens, Shadowheart will have a crisis of faith, renouncing Shar, and also her black hair. Make sure you have a chat with your campmates after the transformation to see what they think of Shadowheart’s new look.
How to raise Shadowheart’s approval rating
You gain approval with Shadowheart by prioritizing finding a healer and declining other solutions to the tadpole problem.
You’ll also gain her approval by disagreeing with Laezel, whom she dislikes, and by being kind to animals. Petting the dog, Scratch, while he’s in your camp gives you approval with Shadowheart, and us, we also approve.
You’ll lose approval with Shadowheart by agreeing with Laezel about anything whatsoever, and she definitely won’t like it if you decide to help Lae’zel fight the Tieflings that imprisoned her. She’s also not a fan of Wyll’s plan to help the refugees, and prying into her past when you talk to her will you earn an approval loss.
How to romance Shadowheart
To romance the devoted Shadowheart, you must have a high enough approval rating with her. Approach her during the Druid celebration. After a little chit-chat about your recent adventures, she will ask to share a bottle of wine with you. Tell her you’ll find her after everyone has turned in for the night.
After, head to your bedroll and select Shadowheart as who you’d like to spend the night with. You’ll find her near a waterfall and share pleasant conversation with wine. This romance scene is markedly less saucy than the others, ending in only a kiss – you can get down to business a little later down the line.
Best Shadowheart build
According to Larian’s early access statistics, Shadowheart has the highest death rate of all the companions. That’s not surprising when you consider her tragically low dex, dangerously small AC, and useless amounts of strength. However, if you want to keep her in the party, Reddit user /ucarnivoroustofu recommends giving her either the Heavy Armored feat at level 4 to improve her armor class, or giving her an extra +2 wisdom.
That’s everything we know about Baldur’s Gate 3’s Shadowheart – if you’re about to embark on a brand new adventure in Larian’s RPG, we’ve got a guide to Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and Baldur’s Gate 3 races to answer all your burning questions.