As a veteran Dungeon Master, I think the core party of Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the best to appear in any Dungeons & Dragons game. Every member of this band of adventurers fills their specific niche nicely, but few fit into their archetypes as well as Shadowheart does.
Shadowheart may not be as effective in frontline combat as Karlach, but she comes with a toolset that makes her the best healer and buffer in the game. Because of this, I’ve made her my party’s main support character, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
Here, I’ll highlight my Shadowheart build from the third act of Baldur’s Gate 3. I feel like this build is worth breaking down because it helped me overcome the very intense final boss from the second act, and it hasn’t changed much for the few battles in Act 3. I imagine, statistically speaking, there are probably better abilities and equipment out there, but this setup has worked wonders on my end.
Best equipment for Shadowheart in BG3
The best equipment set for Shadowheart increases her survivability and amplifies her ability to heal and buff. Rings may not seem like essential items at first glance, but most have helpful effects. For my Shadowheart Build, I’ve equipped the Shifting Corpus Ring, which allows her to cast Invisiblity and Blur once per Long Rest. As the resident healer, Shadowheart usually ends up smack in the thick of combat, so anything that increases her survivability is helpful.
For Shadowheart’s helmet, I have the rare item Dark Justicar Helmet equipped. In addition to fitting her overall aesthetic, it gives Shadowheart Magical Durability, giving her a +1 to her Savign Throws made against spells. It also lowers her Critical Hit requirement from 20 to 19 and offers a +1 bonus to her Constitution state.
I have also equipped Shadowheart with the rare Dark Justiciar Half-Plate for her body attire. This Medium Armor piece gives her an Advantage on Stealth Checks and Constitution Saving Throws Checks. In addition, this armor unlocks Shar’s Aegis, a unique spell that boosts Shadowheart’s Armor Class by 2.
Regarding footwear, I have assigned Shadowheart the Swiresy Shoes, which increases her jumping distance by 1.5m and gives an extra point to Acrobatics. These boots can be a godsend if you need to get Shadow away from a persistent melee combatant.
I’ve also equipped her with The Reviving Hands for gloves. These rare gloves allow Shadowheart to cast Revivify, one of the best healing spells in the game. On top of that, allies Revivified with The Revivng Hands also gain the Blade Ward and Death Ward spells, ensuring that they’ll stay up.
To complete her attire, I gave Shadowheart The Absolute’s Talisman, an amulet that carries the effect of Absolute’s Mercy, giving her an Advantage on Death Saving Throws. As I said above, you want Shadowheart to be as tanky as possible.
In terms of weapons, she has Selune’s Spear of Night, which inflicts between 6 and 13 points of damage and comes with the effect Selune’s Blessing, which gives her Advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws and Perception Checks. It also lets her see through darkness up to 12 meters, and unlocks the Moonbeam spell.
For, she has the Hellfire Hand Crossbow, which is a very rare weapon that comes with the Hellstalker effect, which could inflict Burning on a creature whilst hiding or invisible. It also unlocks the very helpful Scorching Ray Shot spell.
Best skills for Shadowheart in BG3
The best skills for Shadowheart are those that allow her to be the party’s resident religious expert. Shadowheart’s base skills are solid, with History, Religion, Insight, and Medicine all being good picks for her. If you decide to multiclass or feel like changing her Proficiencies, you could swap History with Perception to take advantage of Shadowheart’s high Wisdom stat.
Best ability score for Shadowheart in BG3
The best ability score for Shadowheart is Wisdom. Unless you decide to re-spec Shadowheart entirely, Widsom is the stat she’ll use for her spellcasting and most of her Skill Checks. Charisma is a close second since it gives her an even greater chance of resisting Charm spells and fits her sly, witty personality well.
Best spells for Shadowheart in BG3
The best spells for Shadowheart are those that allow her to heal her allies, buff her allies, or protect herself from incoming attacks. Healing Word and Cure Wounds are great picks for healing early on, with Mass Healing Word and Mas Cure Wound being great picks for later ones.
Support-wise, Shadowheart can learn great buffing spells like Guidance and Aid. Guidance was a personal favorite of mine during my playthrough,h but spells like Hold Person and Pass Without Trace helped me in-and-out of combat.
Offense isn’t Shadowheart’s strong suit, but she can learn powerful attacking spells as she levels up. Spiritual Weapon and Inflict Wounds are good for those terrifying when she’s cornered, and she learns seven stronger spells like Insect Plague and Guardian of Faith later on.
I hope this guide has helped you to customize Shadowheart to your liking. It’ll take a build to overcome the mountains and behemoths before you, so continue to check out Destructoid for all your Baldur’s Gate 3 needs!
