You may think thatBaldur’s Gate 3is a game about overcoming trauma or squeezing a tadpole out of your eyehole, but it’s not. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game about regret. I’m no save scummer, so I’m sticking to every decision I make, no matter the repercussions.
Saving the Grove was an easy one, but I must admit I had second thoughts after finding out thatMinthara was a recruitable companionon an ignoble playthrough, so I’ll save her for round two. Every time I fail a Persuasion roll, I have a momentary lapse of honour and debate reloading the game, only to remember I last saved an hour ago. I dread to think what I’d do if I said the wrong thing to Astarion and he trotted off to leave me for good.
I’ve reconciled most of these decisions by telling myself I’ll make the opposite choice on my second playthrough. I’ll be a baddie, I’ll recruit Minthara, I’ll tell Astarion to eff off, and I’ll have more chats with Shadowheart. But that last point has recently become a problem.
I didn’t really get the Shadowheart hype until the end of Act 1. I’ve started resting a lot more because there don’t seem to be any downsides and I’ve hoarded over 500 portions of food. This means that I’m talking to a lot more potential party members a lot more often. Shadowheart’s story never really interested me, and she never had a look in next to Karlach and Astarion. My fourth spot is currently held by Lae’zel, but she’s a placeholder until I can recruit Halsin, so Shadowheart may have had a shout there, but I opted for the githyanki for her combat prowess.
Note: The voice performances in Baldur’s Gate 3 are so good, Icreated my own Game Awards categoryjust for them
But it was towards the end of Act 1 that a successful Persuasion check allowed Shadowheart to open up to me. She’s a follower of Shar, she’s voluntarily given up her memories as a mark of devotion to her goddess, and she’s far cooler than I gave her credit for. “Fine,” I thought to myself. “You’re coming along for 2 Play 2 Through.”
I want to see as much of Baldur’s Gate 3 as I possibly can, so I travelled through the Underdark this time around. I’m a drow Ranger, it just makes sense. But as I explored the Grymforge, all I could think about was Shadowheart.
The bodies of Dark Justiciars, loyal servants of Shar, litter the floor. I can see, but not yet access, an Ancient Shar Temple. you may collect a Sharran Idol. This is Shadowheart’s time to shine as much as the Underdark is mine, and yet I’ve left her languishing at camp.
However, my ‘do it on the second playthrough’ mentality here took a tumble. I want to make completely different choices the second time around, so I’m probably going to take the Mountain Pass rather than the Underdark. Shadowheart will miss all of this whichever way I slice it. There’s also no way of knowing whether she’ll stick around after my slaughter of innocents that I’ve already set my mind on in order to recruit Minthara.
What to do? Seeing as I couldn’t access the Temple of Shar from the Grymforge, I think I’ll find a way there in Act 2. So perhaps I’ll bring Shadowheart along from now on? She could replace Lae’zel, who I’m not yet entirely invested in, but seeing as Halsindefinitelywon’t be joining me in playthrough two, I need him on board. Astarion is going nowhere and I really want to fix Karlach’s heart, so I’m in a bit of a pickle. The Underdark was Shadowheart’s time to shine, and I feel like I’ve already missed my opportunity to make the most of her story.
