Summary

• Shadowheart's parents present a difficult choice that is highly influenced by previous decisions, and it greatly affects her character development in Baldur's Gate 3.
• The consequences of saving or killing Shadowheart's parents depend on embracing Shar or Selûne, shaping her storyline and relationships.
• Both a Dark Justiciar Shadowheart and a Selûnite Shadowheart have either option pertaining to her parents, with different outcomes for each.

Throughout Baldur's Gate 3, the story presents choices that will challenge the party, with many having no obvious right or wrong solutions. One choice in Act 3 is the perfect example of this, with the decision of what to do with Shadowheart's parents having no clear answer. The meeting marks the end of Shadowheart's personal quest, and each choice has its own set of consequences, with those also based on previous choices made regarding the half-elf cleric.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]

Shadowheart’s personal quest takes place in two main parts, with the first major point during the final half of Act 2. Deep in the kill the Nightsong and fulfill her dream of becoming a Dark Justiciar, or freeing the aasimar and turning her back on Shar. It is this choice to embrace Shar or deny her influence which heavily impacts how Shadowheart deals with her parents later in BG3.

Shadowheart Will Face A Tough Choice With Her Parents

Shadowheart Learns She's Not An Orphan

When first met, Shadowheart is slow to trust the rest of the party but will gradually reveal more about herself. Although Shadowheart’s memories are fragmented, having given them up for the mission for Shar, one part that Shadowheart is clear about is that she’s an orphan. However, this is proven untrue when her parents are revealed to be alive in Act 3, and have been held captive by Shar for decades since the goddess claimed Shadowheart as her own. It’s at this point, Shadowheart must make the heartbreaking choice of whether to save or kill her own parents.

What Happens If Shadowheart’s Parents Are Saved

Defying Shar Or Embracing Selûne's Power

The obvious instinct for many would be to attempt to save Shadowheart’s parents. How this plays out will depend on whether Shadowheart killed the Nightsong or not. To find Shadowheart’s parents, the party must first travel to the House of Grief, the location of Shar’s cloister in Baldur’s Gate. The House is located in the top northwest corner of the city map, directly northwest from the Baldur’s Gate waypoint.

Shadowheart's parents are in the very back room of the House of Grief, affixed to two magical discs.

If Shadowheart embraced Shar, the goddess will return her memories long enough for her to know who her parents are before telling Shadowheart to kill them. A skill check will have to be ed for a Dark Justiciar Shadowheart to spar her parents, but if successful, an angry Shadowheart will refuse Shar's orders. Shar will not stop them from leaving, but will leave Shadowheart with more memories of her torturing her parents before turning her back on Shadowheart.

If Shadowheart freed Aylin, saving her parents is a little easier, though there will still be a skill check to convince her it is worth it. After fighting past Viconia and the other Sharrans, Shadowheart can find her parents, although her father will attempt to persuade her to let them go, saying that their time has ed. Using Selûne’s power, Shadowheart can release the pair, who will immediately embrace their daughter.

Whether Shadowheart has embraced Shar or Selûne encouraging her to save and free her parents will result in them ing the party at the group’s camp. Both Arnell and his wife Emmeline can be spoken to back at camp, although it soon becomes clear that Emmeline is not well. She appears to have suffered a severe mental decline after being held by Shar for so long, and will often become confused.

In the epilogue, if asked about her parents, Shadowheart will say that her mother has been having more good days than not-so-good days, and has been teaching her to bake.

What Happens If Shadowheart’s Parents Are Killed

Serving Or Appeasing Shar

The other option with Shadowheart’s parents is to kill them, which, again, depending on choices made in Act 2, will have different consequences for Shadowheart. A Dark Justiciar Shadowheart will behave and consider the decision very different from a Selûnite Shadowheart, with the former considering it a duty and the latter struggling to let her parents go. The impact on each version of Shadowheart will differ significantly as well, with a clearer good versus evil route for the character.

With Dark Justiciar Shadowheart, Shar will demand that she kill her parents as part of her final trial, restoring her memories to make their deaths a true sacrifice. Encouraging her to follow through on Shar’s request will see Shadowheart fulfill her journey to become Shar’s Chosen and result in Justiciars being available as allies to the party in BG3's final battle. After they are dead, Shar will wipe Shadowheart’s memories again, leaving only the player to that they were her parents. This choice will make Shadowheart more powerful, but also condemn Arnell and Emmeline to Shar’s torment forever.

For Selûnite Shadowheart, Shar will still be the one to demand their deaths, but with the twist that if Shadowheart agrees, she will relieve the cleric of the painful wound on her hand. If spoken to, both her parents will encourage Shadowheart to follow this path to free them all of Shar. If killed, Arnell and Emmeline will be transformed into Moonmotes, indicating that Selûne will allow them to travel with their daughter and bring her comfort.

Afterward, Shadowheart will express guilt at their deaths and grieves not having gotten to spend more time with them. This is a heartbreaking scene as Shadowheart wishes her parents could hug her, give her advice, and tell her stories about what she was like as a child. She will also decide to keep the name Shadowheart, stating that forgetting isn't what she does anymore, and that identity is as much a part of her as Jenevelle Hallowleaf.

While it might sound harsh, the best option is to kill Shadowheart’s parents, as this offers the best outcome for both versions of Shadowheart. If Shadowheart has followed Shar’s instructions throughout Baldur’s Gate 3 and becomes a Dark Justiciar, then following through on her final trial is a logical step. While with Selûne, both they and Shadowheart are freed from Shar’s torment, as Shar can’t hurt Shadowheart any more through the wound on her hand. Although she will grieve her parents, Shadowheart will eventually be able to move on and make a new life for herself free of Shar completely.