This guide will explain the best Shadowheart Companion Build in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Cleric Class, and the Life Domain subclass, for the optimal setup.
This build page has been updated for thePatch 8 versionof Baldur’s Gate 3.
Shadowheart Companion Introduction
Shadowheart is aHigh Half-ElfCleric who serves Shar as a Trickery Domain. However, we recommend respecing her immediately to a Life Cleric upon unlocking Withers.Shadowheart’s innate subclass choice isdue to her story as a powerful spellcasterproficient in stealth and deception.Throughout her story, she battles between good and evil, and you can make an important choice in Act 2, which changes how Shadowheart appears and behaves.
Companionsin Baldur’s Gate 3 are a group of non-player characters (NPCs) who join the player’s party and accompany them throughout their journey in the game. These companions are essential characters that offer various benefits, such as providing additional combat support, contributing to the story, and offering different perspectives on the events unfolding in the game world.
Companions can be avoided entirely, die, be romanced, and have their own sprawling background. In this build guide for Shadowheart, we will explore her character and how to make a powerfulCleric Buildwith her. We also suggest using the Respec or Reroll feature to change Shadowheart’s defaultsubclassto a much more powerful one. This will be explained later.
Shadowheart Build Changes in Patch 8 for BG3
The Cleric’s most notable update with Patch 8 in BG3 comes with the addition of the Booming Blade cantrip. This new option benefits melee builds, with the Death Domain Cleric getting the most out of it. While the Cleric’s role as a healer, tank, or radiant damage dealer is largely unchanged, recent buffs to monsters have made Tactician and Honour Modes more difficult. It’s something to consider when designing your character builds.
For those aiming to balance survivability and offense, the Light Domain paired with Fighter offers a strong multiclass option. With a focus on radiant damage, crowd control, and defensive spells, it provides flexibility for players seeking a more well-rounded approach in challenging encounters. Below, we’ll also suggest a build that leans into a tankier Cleric style for players who want to focus on durability.
Shadowheart Features & Mechanics
The main feature of Shadowheart is her innate healing ability regardless of Subclass since she’s a Cleric. She’s also one of the main characters in the story and a fan favorite.
The following list presents all the essential Shadowheart Companion Mechanics and Features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Your companion can be respecced or rerolled early in the game. This means you can change their class, subclass, ability score, and more. The only feature that cannot be adjusted is their race and story. We suggest usingWithersatCampafter he’s unlocked to optimize the build.
How to Find and Recruit Shadowheart
To unlock Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3, you need to follow these steps:
You can easily swap companions in and out by speaking to them in your camp. Even if you don’t intend to use all the companions, it’s wise to unlock them and have your camp full if needed.
Cleric Spell Mechanics
Recommended Subclass
The BestSubclassfor Shadowheart build isLife Clericsbecause it provides the best overall healing and group utility for a support class. The Life Subclass has Heavy Armour Proficiency, Disciple of Life, and Domain Spells. Additionally, Shadowheart defaults to Trickery, which is similar to this build and can be modified. Also, you want to respec her in your camp with the NPC Withers for 100g at the beginning of the game to get the most out of her as a companion.
Here are all the Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric Subclasses:
Baldur’s Gate 3 Life Cleric Features & Progression
The Life Cleric subclass unlocks the following features and spells:
Character Creation
Shadowheart Race
Sahdowheart by default is a High Half-Elf. A touch of the Feywild remains in half-elves with this bloodline, and even those untrained in magic possess a hint of wild power. Here are the following bonuses:
Recommended Skills for Shadowheart Build
MedicineandPersuasionare the bestskillsfor Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build because they complement your class abilities and enhance your effectiveness in various situations. In Baldur’s Gate 3, skills represent the abilities and proficiencies of your character that allow them to perform various actions and interact with the game world. Skills are associated with specific attributes and are used to determine the success or effectiveness of certain actions or abilities. They can be edited during character creation or with companions, during respec or reroll screen.
Here are the skills for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Shadowheart Ability Score
Here’s the bestability scorefor the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build:
The most important ability score for the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build is Wisdom followed by Constitution and Dexterity. It’s important to land on even numbers and get at least 16 in Wisdom for optimal spell casting. In Baldur’s Gate 3, ability scores are the six core stats that determine a character’s capabilities. You can adjust for the optimal setup in character creation or reroll with Withers in your Camp.
Cleric Spell Slots
Here is a list of the Clerics’ Spell Slots as they progress:
Shadowheart Level Progression
Alternative Shadowheart Build
The best alternative to the pure Cleric Shadowheart build above is a tank-like setup that also multiclasses into Fighter. This alternate build focuses on debuffing enemies with Radiating Orb via Luminous Armour. you may obtain this gear in Act 1 and use it throughout the game while maintaining decent damage with Spirit Guardians. Although this build can be more complex to master, we recommend it if you struggle with survival in tough fights.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, ability scores are the six core stats that determine a character’s capabilities. For companions, the game automatically distributes them without the ability to change. Keep in mind, change your default ability score in your camp via the NPC Withers for 100 gold.
You will unlock three cantrips at Level Oneand pick three prepared spells. Cantrips are reusable and don’t require a spell slot resource. Prepared spells can be swapped in and out before combat, so make sure to use the loadout at the end of the level for a helpful guide.
REMEMBER that companions, will come default with their preferred class and subclass. If you may, unlock Withers as early as level 2 just after the prologue, and respec Shadowheart skills, ability score, and subclass. Feel free to swap in and out spells with Shadowheart Cleric after you’ve learned them. Each subclass unlocks “always prepared” spells. If it’s confusing, look at our suggested prepared spell list at the bottom of every level. Always-prepared spells will still consume a spell slot when you cast them, but they will not require a spellbook slot, allowing for more flexibility.
Character Creation Spell and Cantrip Selections
Cantrip Selection
Spell Selection
Subclass Feature
Shadowheart Gameplay
Gameplay at this level is using Guiding Bolt for damage entirely. you may combine Healing Word and Cure Wounds for two heals in one turn. You can also use Shield of Faith or Bless as a buff that requires concentration but not both. Remember, you will be dreadfully low on spell slots at this level, so use a lot of Fire Bolt cantrips with Shadowheart for damage without consuming a spell slot. As you progress in level, this isn’t an issue but can be hard to manage at a lower level. Also constantly look for resting supplies and barrels and crates so you can rest frequently until higher levels.
How I play Shadowheart at this level is using Shield of Faith a lot of the time outside of combat on a “squishy” ally. Someone who has a low Armour Class and seems to die or take aggro. This will help that character avoid damage. Next, I start my turn with a buff like Blessed if I’m not using Shield of Faith. Both require concentration, and most likely you will have one concentration spell active at all times as a buff or debuff. Then you fire off Guiding Bolt at range, Fire Bolt for cantrip with low spell slots, or Sacred Flame when you don’t have a direct line of sight.
For healing, you have an action-based heal, Cure Wounds, and bonus action heal, Healing Word. You will get two improved versions of these spells later in the game so get familiar with them. Early on, there won’t be much damage or buffs needing to be applied. At levels 4, 5, 7, and 9 expect big spikes in power. You get summons, better spells, feats, and so forth that dramatically increase your utility.
Shadowheart Weakness
The biggest issue you need to be aware of with the Cleric is lack of initiative due to lower Dexterity and movement speed. Lower initiative means you go later in the combat round. This leaves you vulnerable to stuns, which in our gear section I suggest items that can help mitigate these problems. For lackluster speed and movement, the Misty Step spell is your best friend. You can get an Amulet that provides free use of Misty Step once per short rest. Also, be on the lookout at traders for scrolls of this and stock up. Generally, you use Misty Step once per combat round either to jump into healing range or jump out when pressured.
Lastly, you have a lack of bonus action utility and we do not advise you to multiclass her. You want to use your bonus action later for Spiritual Weapon, Misty Step, and Healing Word (heal spell). You also want to consider any spell or spell scroll that allows you to cast a spell as a bonus action like Shield. Moreover, consider using Elixirs which last until a long rest. You can use fire resistance early which helps in certain situations and later Elixir of Universal Resistance which makes you near god-like.
Early Priorities
Shadowheart should be pretty survivable if you picked the Life subclass and heavy armour with one hand and shield. Within a few hours of gameplay, go North and look for two Vendors in the Hollowed City. They will sell a +1 Scale or Chain Mail armour. This can get your AC to 17 or 18 depending straight away. Throw on Shield of Faith, and you can reach 20 AC within a few hours becoming VERY tanky. Here’s your goal at this level and what to work towards:
Look below for our gear suggestions, but this will help you out dramatically during your playthrough and make it much more enjoyable. Don’t sleep on the vendors inAct 1BG3, they sell a lot of good items very early which can help you get toAct 2, then you can do the same thing all over again. The best-in-slot items will come from quest turn-ins and puzzles, but the alternatives are good as well. Shadowheart gameplay is, buff, damage, react and heal when health is low. Enjoy the rest of the build and suggestions, it’s a fun one!
Spell Loadout at level 1: Healing Word, Cure Wounds, Inflict Wounds, Guiding Bolt, and Shield of Faith.
At level two your spells will largely stay the same. You will have prepared spells and can pick up to 5 to learn and swap out outside of combat the ones you’ve already learned. Next, you will get granted Turn Undead and Preserve Life via your subclass and we recommend you take the spell Command.
Subclass Features
The gameplay stays the same for the most part at this level. The addition of Preserve Life gives you a massive area-based healing that requires charges. While this healing uses an action, it’s extraordinarily strong because the healing gets more powerful the higher levels you become. Moreover, it doesn’t use a spell slot and should be your primary area-based healing spell early and even late. Turn Undead can be handy in specific fights. The Command spell is a great addition for crowd control, use it to drop opponents’ weapons or put them in prone.
Spell Loadout at level 2: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds
Level three you will unlock two level 2 spells and an additional level 1 spell. Will take Spiritual Weapon for our level two spell slot. Will also get two free spells from Life Domain.
Gameplay at this level changes a bit considering how Spiritual Weapon works. Since this is a bonus action, you can use it in conjunction with an action in the same turn. Also, this can be pre-cast before combat along with Bless if you know an encounter is about to unfold. This spell also doesn’t cost concentration and it soaks up damage and does a bit as well, making it powerful at this stage of the game. Consider Inflict Wounds your flex spell which can be dropped for something else (Sanctuary) if you do not use it.
Spell Loadout at level 3: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon
At level four, the Cleric gets one cantrip, one more prepared spell, and a feat or ability improvement.We suggest you increase your ability score Wisdom by 2. Our goal is to increase the effectiveness of our healing so take the Ability Improvement feat and put two ability points into Wisdom. We will select Warding Bond for our spell and Blade Ward for our cantrip.
Gameplay at this level doesn’t change much, you can use Warding Bond for a buff and expect more damage and healing with a higher ability score. Sanctuary and Hold Person are two alternative options at this level. Sanctuary makes a target un-targetable though it can take area-based damage. Hold Person is another powerful stun that can lock a target in place. This is helpful for humanoid boss fights or annoying Githyanki.
Spell Loadout at level 4: Healing Word, Inflict Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Command, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond.
At level five, the Life Cleric gets two free spells via your subclass and you get to pick a level 3 spell. The best healing option here is Mass Healing Word because it’s massive AOE healing and requires a bonus Action rather than an action.
Subclass Spells
At this level, Mass Healing Word is an upgraded version of Healing Word. You can now do an area-based heal of 6 creatures with a bonus action. Additionally, you can drop another level 2 spell and pick up Glyph of Warding if you want more offensive pressure. Animate Dead is helpful if you like allies fighting alongside you, however, it can go against Shadowheart’s lore background.
Spell Loadout at level 5: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding.
At level six for a Life Cleric, you gain another level 3 spell, another Channel Divinity Charge, and a Blessed Healer Passive. Here is the recommendation for the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build:
Class Features:
Spells Selection
Gameplay at this level is summoning Spiritual Weapon with bonus action on the first turn. Usually casting Bless on the team before combat or first turn. Then use Guiding Bolt or Glyph of Warding for damage. Mass Healing Word and another heal Preserved Life for big healing.
Ending Act 1
At this level, you should be close to transitioning out of Act 1. Make sure to check vendors and stock up on camp and alchemy supplies. Moreover, look over the best Act 1 items, and don’t forget the legendary weaponBlood of Lathander. While this quest can be tedious and annoying, it’s one of the best weapons for Shadowheart and can be used the entire game. Lastly, make sure to complete the Underdark andGrymforgeif you can. The heavy Adamantine Armour is incredible and can last you until Act 3.
Spell Loadout at level 6: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding
At level 7, the Life Cleric gains one level 4 spell slot, and two subclass-specific spells, Death Ward and Guardian of Faith.
Gameplay at Midgame
Near the middle of the game, you’re able to utilize main summoning abilities, especially on turn one. Your first turn is generally the most important if you can cast both summonses on turn one using an action and a bonus action (Guardian of Faith and Spiritual Weapon). From here, you go into priority mode emphasizing healing and buffs with Bless.
If everyone is high on health, use Glyph of Warding for area damage and Guiding Bolt for a single target. If you feel you lack crowd control (CC) swap out Freedom of Movement for Banishment which is a great single-target CC. you may also use scrolls for crowd control to avoid using spell slots or different prepared spells. Remember the Cleric class and Shadowheart can swap in and out spells outside of combat. Don’t be afraid to experiment and deviate from our spell suggestions if you are don’t feel one is useful.
Spell Loadout at level 7: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding, Freedom of Movement
At level 8 the Life Cleric gets Divine Strike, an additional level 4 spell slot, and a feat. Here’s what we suggest at this level.
Feat War Caster
Gameplay: Not many changes at this level as you won’t be using Divine Strike, but expect better luck maintaining concentration which will be helpful to keeping important spells active while taking pressure.
Spell Loadout at level 8: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding, Freedom of Movement, Remove Curse
At level 9, the Cleric gets two free spells, Mass Cure Wounds, Great Restoration, 1 level 4 spell slot, 1 level 5 spell slot, and an additional prepared spell bringing the total to 13. I also have some thoughts on multi-classing the cleric at this level. Here are our recommendations:
Gameplay: at this level, you have much better area-based healing and damage. You now have two high-level spells that can be used with or without concentration and even better healing making this level a big leap in power.
Multi-Class Options
At level 9, the Cleric can decide to multi-class. This has some pros and cons and I’ve found it better to fully level the Life Cleric so you can reach level 6 spells. Here’s a brief breakdown of options:
Fighter(two levels): The fighter with two levels has Action Surge. This gives you an additional action once per fight and recharges on short rest. The Clerics main issue is lacking multiple actions, and this helps to solve that. You do lose out on level 6 spells and another feat but it’s an option.
Rogue(four levels): The Thief and Rogue combination is a powerful way to increase Shadowheart’s mobility and bonus action. With Fast Hands, you gain an additional bonus action alongside cunning actions. These allow Dash, Hide, and Disengaged to be used with a bonus action rather than an action. However, you will sacrifice some spells in the end-game that might make it not worth considering, but Thief Rogue is an option.
Cleric Level 12: this is the way I prefer because you get access to level 5 and 6 spells and another feat pushing our Wisdom to 20 with War Caster. Something about summoning a Cambion and Spiritual Weapon on turn one makes it so fun and very effective.
Level 9 Cleric Prepared Spells: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding, Freedom of Movement, Insect Plague, Flame Strike
At level 10, the Life Cleric gets a subclass feature Divine Intervention, one cantrip, another spell slot, and another prepared spell.
Divine Intervention
You should save Divine Intervention for the final fight of the game where damage is critical to complete the story. However, you can ‘cheese’ this spell and hire a hireling. With a Hireling, you can respec to Life Cleric and cast one of the versions which gives you a free legendary mace. You can then equip Shadowheart with it and dismiss the companion. This is extremely cheesy, but helpful if you lack gear from Act 1.
Level 10 Cleric Prepared Spells: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding, Freedom of Movement, Insect Plague, Flame Strike, Planar Binding
At Level 11, you get access to the final Level 6 spell slot.
Spell Selection (drop Planar Binding)
Cleric Prepared Spells: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding, Freedom of Movement, Insect Plague, Flame Strike, Planar Ally, Heal
Planar Ally
We prefer using my 6 spells for Planar Ally after a long rest. It comes with so much health and doesn’t require concentration. Additionally, it provides damage, distraction and it just looks cool! You want to cast this spell after every long rest because the ally will follow you and not interfere in dialogue. Moreover, it can do serious damage and provide a distraction for enemies. Remember, you will only get 1 level 6 spell slot unless you have the Legendary Staff found early in Act 3. Quarterstaff and Shields can be combined so consider this an option.
Congratulations on reaching the maximum level of 12 with Shadowheart! At this level the Life Cleric, we get one spell and one more feat. Here are the recommended final choices for the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build:
Feat: +2 ability improvement to 20 Wisdom. Some items can get you to 22 but this is easy and helps with healing, damage, and success chance.
Spell Selection:Heroes’ Feast: Produce a feast for 12 guests that cures diseases, immunizes to poison, and increases hp by 2d10 for 24 hours. This spell helps with status effects and increasing health. I prefer Planar Ally, but this has some good utility.
Shadowheart Final Level
Gameplay: At max level, you should feel very powerful. Using multiple summons, powerful single target, and area-based healing along with great damage. The Life Cleric surprisingly has a ton of damage and you can burst your team up with one turn using action and bonus action combination.
Level 12 Cleric Prepared Spells: Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Healing Word, Command, Inflict Wounds, Spiritual Weapon, Warding Bond, Hold Person, Mass Healing Word, Glyph of Warding, Freedom of Movement, Insect Plague, Flame Strike, Planar Ally, Heal, Hero’s Feast
Recommended Weapons and Armor
In Games like Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll explore the world, loot chests and your enemies’ dead bodies, and complete quests, and all those activities can reward you with useful items, potions, armor, weapons, scrolls, and much more. Progression and finding new gear are part of the game, and you will organically get more powerful weapons during your journeys.
Beginner: Act 1
Here’s the best beginner gear for the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build:
Advanced: Act 3 End Game
Here is the best advanced and end-game gear for Shadowheart Companion Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Best Consumable Items and Potions
Consumablesare items that can be used once and then destroyed. They are typically used to restore health or other resources, and common consumables include potions, scrolls, food, drinks, and arrows.
The following list represents the best individual use consumable items that will aid in the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build:
Shadowheart Combat, Gameplay Tips, and Tricks
Here are 10 gameplay tips and tricks for playing the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build:
Remember, this build guide serves as a foundation, and you’re able to always adapt it to suit your preferences and the needs of your campaign. Also, enjoy playing with the Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Companion Build!
Shadowheart in Patch 7 for BG3
Expect little changes to Shadowheart in Patch 7 of BG3 as only minor bug fixes and cinematics changes impact Shadowheart. On September 5th, 2024, Patch 7 for Baldur’s Gate 3 was released, bringing a massive update to the game. The developers added 13 new cinematic scenes, including some new battle sequences with the Netherbrain. The Honour Mode is also getting enhancements, with more legendary actions added to existing bosses, making the game more challenging.
However, Larian Studios’ main focus in this patch ismods. The game now features amodding toolkitand anin-game mod manager, allowing players to create and install mods directly within the game. This update is intended to hand over creative control to the community, enabling players to produce unique content and continue the story in new ways. Most of the best of Shadowheart remains the same in this build guide, giving you an enduring character and companion in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Shadowheart Companion Build Summary Guide
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