Shadowheart is not my favorite character in Baldur’s Gate 3but it is absolutely crucial to getting my team ready for battle. This is especially true for teams that want to keep Origin characters in their canon classes.
It’s always good to have a Cleric on hand, and since I can never bring myself to cast one as my main, Shadowheart is my trusty backup. Clerics have an amazing list of spells, and they’re not just support abilities. I can’t tell you how many times Spirit Guardians or Turn Undead have bailed me out of unexpected trouble.
Perfecting your Shadowheart build is mostly about choosing the right spells and gear, but the right feats can facilitate you maximize everything else you have to do. Here are my recommendations.
Improving Skill Score
Ability Score Improvement is definitely the best feat for Shadowheart, as it is for pretty much every other character. As a Cleric, many of Shadowheart’s best spells and abilities are based on her Wisdom, and that’s an immediate boost to her modifier that she can get as early as level 4. There really isn’t a better option for her, especially this early in the game.
War Wizard
After taking at least one Ability Score Improvement, War Caster is worth considering. It gives Shadowheart advantage on Concentration saves and gives her the ability to cast Shocking Grasp as a Reaction instead of making an Opportunity Attack. My favorite Shadowheart spells, like Spirit Guardians, rely on Concentration, and the occasional shock is nice. That much is obvious.
Post
As a priestess, Shadowheart doesn’t have to rely solely on her spellcasting abilities in combat. If you find yourself drawing her mace more often, you might want to consider taking Sentinel as her second or third feat. It allows her to attack enemies with Reaction when they successfully hit one of your teammates in melee. It also gives her advantage on attacks of opportunity and causes enemies to stop moving until the end of their turn when they’re hit by one of her attacks of opportunity. This is a bit more of a niche option than the others, but it has its uses.
Spell Sniper
This is another candidate for Shadowheart’s second or third talent slot. It lowers the roll Shadowheart needs to critically hit with spells by one, and gives her access to Bone Chill, Eldritch Grasp, Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Shocking Grasp, or Thorn Whip. This one is better for players who exploit Shadowheart more as a full-on wizard than a melee fighter.
Portable
In the honorable mention category, we have Mobility. This feat gives Shadowheart an extra ten feet of movement, allows her to avoid challenging terrain while using the Dash action, and allows her to avoid Opportunity Attacks if she manages to hit an enemy with a melee attack before moving. These abilities make Shadowheart play the support role even better, allowing her to get into range of distant allies for healing spells, and this extra movement can be incredibly powerful when you have Spirit Guardians.
Alarm
Another distinction, Alert gives Shadowheart +5 Initiative and prevents surprise. Listen, getting into a fight early is always a good thing. It can be especially useful for Shadowheart, who can cast crowd control spells before enemies get up and move. If you can find a place for it in your Shadowheart build, you’ll definitely get some exploit out of it.
