Baldur’s Gate 3 has received enormous praise as the game submerges players in its endlessly expanding world to explore, all the while introducing many interesting characters.
Baldur’s Gate 3: The Usefulness Of Every Companion, Ranked
Some companions are better than others in BG3.
One of the most intriguing characters is, undoubtedly, Shadowheart. Her healing prowess is something any player should be looking to utilize to the maximum and build around. This is the best way to build Shadowheart in BG3, so she can reach her full potential.
Updated on May 17, 2024, by Rei Penber: Shadowheart is a powerful companion any player should definitely not pass on. Not only that, she has one of the most fascinating stories in Baldur’s Gate 3, and her character development is unmatched. All of this makes Shadowheart a stand-out character that is definitely worth investing the player’s time in to make her into the best version of hers. This guide has been updated to improve Shadowheart even further, so follow along.
Who Is Shadowheart And Where To Recruit Her
Shadowheart is one of the very first characters the player will encounter, specifically, during the prologue of Baldur's Gate 3, onboard the Nautiloid Ship. When the player advances through the prologue with Lae’zel, they will eventually find a woman stuck in a pod – Shadowheart. The player can free her using various ways. They can also leave her to her fate, although freeing her will definitely help the player with what’s to come on this ship.
Whether the player decides to free her or not, they’ll be able to recruit her almost immediately after the crash of the Nautiloid Ship.
Out of all of the available companions the player has, Shadowheart definitely stands out as one of the most interesting. Recruiting and using her throughout the playthrough will definitely be rewarding to the player with her compelling story.
Default Shadowheart
One of Shar's dark disciples, Shadowheart was sent on a suicide mission to steal an item of great power. While wrestling with her faith and strange, untamed magic, Shadowheart has enemies on all sides - and a long-buried secret to uncover.
Shadowheart is one of the game’s origin characters, meaning the player has the option to play as her if they so wish.
She is a Half-Elf, specifically a High Half-Elf. Her class is that of the Cleric, which means she will offer one of the best ways for the players to heal, especially early on in Baldur’s Gate 3. Specifically, she is a Trickery Domain Cleric, with her deity being Shar, the greater deity of Darkness. Her background is the Acolyte, giving her insight and religion proficiencies. She also has Medicine and History proficiencies.
When it comes to her starting statistics, here’s what she has:
|
STATISTIC |
SCORE |
|---|---|
|
Strength |
13 |
|
Dexterity |
13 |
|
Constitution |
14 |
|
Intelligence |
10 |
|
Wisdom |
17 |
|
Charisma |
8 |
Best Shadowheart Build
When it comes to turning Shadowheart into the best possible version of herself for the player, changing her subclass might be the best option to start with. Indeed, she starts as Trickery Domain Cleric, which is her canon subclass, however, if the player plans on making her an amazing healer, the better option is the Life Domain Cleric instead. The earlier she is reclassed, the better.
However, if the player doesn’t want her to solely be a healer they should consider the Light Domain instead, as it has a great balance between healing and offensive. The player should definitely avoid leaving her subclass as the Trickery Domain as it is extremely lackluster compared to the other options.
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Overall, though, it is probably better to make Shadowheart a specialized healer as it will be a huge leverage for the player, so the Life Domain is the first option for her. With this domain, she will acquire many powerful features and spells that will elevate her healing power to the next level, one example being Blessed Healer at level 6 or Preserve Life at level 2.
At level 9 especially, she will get Mass Cure Wounds and Greater Restoration. With these spells, the player’s party will be unstoppable thanks to her superior healing.
At levels 4, as well as 8 and 12, she will get to choose a feat. Some good options for her to consider would be Ability Improvement (specifically for her wisdom ability), Magic Initiate: Cleric, Magic Initiate: Druid, and Tough. The player can go for either the Cleric or Druid spell list as they both use Wisdom as the spellcasting ability.
Avoid Magic Initiate: Bard, Magic Initiate: Sorcerer, Magic Initiate: Warlock, as well as Magic Initiate: Wizard at any cost as their spell casting ability is Charisma for all except Wizard, which uses Intelligence. Shadowheart’s statistics in Charisma and Intelligence are not great so she will be a weak spellcaster.
Shadowheart will unlock new spells and cantrips as she levels up. Luckily for the player, since she is a Cleric, she can change her spells outside of just leveling up. That gives the player the option to explore and try many of her spells to see what works best for them.
Some great spells she can have are:
Level 1 spells
- Cure Wounds. Will heal Allies Shadowheart can touch 1d8 + Wisdom modifier.
- Healing Word. This is a long range healing spell. Heals 1d4 + wisdom modifier.
- Guiding Bolt. A good early-game offensive spell. It deals 4d6 radiant damage. The next attack rolls on the target will also have an advantage.
Level 2 spells
- Spiritual Weapon. This powerful spell will allow Shadowheart to create a spiritual weapon that can fight on its own. It lasts for 10 turns and is quite a resistant weapon.
- Hold Person. This spell will allow Shadowheart to render an enemy immobile. The enemy will be unable to move, react, or act at all.
- Less Restoration. This spell is a must-have. It can cure allies of diseases, poisons, paralysis, or blindness.
Level 3 Spells
- Mass Healing Word. Allows Shadowheart to heal up to 6 allies in one go. It will heal them 1d4 + Wisdom modifier.
- Revivify. This allows Shadowheart to revive a deceased ally instead of going to Withers and spending money.
- Beacon Of Hope. This spell will allow allies to fully restore their HP when healed. They also get an extra advantage of wisdom saving throws and death saving throws.
Level 4 Spells
- Guardian Of Faith. Shadowheart can summon a powerful guardian to attack her enemies.
Level 5 Spells
- Greater Restoration. The upgrade to lesser restoration. Removes debuffs from allies.
- Mass Cure Wounds. A powerful healing spell. 3d8 + Wisdom Modifier to heal Shadowheart and allies.
Level 6 spells
- Heal. Will pretty much heal completely whoever Shadowheart uses this on.
- Create Undead. Will allow her to summon a mummy to fight alongside her.
Best Multiclass Build for Shadowheart
While many players might find that Shadowheart as a Cleric is perfect the way she is, some might want to dip into multiclassing to experiment with what they can do.
When it comes to multiclassing with a Cleric, it can be a bit complicated to pull off, compared to other classes. Not many classes have good synergy with Clerics, stat-wise, but it can surely still be done.
For Shadowheart, her multiclassing will explore a mix of War Cleric and Gloomstalker Ranger. This is especially because both of these classes use Wisdom as their spellcasting ability, making the switch easier without hurting Shadowheart’s output power.
To start, the player should have Shadowheart change her Cleric domain at level 1, going from trickery domain to War Domain. Her deity will remain the same. Thanks to her domain, she’ll also unlock these two:
- Divine Favour. With this, Shadowheart's weapon attacks will deal an extra 1d4 radiant damage for 3 turns.
- Shield of Faith. This spell can increase a creature’s armor class by 2, protecting it from attacks.
Besides that, she’ll also get Heavy Armor Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, as well as War Priest. The War Priest Feature will grant her the ability to make an extra attack as a bonus action by spending War Priest charges.
At level 2, the player should stick with the War Domain Cleric. She will receive Channel Divinity charges, as well as Turn Undead. From her subclass, she will receive Guided Strike.
At level 3, it’s time to switch to the Ranger Class. This would make Shadowheart a 2 Cleric - 1 Ranger. At level 1 of Ranger, the player can pick 1 Favored enemy, and the player should Mage Breaker. The player also has to choose one Natural Explorer Environment. They should go with Wasteland Wanderer: Fire.
At Cleric 2-Ranger 2, the player will be able to pick a fighting style, and Dueling fits Shadowheart the best.
At level 3 of the Ranger class, which would make Shadowheart a Cleric 2 - Ranger 3, the player will unlock quite a lot. Firstly, the player needs to pick the Gloom Stalker subclass. With that, the player unlocks the following:
- Dread Ambush
- Superior Darkvision
- Dread Ambusher: Hide
- Umbral Shroud
- Disguise Self
All of these will help Shadowheart be more stealthy.
At Cleric 2 - Ranger 4, Shadowheart will get to choose a feat. A good option would be Mobile, as it increases her movement speed and makes her capable of not provoking enemy attacks after making her own attack.
At Cleric 2 - Ranger 5, Shadowheart will unlock a great feature, the Extra Attack. With this, she can dish out one more attack after she made one before.
Now, it’s time to switch back to being a Cleric. At Cleric 3 - Ranger 5, Shadowheart will unlock more Domain spells, notably:
- Magic Weapon. Allows Shadowheart to make a weapon magical which gives it +1 to attack and damage rolls.
- Spiritual Weapon. Shadowheart can summon a weapon that attacks independently.
Later, at Cleric 4 - Ranger 5, Shadowheart only gets a feat. The best option here would be Shield Master, as most players will definitely have her wielding a shield.
At Cleric 5 - Ranger 5, Shadowheart unlocks Destroy Undead. She also gets more domain spells, these being:
- Spirit Guardians. Shadowheart can call forth spirits that will encircle her and attack all enemies nearby.
- Crusader’s Mantle. Nearby ally attacks deal an extra 1d4 damage.
At Cleric 6 - Ranger 5, she expands her Channel Divinity Charges feature. Interestingly, she also gets the War God’s Blessing, which can grant an ally a +10 bonus to their attack roll.
At Cleric 7 - Ranger 5, Shadowheart unlocks Domain Spells, here being:
- Stoneskin. This spell can turn a creature’s skin as tough as stone causing it to take only half damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing.
- Freedom of Movement. This can snap allies from stun. It gives resistance to the paralyzed or restrained, and terrain doesn’t slow them down anymore.
This concludes Shadowheart’s Multiclass, where she becomes great at casting spells, but also a tough attacker if needed.
Best Items For Shadowheart
Items can make a huge difference when building up a character, and here are some good recommendations for Shadowheart:
-
Boots Of Aid And Comfort. When Shadowheart heals an ally, they will gain an extra 3 HP. They can be bought in the Goblin Camp.
-
The Blood of Lathander
. An early game legendary mace that’s not easy to find. This mace allows Shadowheart to regain HP if hers reaches 0 per long rest. It also heals nearby Allies. It will also give Shadowheart the Sunbeam Spell.
-
Selûne's Spear of Night
. Will give Shadowheart an advantage on wisdom saving throws and perception checks. It is the perfect weapon for her and it also gives her Moonbeam and Moonmote.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available on PC and PlayStation 5.
Baldur's Gate 3
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
WHERE TO PLAY
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.
THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.
A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian's next-generation RPG engine.
- Genre(s)
- RPG
