Baldur's Gate 3: Shadowheart approval and romance guide
A women with a mysterious box in BG3? You've got to get them on side no matter the cost!
Shadowheart approval can be a tricky thing to earn consistently in Baldur's Gate 3, given the mysterious nature of your pocket cleric. If you want to win over the dark and brooding Shadowheart, you'll need to play up to her personality while she's in your party.
This guide will take you through how to gain Shadowheart approval, as well as how to romance Shadowheart. She's not as one dimensional as to like every pure-hearted decision you make as a goody-two-shoes paragon of virtue traversing the game, nor is she down with every super evil thing you get up to. If you want Shadowheart to like you, you'll need to approach the task carefully.
How to get Shadowheart's approval
Before we jump into specifics, here's a quick spoiler warning for act 1 of Baldur's Gate. Also, if you're feeling really anxious about Shadowheart approval, get into the practice of saving often throughout your playthrough. Yes, this is save scumming, and arguably a negative influence on any RPG. But, to each their own. It's your experience after all!
Shadowheart is ultimately a good-hearted person, and as such she'll approve of any successful attempt to avoid conflict or talk your way to a peaceful solution when confronted. If you can save someone's life using a persuasion check, or your class-specific dialogue options, doing so will almost always result in Shadowheart's approval.
She also has a rivalry with Lae'Zal, meaning if you side with Shadowheart against the fighter, you'll gain her approval. Obviously, this comes at the cost of Lae'Zal's approval, so bear that in mind if you're trying to keep them both on side.
Shadowheart is also not very trusting when it comes to the mind flayer tadpole in your heads, but she's also keen on finding a healer rather than a Creche as Lae'Zal suggests. As such, don't share information on your predicament at any opportunity, and certainly don't jump at the devil's offer when he summons you to his realm.
Also, you'll notice she has a mysterious box with her. Don't pry into that, or her background in general, until she feels comfortable talking to you about it. If you do, she'll respond badly. Wait until she warms up to you!
How to romance Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3
In order to romance Shadowheart, you'll need to get her approval rating to high. You can check their current approval rating by looking at her character sheet.
The first opportunity to kick off the Shadowheart romance scene is following the completion of the quest Rescue Druid Halsin. This will kick off a celebration at your camp, at which point you can shimmy over to Shadowheart and start a conversation. Agree to share a bottle with her, and you'll be given the opportunity to meet her at night after the celebrations have ended. It's here that romance will commence!
As this opportunity kicks off post Halsin-rescue, we recommend completing over quests and getting that approval rating as high as you can before rushing in and freeing Halsin. If you go in too early, you might miss your first chance at romance.