This article contains spoilers for the potential fate of a Baldur's Gate 3 companion. Some Baldur's Gate 3 players have discovered that the game can be a lot more peaceful and offer a "refreshing change of pace" if they let Shadowheart die early in the journey. Shadowheart is one of the most popular companions in Baldur's Gate 3, but some players are finding that the game feels totally fresh without her along for the ride.

Baldur's Gate 3's companions are generally considered to be one of the 2023 RPG's best features. Each one goes on their own unique journey throughout the course of the game, the fate of which can be altered drastically by players' actions. Every player has their favorites, but the fact that there are so many compelling companions means that Baldur's Gate 3 has tons of replayability for a brand-new experience each time.

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As spotted by TheGamer, a recent Reddit thread by ClintMcElroyOfficial started some dialogue about the consequences of killing Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3. They described the Temple of Shar without her as a "refreshing change of pace," while also pointing out that "act 2 without Shadowheart's input was awesome." While ClintMcElroyOfficial claims to be an overall fan of the character, they also say they "dread future playthroughs where I have to hear Shar this and Dark Lady that all throughout act 2."

Baldur's Gate 3 Players Are Killing Shadowheart Early

Others in the thread concurred with ClintMcElroyOfficial's assessment, with another claiming the game without Shadowheart "was really chill." One frequent complaint is that she "always insists the player does things her way." It's interesting how the context of certain events changes throughout Baldur's Gate 3's story, especially when the intention was clearly for one specific character to be in these situations. The clever steps that Larian takes to recontextualize these situations when those characters aren't present are a big part of why the game is regarded so highly by gamers.

With Larian officially developing its next projects, Baldur's Gate 3 has been handed off to the players. The game will receive no major updates going forward from the studio, after an extended period of post-launch support. The creative community will no doubt find new ways to make Baldur's Gate 3 feel fresh over and over again, which is made easier by the game's immense replayability and wealth of content.

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Baldur's Gate 3 Tag Page Cover Art
9 /10

Baldur's Gate 3
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RPG
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
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Released
August 3, 2023
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Larian Studios
Publisher(s)
Larian Studios
Engine
Divinity 4.0
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
Full cross-platform play.
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
RPG