Player Checks What Happens if You Avoid Sheadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3
Number one on the list of BG3's Love Interests very much wants to party with you.
The first time we play games such as Baldur's Gate 3, we usually follow the path predetermined by the developers. We find all companions in their default locations, explore areas in the order they are discovered, and ultimately make safe decisions, allowing ourselves to be guided by the hand.
The situation looks different during the next playthrough, as we already know more or less what to expect and begin to throw challenges at the developers. A one player decided to ignore a certain crucial character for as long as possible.
If only I could live without the artifact...
Shadowheart is one of the first companions encountered during your journey in BG3. We meet the cleric while aboard the Nautiloid, where she may be rescued or left to the mercy of fate. Now matter how much kindness we have in our hearts, Shadowheart will eventually become an essential part of the part because of her artifact, which canonically prevents the infected from transforming into illithids.
SoulsForHire, a famous YouTuber, decided to test out what happens when she avoids the half-elf and her treasure throughout the entire game. To carry out the plan, she primarily needed cunning and her beloved hirelings.
The beginning of the campaign appears unusually simple. Shadowheart wasn't released from the capsule, so she didn't wake up next to the protagonist after the accident - instead, we will find her making her way to a nearby temple. Instead of going to the gate, the YouTuber went straight to the Emerald Grove.
At this stage it's hard to tell whether it's an issue of incomplete development or hidden teleportation abilities, as Shar will be waiting for us in the druid hideout. For SoulsForHire, it was the right time for a long rest - without Wither, companions, and the artifact, which caused a unique scene (you can watch it here).
And that's how the first "day" went
BG3 is a challenging game when it comes to combat, which motivated SoulsForHire to awaken Wither and summon a few hirelings - and things only got worse from there. Encountering Shadowheart on the trail while heading directly to the goblin camp motivated the YouTuber to seek alternative solutions. Unfortunately for her, without success.
The transition to the second act looked the same. Regardless of the path she chose - having the choice of Underdark and the mountain pass - the game still led the protagonist to Shadowheart. Killing Tav and taking control of hireling, who then took over the role of the "main character" in the cutscenes, didn't make a difference.
Fans notice an interesting reference to classic paper RPGs in this entire situation, likening the mandatory interactions with Shadowheart to a GM guiding their players to a plot point that they stubbornly overlook.
When the GM says: "Screw it, you wake up with an artifact in your inventory, and if you throw it away, it will still come back to you."
- jons5479
SoulsForHire notices an interesting detail in her experiment. Throughout the whole game, the protagonist never had a conversation with the Emperor, who - as widely known in the BG3 community - is responsible for halting the transformation of individuals possessing the artifact. It seems that the Larian developers have even considered such a scenario.
