Thanks to her healing magic, Shadowheart is tasked with keeping the party alive in Baldur’s Gate 3. These are the best Feats for Shadowheart to select in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Shadowheart is a half-elf Trickery Domain Cleric. If you’re not playing a Bard, Cleric, or Druid, keep Shadowheart in your party in Baldur’s Gate 3, as it will take a long time before you find another healer as good as her. If you’re playing as Shadowheart using her Origin, keep her as a Cleric, and feel free to tailor the rest of your party as you see fit. Either way, you’ll need to pick the right Feats to make sure she’s keeping up with her allies.
When Can You Recruit Shadowheart?
Shadowheart can be recruited on the beach after you leave the Nautiloid. If missed, she reappears in the Druid Grove and finally near the Mountain Path. Shadowheart bears a mysterious and powerful artifact of great importance in BG3‘s main storyline. She is significantly tied to many events that happen during Acts 1 and 2.
When Does Shadowheart Gain Feats In Baldur’s Gate 3
Shadowheart will receive a Feat at levels 4, 8, and 12. This limits your options, but some choices are better than others. As a Trickery Domain Cleric, Shadowheart has powers that aid the Stealth checks of the party, but she’s not particularly sneaky herself, so you have the opportunity to make her fit in with the Rogues using Feats. The best feat for Shadowheart will depend on the build you’ve chosen for her, but she definitely stands out as divine caster in BG3.
Shadowheart’s Best Spellcasting Feats In Baldur’s Gate 3
As a primary spellcaster and the best healer for most of the game, it’s important to boost Shadowheart’s spellcasting capabilities. These will allow her spells to become harder to resist and for her concentration to last longer. The best spellcasting Feats for Shadowheart are:
- Ability Improvement: This lets you add 2 points to one stat or 1 point each to two different stats. Shadowheart has a Wisdom of 17 (her spellcasting ability) and a Dexterity of 13, so use Ability Improvement to bring Wisdom up to 18 and her Dexterity to 14, adding one to the modifier of both. Then, when she reaches level 8, use Ability Improvement again to boost her Wisdom to 20, where it maxes out. You do it in this order because you can’t max out her Wisdom with a single Feat, as spending both points at level 4 will only bring it up to 19, which has the same modifier as 18 (due to it using D&D rules, where stat modifiers go up on even-numbered levels.)
- Spell Sniper: This Feat lets you learn a Cantrip and your spells now score a critical hit on a 19 or a 20, assuming they have an attack roll. Use this Feat to gain easy access to the amazing Eldritch Blast Cantrip, while still retaining its benefits with later spells.
- War Caster: This Feat gives you Advantage on Concentration Saving Throws and lets you spend your Reaction to cast Shocking Grasp on opponents moving out of your melee range. Advantage on Concentration checks is vital for Shadowheart as many of her buffing and AoE spells require the check. This is probably the best feat for Shadowheart in BG3.
Shadowheart’s Best Warrior Feats In Baldur’s Gate 3
While boosting Shadowheart’s healing magic is useful, it’s also helpful to use the Feats to make her more resilient in combat. After all, if she’s dead, she won’t be able to heal her wounded allies. The best warrior Feats for Shadowheart are:
- Heavily Armored: This Feat gives you Heavy Armor Proficiency and a Strength point. Shadowheart only has a Dexterity modifier of +1, so she is a great fit for wearing heavy armor, so long as you don’t care about her not being stealthy. If you prefer Shadowheart to have a high defense over sneakiness, take this Feat, followed by Ability Improvement later.
- Medium Armor Master: This Feat removes the Disadvantage on Stealth checks when wearing medium armor and increases your potential Dexterity Armor Class bonus from +2 to +3. If you want Shadowheart to be sneaky like the rest of your party, give her this Feat, and take Ability Improvement later on. But if you don’t care, then select Heavily Armored instead.
- Shield Master: The Shield Master Feat gives you +2 to Dexterity Saving Throws when using a shield. You can use your Reaction to take half damage from a spell that gives a Dexterity Saving Throw, taking half damage on a fail, or no damage on a success. Shadowheart benefits a lot from a shield, so this Feat can help keep her alive without needing to buy multiple armor-related Feats.
Boosting Shadowheart’s Wisdom via Ability Improvement will make her healing spells more potent (as most heal extra based on your spellcasting modifier), and her status effect spells will be harder to resist. Alternatively, making her more skilled with her armor will make it harder for enemies to kill her, and you need the healer alive to heal everyone else, so your biggest choice is between magical mastery or thicker armor.
Best Companions to Pair With Shadowheart
The best companions to pair with Shadowheart are Lae’zel and Gale. She is a powerful divine caster, so Lae’zel can work as her bodyguard and Gale can be the character you count on for arcane magic. However, this composition will most likely require your character to be able to fight up close as well to compensate for two casters in the team. That said, Shadowheart can wear heavy armor and carry a shield, making her quite durable in battle. Choosing the best Cleric feats for Shadowheart can also help turn Shadowheart into a tanky support character for your party.
