Once you get to know them, Baldur’s Gate 3’s companions become surprisingly easy codes to crack. In early Act 1, learning what earns their approval (or their ire) can happen as soon as you’ve exchanged a few lines of dialogue, with most of their deeper nuances only emerging closer to Act 2. Lae’zel prefers an iron-fisted approach. Astarion values self-preservation and mockery. Wyll upholds doing what’s right. And while managing their approval can feel daunting at first, most players quickly find a rhythm that keeps everyone more or less content. But in all my Baldur’s Gate 3 playthroughs, Shadowheart remained the one companion I never truly mastered. At least, not right away.
Shadowheart’s approval is a slow burn. While other companions telegraph their opinions through sharp quips or exaggerated gestures, hers are more secretive. It’s not that she’s emotionless; it’s that she’s cautious. At first, her approval feels like solving a puzzle without all the pieces, and every response feels like it could tip the scales in an unexpected direction. For a long time, I couldn’t tell if she wanted empathetic choices, ruthless decisions, or simply space. However, after a couple of playthroughs, 392 hours, and taking a closer look, I feel much more confident in gaining her approval. All it took was breaking down her character.
Baldur's Gate 3's Most Respecced Character is Perfectly on Brand
This Baldur's Gate 3 character was respecced in 4,890,005 campaigns, and that fact seems totally fitting for their character development.
How to Treat Shadowheart in a Way That Always Gains Her Approval Easily
Whether or not you like Shadowheart, earning her approval is crucial to the main story of Baldur’s Gate 3. Because a key decision in the plot depends solely on your relationship with her, how you treat Shadowheart carries the biggest consequences among all companions. Whether you’ve become her confidant or her lover, being the steady, unyielding force in her life allows her to finally choose not out of fear or duty, but out of discernment.
Personally, I adore Shadowheart. Her story, struggles, potential for change, and what awaits her in Baldur’s Gate make her one of my favorite Baldur's Gate 3 characters; and that's saying a lot, considering that BG3 is chock-full of great characters. My only struggle with Shadowheart was with understanding what made her tick, especially in the face of such easily understandable companions. Here are my tricks to treating Shadowheart right:
- Patience Above All: Early-game Shadowheart may be frustrating for some players. She will pry, but requires privacy. She may quip at you, but she disapproves of rudeness. This dichotomy may make Shadowheart's romance one of the hardest to unlock early on. Letting her have her way at the very beginning will ensure that your Tav or Durge gains approval.
- The Middle Ground: Shadowheart is surprisingly pragmatic. Her opinions and perspectives on situations often lead you to make balanced decisions: objective but not excessively harsh, religious but open-minded, or gentle yet not completely selfless.
- No Judgment: Eventually, she will come to you about her Shar worship. For seasoned D&D players, this may seem preposterous. However, honoring her vulnerability is a great way to gain her approval. She already trusts you with the biggest secret she has; might as well further that bond with no judgment. After her confession, she will even welcome questions.
- The Sibling (or Lover) Shadowheart Never Had: BG3's Shadowheart is someone who has spent most of her life being told what to believe, how to act, and who to trust. It shows. Loving her, whether platonically or romantically, means understanding that she doesn’t need saving. She needs space. Offer her gentleness when she expects suspicion, humor when she braces for hostility, and understanding when she reveals the parts of herself that even she struggles to accept. That patience will pay off when she has to make a world-shaping decision later on.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Shadowheart is Worth Treating Right
The more I played Baldur’s Gate 3, the clearer it became that Shadowheart’s approval isn’t about appeasement. It’s about understanding restraint. She’s a character who values choice, but she fears the consequences of her own. She pushes back against vulnerability even as she craves it. Once I realized that, my approach towards her changed completely. Instead of chasing approval points, I started treating every interaction as an opportunity to earn her trust organically. That, more than any dialogue option or persuasion check, is what made her walls begin to fall. And before I knew it, she was trusting my Tav earlier and earlier every playthrough.
Shadowheart is God’s Favorite Princess, But She Doesn’t Have to be Yours
Shadowheart is a pretty murky character at first. After learning about her, some players wanting a Good-aligned playthrough may be hesitant to pursue a friendship or romance with Shadowheart. Although the moral tug of war Sharran worship may present to morally righteous players may be significant, her character growth is among the best in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Understanding does not equal endorsement. But understanding, in this case, does equal approval. She is easier to please in a Good-aligned playthrough than Lae’zel or Astarion in BG3. All you have to do is accept the murkiness of those first few encounters. Think of it as early approval farming to gain real growth. And when that growth comes—when the walls finally lower and the light meets the dark—you’ll realize that earning Shadowheart’s trust isn’t about playing perfectly. It’s about showing up, listening, and letting her choose who she becomes with you by her side.
Baldur's Gate 3
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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
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
