Summary

• Romancing Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 is a challenging endeavor with specific decisions affecting her feelings towards the player-controlled character throughout the entire game.
• Shadowheart has strict preferences and will not let the player engage in romantic connections with other characters.
• Despite the challenges, romancing Shadowheart creates a compelling narrative, saves important characters, and unlocks a positive ending with an extended scene, making it a worthwhile choice for players.

As arguably the most desired romantic connection in Baldur's Gate 3, Shadowheart, one of the central Origin characters, is not one that's easily swayed into romance. Indeed, fully romancing her in BG3 is tricky, with specific decisions affecting how much the character likes the player-controlled character throughout the entire duration of the game's campaign through Chapter 3. One wrong move may ruin the relationship later in the game, leading to many broken hearts and unexplored story and narrative arcs.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]With all this work that needs to be put in on creating a deeper connection with Shadowheart, it's reasonable to wonder if all that work is actually worth it in the end. And, just like many decisions in Baldur's Gate 3, the answer isn't simple, with a long list of both pros and cons of making romancing the high half-elf acolyte something to consider before even attempting it.

Shadowheart Prefers Devoted Attention

Worshiper Of Shar Prefers No Mistress

While romancing several characters may be the aim for skilled lotharios in BG3, unfortunately for them, Shadowheart does not approve of other relationships when it comes to origin characters. While it seems odd for a devout follower of Shar, otherwise known as The Mistress of the Night, that's just how it is. In addition to being unable to maintain romantic connections with other origin characters, completing the final Shadowheart romance scene will void any other origin romances. However, this being said — it may be possible to romance other non-origin companions or NPC characters later in the game, like Mizora.

Characters can start a romance with Shadowheart along with other characters to a certain point without running the risk of ruining things, but there will be a point where the protagonist must make a decision to go monogamous.

Even worse is if the protagonist has already engaged "fully" in romantic rendezvous with other characters, like Lae'zel or Wyll. These actions will likely make it impossible to romance Shadowheart later in the game, leading to a disappointing campaign for those hoping to connect with her. While there may be a hyper-specific way for her to open up to other relationships, Larian constantly patches glitches like these. Indeed, Shadowheart's status as a slow burner in the world of Baldur's Gate 3 may result in frustration from some players seeking to romance her.

Shadowheart Comes With A Lot Of Dealbreakers

It's Complicated

There's being picky, but Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3 takes being fickle in relationships to the next level. While romancing her is pretty straightforward at the beginning of the relationship in Act 1, from there on out, Tav must be careful about how they play through certain portions of the campaign. In fact, it's possible to even mess things up early by helping the goblin Sazza from her cage and choosing to side with the goblins over the druids at Emerald Grove.

If this path is taken, then one of the earlier romance scenes with Shadowheart will never initiate. A similar scenario can occur if players try to romance Lae'zel, which makes sense considering how much Shadowheart dislikes githyankis. From there, things will only get more complex within the narrative and the interpersonal relationships of the adventurers, so it's more than possible to get off track with Shadowheart if the right choices aren't made. It's important to raise Tav's approval rating with Shadowheart if they hope to romance her.

This doesn't even consider the actual romance portions of the game, where failing an ability check or upsetting Shadowheart may unintentionally end the romantic relationship. Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 1 made the half-elf easier to romance and fixed a bug that prevented some that tried the endeavor from missing the culmination of their efforts in the ending romance cinematic scene, but romancing the apple of many Tavs' eyes in BG3 is still harder than with other origin characters.

Shadowheart Comes With Baggage

A Big Decision Is A Make-or-Break Moment

One of the decisions that must be made in the late game is the choice of whether or not to kill Nightsong, later to be revealed as Ame Aylin, a lynchpin for the entire narrative of Baldur's Gate 3. If people decide to kill her, their attempts at romancing Shadowheart are essentially dashed. Worse yet, if the protagonist lets Shadowheart kill Nightsong, she will become completely devoted to Shar, forgoing any romantic connections. Not being able to kill Nightsong prevents the acquisition of the legendary Spear of Evening as well as the skills shar's blessing and shar's darkness.

In addition to saving Nightsong, sparing the character will also save core characters, including Dammon, Isobel, Jaheira, and Art Cullagh. This, in turn, allows the continuation of key quests and story arcs that include the characters.

Though this is generally viewed as the "good" decision anyway, as it makes for a more compelling end-game narrative and character arc, the trickle-down effect is that this is one decision people are forced to make if they also want to end up happily ever after with Shadowheart. While this is arguably the most important decision that intersects with a Shadowheart romance, it's not the only one.

In fact, just siding with the wrong person too much could diminish the relationship with Shadowheart to the point where players can't romance her anymore. For those who don't want restrictions on their decision-making, aiming for a long-lasting relationship with Shadowheart may diminish their fun with the game.

Romancing Shadowheart Creates A Compelling Narrative

Love With Shadowheart Adds Depth To The Story

Even with how difficult it is to romance Shadowheart, all the story decisions required to do so make for an amazing and engaging story. The exact steps required to romance her arguably make one of the better narratives players can achieve in the game. In addition, in the main story arc, sparing Nightsong is widely regarded as the best decision, as killing her actually results in the deaths of several central characters in the game, including the blacksmith tiefling Dammon whom the party meets in Emerald Grove, and is required to help Karlach's Infernal Heart issue later in the game.

This choice provides one of Baldur's Gate 3's best endings, and by not going down this path, the ending of the game may feel more shallow or abrupt than desired. Ultimately, throughout the game, Shadowheart's faith in Shar will be tested. Going through with the romance shows her that she's able to love more than her God and sets her on an extended side quest of self-discovery that includes revealing more about her past. Though in many ways, this ending is also bittersweet, it's unarguably better than the alternative, especially for those who prefer happy endings.

Taking the Shadowheart romance route also ends on a positive note, with an extended scene at the end of the game that explores a little bit of life with Shadowheart after the adventures in Baldur's Gate 3's story. The only way to unlock this ending is to make sure to maintain that loving relationship with the character throughout the game.

Romancing Shadowheart Results In A Notorious Cinematic

Get The Screenshot Hotkey Ready

Romancing Shadowheart also results in a pretty steamy, infamous romantic scene with Shadowheart and the protagonist in a lake, even though she its she's "scared of swimming." Just as with other decisions made in BG3, even something as simple as connecting with Shadowheart on this level also opens up an additional dialogue that is not possible without initiating it. That being said, this cinematic occurs late into the game, and many steps must be taken properly in order to achieve it.

While it's not the biggest scene or factor throughout the entirety of the deep and twisting lore of BG3, it is one that some may seek out, and the only way to achieve it is by romancing Shadowheart. Luckily, the gravitas and immersion of the game are not broken by this path, either, as it is one of the most compelling stories and leads to one of the best endings in all of Baldur's Gate 3.

Editor's Note 08/24/23 : A previous version of this article incorrectly stated killing Nightsong would result in positive romantic relations with Shadowheart when sparing Nightsong is the actual route to take. This has now been corrected.