Baldur's Gate 3 is filled with choices that not only matter, but will alter every choice that players can make from that point on. One of the big choices in Act 2 is all about helping Shadowheart through the Trials of Shar.
Once these trials are completed, Shadowheart has the option to become a Dark Justiciar and silence the Nightsong, or free the Nightsong and forsake her patron goddess. Both will have a lot of ramifications in the future, so players might want to know just what they are getting into with each choice.
This article contains massive spoilers for Shadowheart's story, up to and including Act 3.
Shadowheart's Story in Baldur's Gate 3
Shadowheart is one of the romanceable companions Baldur's Gate 3 that players can get in Act 1. Players find out fairly early that she is an acolyte of the goddess Shar, the lady of darkness and pain. If players do not reject Shadowheart's religion outright, she will remain with the party throughout the game. In order to finish her story quests, and players will need to find the Temple of Shar located below the shadow-cursed lands. There, this cleric will have to decide where fate will take her, but she will be willing to take some direction from the player character.
Up until this point, players will also get a variety of choices that can change how Shadowheart feels overall. If players have leaned more towards doing good, like helping the Druid's Grove and saving Isobel from the invaders at Last Light Inn, she will be more inclined to help the Nightsong. If the playthrough has made more evil choices, like siding with the Aboslute's drow Minthara, Shadowheart will be more inclined to kill the Nightsong.
To Kill the Nightsong in BG3 or Not
Choosing whether to press Shadowheart to kill the Nightsong will make a huge difference in how the story progresses. If Shadowheart embraces Shar completely, she will become almost evil. To fully embrace Shar is to embrace the darkness; it will now become harder to lift the curse on the shadow-cursed lands. In Act 3, Shadowheart will get the option to kill some family members if she becomes devoted to Shar. Ultimately, the outcome is a harder, angrier, and much darker version of Shadowheart.
If Baldur's Gate 3 players choose to persuade Shadowheart to stay her hand and not kill the Nightsong, she will be changed. She will become kinder, and instead of willingly choosing to murder her family members, she will earn the option to save them. Saving the Nightsong will turn Shadowheart closer to worshiping the mortal enemy of Shar: Selune, the goddess of the moon.
While there are several factors at play, here are the key things players should consider when making their decision about the Nightsong:
- Killing the Nightsong will also kill everyone at the Last Light Inn.
- While Astarion will approve of killing the Nightsong, many of the kinder-hearted companions like Halsin will not.
- Keeping the Nightsong alive will give players someone to fight alongside them when taking down Ketheric Thorm.
- Shadowheart will gain a powerful chest piece from killing the Nightsong.
So which way should players choose to go? They should pick the option that fits their playstyle. Saving the Nightsong will make things easier when facing up against the Absolute, but killing it will make things easier for those who are looking to side with the Absolute. Pick the one that goes along with the Dungeons and Dragons alignment that matches the player avatar's choice up until this point. Regardless of which players pick, it will make a great excuse for playing through the game again to choose the other.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available for PC.