Player explains why you never hit with Shadow Heart in Baldur’s Gate 3 and how it gets better

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Since the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, there have been repeated discussions about the fact that one of the most popular companions is apparently useless in battle. Shadowheart is only included as a buffbot and healer, if at all. You’re probably just misunderstanding them.

This is Shadowheart’s problem:

  • Of all the companions in Baldur’s Gate 3, Shadowheart is one of the most popular, primarily because of her deep story and many plot twists.
  • By default she is a cleric, so she fights with weapons like maces, carries shield and armor, and casts spells with divine magic. Actually one of the strongest classes in the game.
  • However, the basic spells of Shadow Heart, Fire Arrow and Holy Flame, as well as their weapon attacks, hit on average less often than those of all other companions. There’s a reason for that.

    • more on the subject

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    Why does she never meet? On Reddit, user Odocaver_0476 explains that the spells that Shadowheart knows are actually not good for the game or her character. Fire Arrow is a magic trick that actually belongs to magicians.

    Shadowheart only knows the spell because she is a half-high elf. However, the hit chance and damage are calculated with intelligence because of the spell’s origin. As a cleric, Shadowheart’s main attribute is wisdom.

    The same applies to attacks with weapons. These are usually based on strength or skill. By default, Shadowheart doesn’t have much of either, so the chance to hit and damage are significantly lower than fighters, rogues or barbarians.

    Holy Flame, on the other hand, does not use your attributes, but those of the opponent, more precisely: skill. Enemies must pass a saving throw. However, many enemies in Baldur’s Gate 3 are extremely skilled; Holy Flame is only really strong against clunky, slow enemies.

    This is how you re-skill Shadow Heart:

    Baldur’s Gate 3: Reset character and choose new class

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    You just have to use the right spells and Shadowheart will hit

    If you want to hit reliably with Shadowheart, the best option is to simply re-skill it. For honor runs it is even essential that she gets a different class or at least a different domain. Cunning is the worst thing a cleric can have.

    Be especially careful that she doesn’t get stuck at 13 points of Strength and Dexterity, but instead focus on one of them if you want her to be useful in close combat. Strength scales with more weapons and your best spear, skill also increases armor.

    But if you don’t want to change your character, there are a few spells that Shadowheart can use to really get going in battle. Odokaver recommends:

  • Spiritual Weapon: The spell summons a weapon as a companion that fights on its own initiative and with its own attributes. You can summon them as a bonus action and don’t need any concentration to do so.
  • Guardian Spirits: Similar to the trick with the Phalar Aluve sword, you have an aura around you that causes blinding or necrotic damage when enemies enter it. Extremely useful against many enemies.
  • Directing Missile and Dealing Wounds: Unlike Fire Arrow, the spells use Wisdom as a modifier for attacks and damage. So you hit much more reliably and use the projectile to give you an advantage the next time you use a weapon to attack the enemy.

    • Later on, however, you will still receive the spells Guardian of the Faith and Revive the Dead. Both abilities, like Spiritual Weapon, grant an additional companion in battle.

    Alternatively, Shadowheart has Hold Person, one of the best spells in the game, at least against humanoid opponents. Many enemies don’t have particularly high Wisdom, which makes it easier to hit with the spell.

    However, Shadowheart doesn’t have any really strong magic tricks. Once her spell slots are used up, she becomes significantly weaker. You can delay this situation a bit with elixirs and scrolls. You hardly use them anyway. Or you can give her bombs, which can do more damage than magicians’ spells if you use them correctly.

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