Baldur’s Gate 3 players find out why Shadowheart can’t cast Sacred Flame properly
Larian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 players are used to Shadowheart failing every single time she casts Sacred Flames or similar Cantrips. But some fans have revealed why this great spell should be only used after Act 1.
Shadowheart is the first character you can recruit in Baldur’s Gate 3, and if you decide to keep her in your party as you explore Faerun, you’ll quickly gain access to the Sacred Flame spell. As a Cleric, Shadowheart is a key companion that can heal your characters, but players have complained repeatedly that she can’t seem to land any of her most powerful initial spells.
While some fans joke about Shadowheart being the unluckiest character of the game because of this, other players tried to explain why Shar’s Cleric seems destined always to fail to cast Sacred Flame, as well as other Cantrips like Firebolt.
“I get that it’s just bad luck, and the fact that I’m using her a lot, but man on my honor mode Co-op run she has missed almost ever single guiding bolt and inflict wounds I cast. I usually only even attempt it when the hit chance is above 75%, and I really need simple target damage ASAP,” commented a user in a Reddit thread which joked about Shadowheart’s “problem.”
A similar issue might stop players from using other companions, but since Shadowheart is a fan favorite, users have decided to find a way to make her skills work. Luckily for her fans, Baldur’s Gate 3 users found an explanation for why Sacred Flame always seems to fail.
According to them, Sacred Flame can’t hurt low-level enemies with high Dexterity, and most of these opponents can be found during Act 1. As players gain much more powerful skills after finishing Baldur’s Gate 3 first part, most prefer betting on more efficient spells.
In addition, Shadowheart’s initial stats aren’t the best for her to nail her Cantrips, and most are based on the Intelligence stat instead of Wisdom, which is her strong point. Experienced players have suggested others ask Withers to “reset” her stats, so they can rearrange her points to get a stronger Cleric capable of successfully using her Cantrips.
Larian Studios “Sacred Flame actually is pretty useful against Shadows in Act 2. That’s about it, though. Against everything else, it’s basically useless, and Guiding Bolt is infinitely better, but if you’re out of spell lots, then Sacred Flame is pretty good against Shadows,” commented a Redditor.
Shadowheart’s fans also explained that Sacred Flame is actually great, but only if users stick to using it during Acts 2 and 3. Since these spells are Cantrips, which are unlimited, casting them is better to face the numerous enemies at the end of Baldur’s Gate 3.
And that’s why Shadowheart can’t cast Sacred Flames and other Cantrips properly in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you want to know more about Larian Studios’ RPG, you can check how to recruit Minthara after defending Emerald Grove and what “lifesaving” UI update was introduced in Patch 6.