In Baldur’s Gate 3, many of your choices have irrevocable consequences, and that can include permanently alienating members of your party. What you do in Shadowfell is one of those tough choices, which can lead to the permanent loss of Shadowheart as a companion if you aren’t careful.
Shadowfell is the culmination of the Gauntlet of Shar, which means it’s a pretty big deal for the Cleric of Shar in your party. She’s thrilled to take on the tasks to serve her Lady Shar, but she won’t be so happy if you don’t let her take the lead in the final moments.
The first time I left Shadowfell, I received a furious lecture from Shadowheart that ended with her leaving my party… for good. This break does indeed appear to be a permanent one and you won’t have the chance to get her back. So, if you’re looking to get past this challenging part of Act II without losing your cleric companion, here’s how to make sure you leave the ultimate choice in her hands.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Complete Gauntlet of Shar in BG3 – All Solutions
Why Does Shadowheart Leave After Shadowfell?
Essentially, if you do anything during the pivotal moment in Shadowfell that takes away Shadowheart’s chance to decide what to do with the Nightsong, she’ll leave.
That means that if you’re the one calling the shots with Balthazar on what happens to the Nightsong, you’ll find yourself minus one cleric when you leave the shadowy plane. And no, starting this encounter while playing as Shadowheart doesn’t fix it, because having her tell Balthazar he can take the Nightsong still means she doesn’t have her big moment with Lady Shar.
In order to keep Shadowheart in your party, you’ll want to make sure you progress in a way that leaves this choice up to her character, which means avoiding certain outcomes.
How Can You Keep Shadowheart In Your Party After Shadowfell?
Basically, if you want to keep Shadowheart around after you meet the Nightsong in Shadowfell, Balthazar needs to be out of the picture. Balthazar, if left alive when your party arrives at Shadowfell, will try to deliver the Nightsong to Ketheric. If you’ve agreed to help him out either through dialogue with him or through orders at Moonrise Tower, you might be tempted to do so. However, if you do, Shadowheart will never forgive you, because it robs her of the big Dark Justicier moment she craves after the Trials of Shar.
Instead, you’ll need to dispatch the creepy villain to ensure that the choice of what to do about Nightstong remains with Shadowheart and your party. You can do this by killing him before you ever enter Shadowfell, by fighting him in the Gauntlet of Shar. Or, you can refuse to let him take Nightsong once you meet him in Shadowfell, which will launch you into a dangerous battle. Defeat him, and you’ll be able to let Shadowheart decide how to proceed with Nightsong.
At this point, you have the choice to try and sway her away from killing the Nightsong as Shar wishes, or you can let her do so and become a Dark Justiciar. Either choice, so long as you let her make it, will keep Shadowheart in your party. The key thing is to make sure you do let this cutscene play out because if you take another path that removes the Nightsong from the picture without Shadowheart’s involvement, she’ll leave.
So long as you don’t let Balthazar have his way and leave time for Shadowheart to decide whether or not she’ll kill the Nightsong for her faith, she should remain in your party after leaving Shadowfell. Depending on which direction things go, she might be having a sulky crisis of faith or become a bit more guarded as a newly minted Dark Justiciar, but she’ll at least stick around.
