Baldur’s Gate 3: The Ultimate Guide to Building the Perfect Shadowheart Companion

Introduction to Shadowheart

Shadowheart, the High Half-Elf Cleric, is one of the most intriguing companions in Baldur’s Gate 3. Serving Shar as a Trickery Domain, she possesses powerful spellcasting abilities and excels in stealth and deception. However, she is a complex character, struggling with her own doubts and fears. While she can be a valuable asset to any party, she can also prove to be a challenging companion.

Companions in Baldur’s Gate 3

Companions are non-player characters (NPCs) who join the player’s party and accompany them throughout their journey in the game. They offer various benefits, such as combat support, contributing to the story, and offering different perspectives on the game’s events. Companions in Baldur’s Gate 3 are not just filler characters; they have their own unique backgrounds and can even be romanced.

Finding and Recruiting Shadowheart

To unlock Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3, follow these steps:

1. During the prologue, free Shadowheart from a tadpole pod.
2. Find the Eldritch Rune near Shadowheart’s pod and free her.
3. Shadowheart will join you until the completion of the prologue.
4. If you are unable to free her, at least make the effort of speaking with her.
5. After the prologue, find Shadowheart on the beach near the Abandoned Ruins.
6. Ask her to join, and she will become a part of your party.

Shadowheart’s Features and Mechanics

Here are the essential mechanics and features of Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Class: Cleric
• Race: High Half-Elf
• Background: Urchin
• Subclass: Default Trickery, recommended to reroll to Life Domain for optimal performance
• Base Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Religion, Insight
• Best Build: Cleric, Life Domain, Heavy Armor
• Origin Character: Yes
• Romance: Yes
• Location: On the beach next to the Abandoned Ruins, Act 1

Shadowheart, like other companions, can be respecced or rerolled early in the game, allowing you to change their class, subclass, ability scores, and more. The only aspects that cannot be adjusted are their race and story. We recommend using Withers at Camp, unlocked after the prologue, to optimize Shadowheart’s build.

The Best Subclass for Shadowheart

The Life Cleric subclass is the ideal choice for Shadowheart. It offers excellent healing abilities and group utility, making her an invaluable support class. The Life Subclass grants Heavy Armor Proficiency, Disciple of Life, and Domain Spells. While Shadowheart defaults to Trickery, it is highly recommended to respec her in your camp with the NPC Withers for 100 gold at the beginning of the game to maximize her potential as a companion.

Cleric Spell Mechanics

Understanding the mechanics of cleric spells is vital for effectively utilizing Shadowheart’s abilities. Here are some key points:

• Cantrips: These spells can be cast infinitely and do not consume spell slots.
• Spell Slots: As you level up, you gain access to higher-tier spells and more spell slots. However, you have a finite number of spells until a long rest.
• Learn Spells: Unlike Wizards, Clerics have the opportunity to unlearn and learn new spells during the leveling up process.
• Concentration: Some spells require concentration to maintain their effects. If concentration is broken, the spell effect ends.

Shadowheart’s Race

By default, Shadowheart is a High Half-Elf. This bloodline carries a touch of the Feywild, giving even non-magic users a hint of wild power. Here are the bonuses that come with being a High Half-Elf:

• +2 and +1 to any ability score of your choosing.
• Fey Ancestry: Advantage on saving throws against charm attempts and immunity to sleep-inducing scrolls and spells.
• Darkvision: Can see up to 12 meters in dark locations.
• Extra Cantrip: Firebolt, which deals decent damage and can create fiery explosions when used with oil or grease.

Recommended Skills for Shadowheart Build

For the best Shadowheart Companion Build, the recommended skills are Medicine and Perception. These skills complement her class abilities and enhance her effectiveness in various situations. Skills in Baldur’s Gate 3 represent a character’s abilities and proficiencies, allowing them to perform actions and interact with the game world. Each skill is associated with a specific attribute and determines the success or effectiveness of certain actions or abilities. During character creation or when respeccing, you can edit your character’s skills.

Shadowheart’s Ability Score

For the optimal Shadowheart Companion Build, prioritize Wisdom, followed by Constitution and Dexterity. It is important to have even numbers and at least a 16 in Wisdom to maximize spell casting effectiveness. Ability scores in Baldur’s Gate 3 are the core stats that determine a character’s capabilities. During character creation, the game automatically distributes ability scores, but you can adjust them using the plus-minus options. Make sure to have the suggested race, or the numbers may be off. Additionally, you can change the default ability score in your camp with the NPC Withers for 100 gold.

Cleric Spell Slots

As a Cleric, Shadowheart’s spell slots progress as follows:

(Level – Spell Slots)

• Level 1 – 4
• Level 2 – 3
• Level 3 – 3
• Level 4 – 3
• Level 5 – 2
• Level 6 – 1
• Level 7 – 1
• Level 8 – 1
• Level 9 – 1

Shadowheart Level Progression

At Level 1, Shadowheart gains three cantrips and selects three prepared spells. Cantrips can be used infinitely and do not consume spell slots, while prepared spells can be swapped before combat. It is crucial to utilize the proper loadout and take advantage of the available spell selection for optimal effectiveness.

For companions like Shadowheart, who may start with default abilities, it is recommended to unlock Withers as early as Level 2, just after the prologue, to respec her skills, ability scores, and subclass.

Cantrip Selection:

• Sacred Flame: Conjures a radiant flame that deals 1d8 Radiant damage, a low range ability that can be used without consuming a spell slot.
• Guidance: Grants an ally a +1d4 bonus to Ability Checks. Highly useful for dialogue checks and outside of combat.
• Thaumaturgy: Provides advantage on Intimidation and Performance Checks, another helpful non-combat cantrip.

Spell Selection:

• Guiding Bolt: Deals 4d6 Radiant damage and grants advantage on the next attack roll against the target. High damage output and useful due to the advantage component.
• Healing Word: Heals a creature you can see within 18 meters for 1d4 hit points as a bonus action. Can be combined with other healing spells for double healing in one turn.
• Inflict Wounds: Deals 3d10 necrotic damage in melee range.
• Bless: Provides a +1d4 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws for up to 3 creatures. Requires concentration but can be pre-cast before combat for a 10-turn duration. Particularly helpful for melee-based builds like Fighters and Barbarians.
• Cure Wounds: Heals for 1d8 hit points by touching the target. A melee-based heal that may not be powerful, but can be combined with Healing Word for double healing in one turn.
• Shield of Faith: Grants a +2 AC bonus to a character as a bonus action. Requires bonus action rather than an action to provide protection.

At this level, gameplay revolves around using Guiding Bolt as the primary damage-dealing spell. You can combine Healing Word and Cure Wounds for double healing in one turn. Shield of Faith or Bless can be used as a buff, but remember that both require concentration.

Conclusion

The Best Shadowheart Companion Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 revolves around the Life Domain subclass, maximizing her healing abilities and group utility. With proper skill selection, ability score allocation, and spell choices, Shadowheart becomes an invaluable asset to any party. Don’t forget to make use of the respec option to optimize her build.