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Baldur’s Gate 3: How to romance ShadowheartLearn how to romance Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
Learn how to romance Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
Image credit:Larian Studios
Image credit:Larian Studios
Want to know how to romance Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3?Shadowheart is one of the first companions that you’ll meet inBaldur’s Gate 3, but a romantic relationship with her is also one of the hardest to attain. Shadowheart really requires you to put in some graft before she’ll commit to a relationship, and you’ll get well into Act 2 before you can call her your girlfriend.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know to romance Shadowheart inBaldur’s Gate 3, including where to find her, how to gain or lose her approval, and the dialogue options and choices you’ll need to select in order to enter a fully-fledged romantic relationship with her.
Note: if you’re unsure about how romance mechanics work in Baldur’s Gate 3, read everything you need to know in ourBaldur’s Gate 3 romanceguide!
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How to romance Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
To romance Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3, you need to gain a high approval rating from her ahead of the refugee celebration that occurs after completing the Save the Refugees side-quest. We’ll explain this in more detail below, but first let’s explore how to go about winning Shadowheart’s approval, and eventually, her heart.
Unlike some characters who align with fairly black-and-white values and views, Shadowheart has a little more depth. She favours cunning approaches to potential conflicts over violence. This means she’s not above tricking people, so the correct approach isn’t to be morally righteous so much as it is to choose options that will avoid outright bloodshed.
She holds anti-Gith views and will think lower of you if you support the Gith.
Your companion Lae’zel is Githyanki, so Shadowheart’s inherent dislike of Gith can lead to tension in the party. Be careful if you’re flirting with the idea of a romance with both of them, as they may become jealous of one another. If you want to win Shadowheart’s approval, your best bet is to disagree with Lae’zel whenever you can.
Shadowheart romance: dialogue choices
As with all companions, you’ll be able to check Shadowheart’s approval rating of you on the character sheet. The goal is to get this to high, and you’ll ideally want togain Shadowheart’s approval before the Rescue Druid Halsin questif you’re seeking a romantic moment in camp. In a normal playthrough, it can take around 20 hours to reach this point.
If at that point Shadowheart’s approval rating of you is high enough, then the refugee celebration that follows the Save the Refugees side-quest is your chance to seal the deal.
To successfully romance Shadowheart once you reach this point, you must choose the following dialogue prompts:
If you’ve managed to get this far, you then can head to a bedroll, where you’ll have the option to go to bed alone or with Shadowheart (wink wink).
You’ll then be granted a romance scene, though this one is relatively mild compared to some others. But perhaps that’s only the beginning of your love story with Shadowheart. More spoilers follow below for Act 2 areas, quests, and how Shadowheart’s romance plot develops.
For much of Act 2, Shadowheart’s love will remain locked away. There are bigger things going on, of course, with the Shadow-Cursed Lands and your journey to Moonrise Towers presenting many dangers. However, to continue your romance with Shadowheart, you must head to theGauntletof Shar and follow the “Find the Nightsong” quest.
However, the best option here is to save the Nightsong. This is because the alternative - killing the Nightsong - causes Shadowheart to become a Cleric of Shar, and she will then say that Shar wants her heart in full. You can convince her to leave a little room for you, which will get you a minimised relationship, but you can’t fully romance Shadowheart unless you save the Nightsong. Doing this will cause her to become a Cleric of Selune, freeing her heart to find true love with your character.
That’s everything you need to know about romancing Shadowheart. If you find that this half-elf leaves your head spinning in a bad way, you can try romancingGale,Lae’zel,Astarion, orWyllinstead. Once your party is assembled, make sure to check out our list of thebest builds in Baldur’s Gate 3to find the perfect playstyles.
Disclosure: Former RPS deputy editor Adam Smith (RPS in peace) now works at Larian and is the lead writer for Baldur’s Gate 3. Former contributor Emily Gera also works on it.
