Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Help Tips & Tricks shadowheart & heavy armor

I was currently playing the game and came across some ring mail heavy Armour 14. so I thought Cool I'll try it out on S.H. since she could now where heavy armor, or at least I thought she could since they upped her Dexterity. But when I gave it to her it says she doesn't have the Proficiency to use heavy armor. Why give her the Dexterity to use it but not the proficiency to use it? this makes no sense to me.

Err Dexterity has nothing to do with the ability to wear heavy armor, nor does any stat. The proficiency to wear heavy armor comes from class or feats. As far as I know there aren't any races or backgrounds that grant heavy armor proficiency. I think only Paladins and Fighters het the HA skill automatically. Everybody else would need medium armor proficiency already and then could take the heavy armor proficiency when they get to pick their next feat.

Side note heavy armor is best for low dex, like +0 or negative, +1 or 2 dex use medium, high dex use light. In my opinion anyways.

Well, then what was the reasoning for raising her Dexterity to 15? I thought that was the reason

At 15 Dex, SH gets the most benefit out of her medium armour, since medium armour caps your dex bonus to AC at +2 - which she now has.

Out of curiosity, just as a feedback to the game thing, what was it that was making you think that dexterity had something to do with wearing heavy armour? Do you know where you picked up that idea, and was it something in game that led you to think so?

@Nira to be honest with you I thought that I read that some where in regards to the reason for which they raised her Dexterity. Because If I remember correctly it used to be a 9

The only things that you need for heavy armor is STR and proficiency. Full plate requires 15 STR to wear for example.

Heavy armor receives no bonuses from DEX, like the other armors, because it already comes(usually) with a high AC on it's own and the DEX bonuses from medium or light represent the character's ability to evade while in non heavy armor. In heavy armor you are better off blocking/glancing the blows off of your good armor.

Due to SH's now 15 DEX, she went from a -1 DEX mod to a +2. This means that when she wears medium armor, she now adds a +2 to her AC instead of subtracting a -1, and results in her having 3 more total AC. I'm thinking this is where your confusion came in. She didnt gain access to other armors, she just got much better at wearing the armor she already could.

Oh Ok now what you said about going to a +2 makes perfect sense to me know that I think about it as she was getting a -1 and I thought that sucked there. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Life Domain clerics also get HA proficiency automatically.
Shadowheart's old stats seems to be the intended Life cleric default stats.

Yes but Shadow isn't and never has been a life domain cleric

She is a tank now, plain and simple. 19 AC + Mirror Image + Armor of Faith + Heals. She just needs a taunt and then she can just stay there while the rest of the party does the DPSing.

Glad I could help!



Just wait till they add Spiritual Weapon(Lv2 Spell that will be available at level 3 when they add it,) and Spirit Guardians(Lvl 3 Spell we probably won't see in EA.) You won't have to worry about not dealing enough damage.

Trickster clerics can use mirror image and Spirit Guardians for a pretty nasty combo, letting them sit in melee while spirit guardian does aoe around them, and make bonus action attacks with spiritual weapon.

What armor is Shadowheart using that gives her a 19AC currently I've got her in her original Armor which is 13 and haven't found anything better for her. As for Shield of Faith I usually her her cast that on Khyber my 1/2 Elf as she is my tank

15 AC from that +1 scale mail from the tiefling vendor, +2 from her shield and +2 from DEX bonus.
On top of that, Mirror Image. Not sure if mirror image adds anything to AC, but it sure makes you much harder to hit redirecting hits to the duplicates with ~2/3 chance. And may be armor of faith, although that one will break with first hit that lands because she doesn't have a huge constitution.

Ok now I fully understand where you got the 19 at which is good AC for her.