Best Shadowheart companion build in BG3

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Shadowheart can be the beast healer for your party if you know the rich tweaks for her. Here’s the best Shadowheart build in BG3 to improve your chances of winning every fight.

Shadowheart serves as a Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3 and has access to a variety of party-enhancing buffs as well as healing spells. It can pay to have her on your team, especially if you aim to endure multiple battles without stopping.

However, if you want to fully use her abilities as a companion, her build needs to be optimized. Luckily, Baldur’s Gate 3 provides a Respec feature that you can use to modify her class, subclass, ability scores, spells, and more.

Here’s how to leverage this feature to create the most effective Cleric companion build for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3.

• Best subclass for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
• Best Ability Score for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
• Best spells for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
• Best build for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
• Best equipment for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3
• Tips to play as Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3

Best subclass for Shadowheart in BG3

The best subclass for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Life Domain. By default, Shadowheart is a Trickery Domain Cleric in BG3. As such, for this build, you need to Respec her at the camp. You need to have found Withers to get this ability, after which you’ll need 100 Gold.

Go to your camp from the Rest icon, choose Shadowheart, and start a conversation with Withers. Pick the option that says “Can you help me change my class? (100)” and select Life Domain under Cleric. This will ensure that she gets the best healing abilities to help support your entire party.

Here are the Cantrips you should choose for Shadowheart:

• Guidance – The most important Cantrip for Shadowheart that you can use for most skill and dialogue checks as well.
• Resistance – This is a decent buff effect that is made more useful as it doesn’t occupy any Spell slots.
• Sacred Flame – This Spell gives you a basic ranged attack that scales with level, doing sacred damage and even having the chance to disintegrate undead enemies with a critical. You’ll definitely need this.

Keep in mind that as Shadowheart has access to the Half-High Elf racial features, she comes equipped with an extra cantrip: Fire Bolt, that also scales with her primary casting ability score (Wisdom).

Best Ability Score for Shadowheart in BG3

Here’s how the Ability Score should look for Shadowheart after you respec her in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Strength: 10
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 16 (+1)
• Intelligence: 8
• Wisdom: 16 (+2)
• Charisma: 10

Wisdom is the most important Ability for a Cleric, while Intelligence and Charisma aren’t that useful. Dexterity and Strength are key for survival, and so is Constitution. Here are the Skills you should pick for Shadowheart during Respec:

• History and Medicine (Wisdom) – If you want to have Shadowheart as off-combat support.
• Perception (Wisdom) If you want her to be your main spotter/scout, for secret doors, traps, and to avoid ambushes.

Having someone who knows how to deal with injuries is basic in all D&D Parties, and in BG3, having Shadowheart deal with Medicine checks can be really helpful. Additionally, if you pair her high Wisdom with Perception proficiency, you’ll have another pair of trained eyes to spot traps, secret passages, and hidden loot.

Best spells & cantrips for Shadowheart in BG3

As a healer Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3, Shadowheart will primarily be using spells both in and out of battle. Here are the ones you should be picking:

• Cantrip: Guidance
• Cantrip: Resistance
• Cantrip: Sacred Flame
• Cantrip: Thaumaturgy
• Level 1: Healing Word
• Level 1: Cure Wounds
• Level 1: Inflict Wounds
• Level 1: Guiding Bolt
• Level 1: Shield of Faith
• Level 2: Command
• Level 3: Spirit Guardians
• Level 4: Warding Bond
• Level 5: Hold Person
• Level 5: Mass Healing Word
• Level 6: Glyph of Warding
• Level 7: Freedom of Movement
• Level 8: Remove Curse
• Level 9: Insect Plague
• Level 9: Flame Strike
• Level 10: Planar Binding
• Level 11: Planar Ally
• Level 11: Heal
• Level 12: Heroes’ Feast

Best Shadowheart build in BG3

Here’s the best companion build for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3:

LEVEL	FEATURE
1	Cantrips: Guidance, Resistance, Sacred Flame Prepared Spells: Healing Word, Cure Wounds, Inflict Wounds, Guiding Bolt, and Shield of Faith Subclass: Light Domain
2	Spell: Command
3	Spell: Spirit Guardians
4	Cantrip: Blade Ward Spell: Warding Bond Ability Improvement: Wisdom +2
5	Spells: Hold Person, Mass Healing Word
6	Spell: Glyph of Warding
7	Spell: Freedom of Movement
8	Feat: War Master Spell: Remove Curse
9	Spells: Insect Plague, Flame Strike (replace Remove Curse)
10	Cantrip: Sacred Flame Spell: Planar Binding
11	Spell: Heal
12	Spell: Heroes’ Feast Ability Improvement: Wisdom +2

Best equipment for Shadowheart in BG3

Here are the best items you can equip to Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3, including their location and stats:

Item/Slot	Image	Grants	Location
Helm of Balduran (Head)		Balduran’s Vitality: The helmet heals the wearer for 2 hit points at the beginning of each turn. Balduran’s Favour: Wearer has a +1 bonus to Armor Class and Saving Throws. Stun Immunity: The wearer cannot be Stunned. Attackers can’t land Critical Hits on the wearer.	Act 3 – Behind Ansur in the Dragon’s Sanctum.
Adamantine Scale Mail (Chest)		Magical Plate: All incoming damage is reduced by 1. Adamantine Backlash: When a melee attack hits you, the attacker is sent Reeling for 2 turns. Attackers can’t land Critical Hits on the wearer. (Max Dex AC 3, Disadvantage on Stealth checks)	Act 1 – The Grimforge, you need to find the Scale Mail Mould and Mithral Ore.
Disintegrating Night Walkers (Boots)		Night Walker: Can’t be Enwebbed, Entanged, or Ensnared and can’t slip on grease or ice. Misty Step (Level 2 Conjuration Spell)	Act 1 – The Grimforge, dropped by True Soul Nere
The Reviving Hands (Gloves)		Aegis Palms: When you heal a target, it gains the effect of Blade Ward. When you Revive a target, it gains the effect of Death Ward. Strength Saving Throws: +1	Act 3 – Bought from Vicar Humbletoes, Stormshore Tabernacle, Lower City.
Ring of Regeneration (Ring 1)		Combat Regeneration: At the beginning of each turn, the wearer heals 1d4 points of damage.	Act 3 – Sold in Sorcerous Soundries by Rolan
Til death do us part (Ring 2)		Beacon of Hope: Level 3 Abjuration Spell, Allies regain maximum health when healed, and gain advantage in Wis saves and death saves.	Act 3 – Reward for completing the Quest: “Free the Artist”
Amulet of Greater Health (Amulet)		Sets Con at 23. (Has no effect if the wearer already has Con at 23 or Higher) Advantage at Con Saving Throws	Act 3 – Stolen from the Archive, in the House of Hope.
Selune’s Spear of Night (Weapon)		Selune’s Blessing: You gain Advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws and Perception Checks. Darkvision: You can see in the dark up to 12m. Moonbeam (Level 3 Evocation Spell): calls a beam of moonlight that damages creatures, and can be moved once per turn. Moonmote (Class Actions) creates a globe of glowing dancing lights, enemies within the area take 1d4 Radiant Damage and treat it as Difficult Terrain	Act 3 – Upon completing Act 2 by Sparing the Nightsong, and convincing Shadowheart to turn from Shar.
Shield of Devotion (Off-Hand)		Additional Spell Slot: You gain 1 Level 1 spell slot. Shield Bash: When a foe hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to knock it Prone unless they succeed a DEX Saving Throw. Shield of Devotion: You can cast Aid (Level 3 Abjuration Spell).	Act 2 – Bought from Quartermaster Talli, at the Last Light Inn.
Cloak of Displacement (Cloak)		Displacement: enemies have Disadvantage on Attack Rolls that target the wearer. The effect lasts until the wearer takes damage.	Act 3 – Bought from Entharl Danthelon, at Danthelon’s Dancing Axe, South Span of Wyrm’s Crossing

Tips to play as Shadowheart in BG3

Here are some tips to play as Shadowhear in Baldur’s Gate 3 that will make your life easier, especially in Honour Mode:

• Always stay close to your frontline characters (Warrior, Paladin, Barbarian), do not engage at long distances unless necessary.
• Life Domain Clerics excel at keeping the party alive, so staying in between the frontline and the range attackers should be a priority. But using Disintegrating Night Walkers’s Misty Step to reposition, be it to flee out of a tough fight or to aid ranged attackers or spellcasters is a good idea.
• Shield of Devotion is a must-have, Shield Bash can help you disengage, and the additional Spell slot could be the difference between a TPK or victory.
• Selune’s Spear of Night, Shadowheart’s Signature weapon, has a powerful area debuff called Moonmote. Combine this with Moonbeam to destroy swarms of undead enemies.
• Casting Spirit Guardians is a good way to keep melee attackers at bay from Shadowheart.
• Always use Heroes’ Feast before a heavy boss fight or tough combat phase, grants all the party immunity to Poison, Disease, and Fear, augments the maximum HP of all party members by 12, and grants advantage in Wis saving throws. It’s the best defensive buff in the game.

So that was the best companion build for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more on the game, check out below:

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