Baldur's Gate 3: 11 Biggest Differences When Playing As Shadowheart

There are many ways to play Baldur's Gate 3. Your class, species, and the overall choices you make throughout the story give you a unique experience - or multiple, as you can make a lot of save files in the game. Among the character creation changes, you can also play as pre-established characters, known as the Origin characters.

Baldur's Gate 3: Complete Guide To Clerics

Clerics wield an effective mix of offensive and support spells that make them the perfect addition to your party in BG3.

All of them are companions you meet throughout the game - aside from the Dark Urge, who is their own thing - which means you can give a 'secondary' character the protagonist role, having their personal goals affect you and deal with them along with the story. Thus, let's talk about God's favorite Princess and one of the Origin characters, Shadowheart.

11 Your Mission

Secure The Prism At All Costs

If this is your first playthrough, you'll immediately be spoiled about Shadowheart's core mission. As the game starts, it briefly tells you Shadowheart's main goal: To take the Astral Prism to Baldur's Gate so you can deliver it to Mother Superior. The game also already mentions your Goddess, Shar.

All in all, it's more than fair to get all this information right away since it's up to you to decide what to do with these things. You don't have to be Shar's employee of the month and have all the freedom not to follow her teachings, or you can be her number one Cleric. Either way, you'll need the Prism, though, as it's highly relevant to your survival.

10 Revealing your Sharran Faith

Should You Trust These People?

Similar to Astarion's origin and his vampirism, Shadowheart has a big secret she hides from the group: She's a follower of Lady Shar, an evil Goddess from the Dungeons & Dragons universe, meaning most people would not be receptive to one of her Clerics. It's up to you whether you'll hide this information from your companions or not.

The more the story progresses, the harder it'll be to keep this secret, as Shar and her other followers have a significant presence throughout the campaign, as well as the consequences of her actions. Still, having high approval with your companions makes things easier.

Once you tell one of them about your faith, however, the same option will disappear from other companions, and things pretty much progress as if the whole party is now aware.

9 The Wound

What Makes It Hurt?

Shadowheart has a wound on her hand that glows on certain occasions and causes pain for reasons she doesn't understand (and we won't spoil). Regardless, when you play as Shadowheart herself, you'll also see that this pain comes with memories of past events, which gives you clues as to why the pain is happening in the first place.

These memories are delivered through narration, reminding her of a similar situation to whatever is happening in the present that triggered the wound in the first place. This adds a unique feature to her origin playthrough.

8 Temple of Selûne

Plus Evidences Of Dark Justiciar

This one requires a bit of exploration, but when visiting the Druids' area from the Emerald Grove, you can find evidence of an old conflict in the region involving Dark Justiciars, which are Shar's elite warriors.

Baldur's Gate 3: 11 Best Feats For Cleric

Your deity shouldn't have to put in all the work, after all.

This evidence connects with the Temple of Selûne in Act 1, where Shadowheart ponders whether they were involved in its destruction—the temple is currently being used by the Goblins, who she doesn't believe were responsible for the destruction.

7 Discussing The Prism With Lae'zel

You Can Be Pretty Civilized

Usually, Shadowheart and Lae'zel get into a big fight because of the Prism, one that can even escalate to death. That happens because Lae'zel wants to know why Shadowheart carries a Githyanki artifact, and Shadowheart, secretive as ever, doesn't want to talk about it.

However, with you in control of Shadowheart, you can choose to be more open about it, which can lead to a very peaceful discussion that doesn't end in any sort of confrontation. You can also be aggressive, instead.

6 Shadow Curse Immunity

Why Fear The Dark?

The biggest plot hook from Act 2 is the land being infected by the Shadow curse, which requires a constant light source to protect yourself, and some areas even require stronger protection, such as spells. Not to Shadowheart, though.

In another show of connection to your Lady, Shadowheart is immune to its effects, triggering a short scene about her finding out and indicating that there's more for you to uncover in these lands.

5 Interacting With Isobel

Selûne's Daughter-In-Law Vs. Dark Justiciar Wannabe

You are Shadowheart, Cleric of Shar, and another key character in the game is Isobel, Cleric of Selûne. The two Goddesses have a lot of history and animosity towards one another, so this interaction comes with a lot of poking from both sides.

In the end, she'll still help out as the situation requires both of you to work together (depending on whose side you're on, at least). Her blessing will be helpful for your allies despite being useless to you. The scene is fun to watch, nonetheless.

4 Childhood Memories

A Lost Child, Frightened By Wolves In The Dark

Shadowheart is essentially the only character who has a full flashback sequence to an important event of her life - that event being when she was found by Mother Superior as a child and 'rescued' by the followers of Shar.

This scene will trigger as normal when playing with her, but instead of depending on your relationship with the character, it'll simply appear during one of your long rests in Act 2.

3 The Gauntlet Of Shar

A Vast Improvement

As you were probably expecting, the Gauntlet of Shar is very different when playing as Shadowheart. Depending on the origin character, many of these special areas can feel a bit empty, as they become mostly silent protagonists, and some of their acting is cut. Still, the Gauntlet is actually more interesting this way.

You get Shar constantly talking to you as you progress, preparing you for the Nightsong, and you even get a back and forth between both characters, with Aylin trying to save you and herself while Shar wants to turn you into a Dark Justiciar. The story even progresses more as you talk to Aylin at camp, and you can choose whether you want to change your hair color before Act 3.

2 House Of Grief

The Ultimate Choice

Everything here also goes as it normally does when having Shadowheart as a companion, but you get to make all the main decisions, from the way you interact with Mother Superior Viconia DeVir to how you'll deal with her and then what to do with Shadowheart's parents.

Baldur’s Gate: Who Is Viconia DeVir?

Who Is Viconia DeVir? We explain all.

Still, these choices, as well as the ones at the Gauntlet and whoever you're romancing, are the main factors to how your tale will end, whether your family will be with you or not, or you can just become a terrifying Dark Justiciar and a shell of your former self.