Shadowheart with young Shadowheart and Shadowheart’s Parents In Baldur’s Gate 3Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic
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Sarah-Jane Simpson is a writer born and based in Manchester, England. Sarah-Jane originally studied film and television at Manchester Metropolitan University, where she gained her BA degree in Film and Media Studies. Sarah-Jane has been a guest on streams and podcasts, where she will happily talk anyone’s ear off about all things gaming, D&D, or Star Wars.
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Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
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Baldur's Gate 3 presents plenty of choices that will challenge the party, with many having no obvious right or wrong solutions. One choice in Act 3 is the perfect example of this, as the decision of what to do with Shadowheart's parents lacks a clear, up-front answer. The meeting marks the end of Shadowheart's personal quest, and each choice has its own set of consequences, based in turn on previous choices made regarding the half-elf cleric.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]
Shadowheart’s personal quest takes place in two main parts, with the first major point happening during the final half of Act 2. Deep in the 
The Gauntlet of Shar, Shadowheart faces the choice to either kill the Nightsong and fulfill her dream of becoming a Dark Justiciar, or freeing the aasimar and turning her back on Shar. This choice to embrace Shar or deny her influence will heavily impact how Shadowheart deals with her parents later in BG3.
Shadowheart Will Face A Tough Choice With Her Parents
Shadowheart Learns She's Not An Orphan
A close-up on Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3 with tears streaming down her face.
When first met, Shadowheart is slow to trust the rest of the party, but she will gradually reveal more about herself. Although Shadowheart’s memories are fragmented, having given them up for the mission for Shar, one part that Shadowheart is clear about is that she’s an orphan.
However, this is proven untrue when her parents are revealed to be alive in Act 3. They have actually been held captive by Shar for decades since the goddess claimed Shadowheart as her own. At this point, Shadowheart will have to make the heartbreaking choice of whether to save or kill her own parents.
What Happens If Shadowheart’s Parents Are Saved
Defying Shar Or Embracing Selûne's Power
Shadowheart and her parents hug in Baldur's Gate 3
The obvious instinct for many would be to attempt to save Shadowheart’s parents. How this plays out will depend on whether Shadowheart killed the Nightsong or not. To find Shadowheart’s parents, the party must first travel to the House of Grief, the location of Shar’s cloister in Baldur’s Gate. The House is located in the top northwest corner of the city map, directly northwest of the Baldur’s Gate waypoint.
Shadowheart's parents are in the very back room of the House of Grief, affixed to two magical discs.
If Shadowheart embraced Shar, the goddess will return her memories long enough for her to know who her parents are before telling Shadowheart to kill them. A skill check will have to be passed for a Dark Justiciar Shadowheart to spare her parents, but if successful, an angry Shadowheart will refuse Shar's orders. Shar will not stop them from leaving, but will leave Shadowheart with more memories of her torturing her parents before turning her back on Shadowheart.
If Shadowheart freed Aylin, saving her parents is a little easier, though there will still be a skill check to convince her it is worth it. After fighting past Viconia and the other Sharrans, Shadowheart can find her parents, although her father will attempt to persuade her to let them go, saying that their time has passed. Using Selûne’s power, Shadowheart can release the pair, who will immediately embrace their daughter.
Whether Shadowheart has embraced Shar or Selûne, encouraging her to save and free her parents will result in them joining the party at the group’s camp. Both Arnell and his wife Emmeline can be spoken to back at camp, although it soon becomes clear that Emmeline is not well. She appears to have suffered a severe mental decline after being held by Shar for so long, and will often become confused.
In the epilogue, if asked about her parents, Shadowheart will say that her mother has been having more good days than not-so-good days, and she has been teaching her to bake.
What Happens If Shadowheart’s Parents Are Killed
Serving Or Appeasing Shar
Dark Justiciar Shadowheart looks at her parents in Baldur's Gate 3
The other option with Shadowheart’s parents is to kill them, which, again, depending on choices made in Act 2, will have different consequences for Shadowheart. A Dark Justiciar Shadowheart will behave and consider the decision very differently than a Selûnite Shadowheart will, with the former considering it a duty and the latter struggling to let her parents go. The impact on each version of Shadowheart will differ significantly as well, with a clearer good versus evil route for the character.
With Dark Justiciar Shadowheart, Shar will demand that she kill her parents as part of her final trial, restoring her memories to make their deaths a true sacrifice. Encouraging her to follow through on Shar’s request will see Shadowheart fulfill her journey to become Shar’s Chosen and result in Justiciars being available as allies to join the party in BG3's final battle.
After Shadowheart's parents are dead, Shar will wipe Shadowheart’s memories again, leaving only the player to remember that they were her parents. While this choice will make Shadowheart more powerful, it will also condemn Arnell and Emmeline to Shar’s torment forever. The memory wipe robs Shadowheart of some of her agency, but it does at least leave her with one less painful memory.
For Selûnite Shadowheart, Shar will still be the one to demand their deaths, but with the twist that if Shadowheart agrees, she will relieve the cleric of the painful wound on her hand. If spoken to, both her parents will encourage Shadowheart to follow this path to free them all from Shar. If killed, Arnell and Emmeline will be transformed into Moonmotes, indicating that Selûne will allow them to travel with their daughter and bring her comfort.
Afterward, Shadowheart will express guilt at their deaths and grieve not having gotten to spend more time with them. This is a heartbreaking scene as Shadowheart wishes her parents could hug her, give her advice, and tell her stories about what she was like as a child. She will also decide to keep the name Shadowheart, stating that forgetting isn't what she does anymore, and that identity is as much a part of her as Jenevelle Hallowleaf.
You Should Kill Shadowheart's Parents
A Heartbreaking But Practical Choice
Shadowheart looks sad in Baldur's Gate 3.
While the choice can have a major effect on Shadowheart's fate if she's chosen to follow Shar, Selûnite Shadowheart doesn't stand to gain or lose mechanical benefits from either choice. In this case, it's more about the player's own opinion regarding the moral quandary, and neither answer is explicitly wrong or right.
If you're still indecisive, the best option is to kill Shadowheart’s parents, no matter how harsh it may seem. This essentially offers the best outcome for both versions of Shadowheart. If Shadowheart has followed Shar’s instructions throughout Baldur’s Gate 3 and becomes a Dark Justiciar, then following through on her final trial is a logical step. In this instance, it's a cruel act, but embracing a Dark Justiciar fate for Shadowheart is usually going to be a path undertaken in an evil campaign anyway.
If Shadowheart has embraced Selûne, both they and Shadowheart are freed from Shar’s torment, as Shar can’t hurt Shadowheart anymore through the wound on her hand. This has no specific impact on the game, but in theory, it should make it easier for Shadowheart to follow a good path in the future. Shar has been using the hand to make righteous moral decisions harder for Shadowheart, and although she's capable of bearing the pain, it's a lot to ask of her.
Since Shadowheart's parents encourage this path, it isn't necessarily as hostile an action as it might seem. Although she will grieve her parents, Shadowheart will eventually be able to move on and make a new life for herself in Baldur's Gate 3, completely free of Shar's influence.
Baldur's Gate 3
RPG
Systems
17
9.8/10
Released
August 3, 2023
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
Developer(s) Larian Studios Franchise Baldur's Gate Platform(s) PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS Genre(s) RPG Powered by
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