Shadowheart is one of the earliest characters you can meet in Baldur’s Gate 3. The Cleric is trapped in a pod onboard the nautiloid ship and if you choose to save her, you will get a chance for some romance later on in the game.
But, like all other romance options in BG3, there are some specific requirements you need to meet before you ever get the chance to have some alone time with Shadowheart. I found that she is arguably the stingiest character when it comes to romance, so you will have to work extremely hard to get the outcome you want. You can see exactly what you need to do to win Shadowheart’s dark heart in the guide below.
As a warning, there are spoilers in this guide for both act two and act three.
Full Shadowheart romance guide in Baldur’s Gate 3
First and foremost, you will obviously need to save Shadowheart from her trapped pod at the start of the game. If you don’t do that, she will perish onboard the ship and you won’t see her again. Once you have saved her, you can find the character washed up on the beach right across from where you landed. Speak to her, make her join your party, and then your romancing can begin.
Shadowheart romance in act one
Like most other early characters in BG3, you will need to reach a high approval rating with Shadowheart to begin your romance. With Shadowheart, you can earn approval points by saving her from the ship, speaking with her about her experience as a Lady of Shar follower, and taking her side when she gets into fights with other characters (namely Lae’zel). You also want to try and use Persuasion and Deception checks whenever possible, as these usually result in Shadowheart’s approval.
If you’ve done everything right, Shadowheart will eventually open up to you about her past and the fact that she carries an Artefact that needs to be delivered to Baldur’s Gate. From here, your main goal, if you want to romance Shadowheart, will be to save the Tieflings and Druids at Emerald Grove from the goblins. Choosing to save Halsin and kill the goblin leaders will earn massive approval points with Shadowheart.
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This also leads to a party back at your camp, where you used to be able to romance Shadowheart for the first time back during early access. For whatever reason, though, the full build did not allow me to make a move on Shadowheart during this party. I was able to romance Astarion, Halsin, and Karlach here, but not Shadowheart. Your experience may differ depending on your party choices, but I was not able to romance her during act one.
Shadowheart romance in act two
Fast forward to act two, and you want to continue speaking with Shadowheart anytime she has an exclamation mark over her head. This will progress her storyline as well as give your approval points with her. But all of this comes to a head when you go to find the Nightsong in the Gauntlet of Shar.
If you made it through the Gauntlet of Shar and into the Inner Sanctum, you will have the choice of killing Nightsong or sparing her and letting Balthazar take her to Ketheric Thorm. If you choose the latter outcome, Shadowheart will leave your party for good, as you denied her the chance to obey Lady Shar’s wishes and fulfill her destiny. Obviously, this is not recommended.
If you kill the Nightsong, then Shadowheart will be blessed by Shar and you will be able to kiss her via a dialogue option once you make camp. Shadowheart will have a new haircut here as well, which you need to compliment to get the kissing dialogue.
Although, there is a third route you can take with the Nightsong, which is letting Shadowheart speak to Balthazar and the Nightsong instead of you. In this scenario, you can let Shadowheart kill the Nightsong, which turns her into a Dark Justiciar of Shar and makes her extremely happy and determined. No romance evolves from this outcome, as far as I can tell.
If you persuade Shadowheart to spare the Nightsong, however, she will be blessed by Selune and fall into a deep depression, as she just disobeyed Lady Shar. While it doesn’t seem like it, I actually suggest you pick this option, as Shadowheart will soon forget about her life as a Lady Shar follower and become freer. This takes some time, though, as for a while Shadowheart will just say that she needs time to think whenever you talk to her.
Eventually, at the start of act three, this route will lead to a skinny dipping scene with Shadowheart back at your camp following another celebration. You also get this scene if you kissed Shadowheart at camp following the Nightsong quest as well. This is the culmination of the romancing with Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3.
