Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Saving Shadowheart

I've just begun playing through Patch 9, and I wanted to give initial feedback. Thus far, seems to be roughly the same as pre-patch 9. I've maybe noticed a few minor tweaks, but nothing major.

Spoilers below, so read at your own peril.

One thing I did notice, though, was the transformation scene with the woman in the pod. Nicely done! I love the added touch of actually seeing the cloud engulf the pod so you can't see the gruesome transformation, but you know it happened - especially when the hand slaps the glass.

But one thing I really liked was the addition to Shadowheart's pod and device. If you activate the pod in the other chamber, there is dialogue that makes you question. If you activate Shadowheart's Pod, will you transform her instantly like you did the person in the other chamber?

I love it. Well done. Very good touch, I thought.

So, not only do you question whether you should free her because you could change her, but you also question whether you should free her because you have to use tadpole powers (assuming they didn't change that from the last patch because I didn't test it). Anyway, I think it's a great addition to the game.

I agree, the new animation of the transformation is really good, and the difference in the interaction with the panel near Shadowheart if you’ve triggered it is a great touch (though I believe the latter was already there in the previous patch).

In general, this sort of attention to detail is so important for creating memorable moments, large and small. This playthrough, for example, was the first time I’d tried to use a music box (one found in the Zhent hideout, I think), and found it played a tinkly version of Down by the River. Though I’d not tried it before and I suspect this feature was already in previous versions, it gave me a small but definite thrill to find that Larian had gone to the effort of adding this detail.

I'd read your comment before playing patch 9, so this was obviously one of the first things I checked out. 100% agree, it's great depth and texture, and gives the rescue a more complicated urgency

My only issue with the being forced to use the tadpole to free her is if say you want to play the game through without ever using the tadpole (at all). The only class that so far I have found around this was my Warlock which allowed one to free without using tadpole.

A Barbarian can get her out without using the tadpole. I didn’t realise a Warlock could. I thought they could just sense the warding glyphs and inscribe them so they could use the console without needing the stone from the chest, but still needed to use the tadpole to activate the control.

But yes, most classes will need to leave Shadowheart in the pod if they want to wholly avoid using the tadpole. But unless something has changed in the last patch, she’s not too upset with you if you do that as long as you make at least some effort to get her out.

The warlock can't get her out without using the tadpole. Just played that scene in a new warlock playthrough.

They changed it for patch 8 to make you use the tadpole for story reasons, until then a warlock could get her out but now the best you can do is unlock the machine without grabbing the rune

Except for barbarian the tadpole is needed to free her before the crash... Another option is just walk past of course

"Sorry...I can't save you." "Nothing personal, its union regulations."

"No persons shall engage in Heroic activities that make other persons?...Is that right?..yes we'll go with that...Persons feel less than heroic around you."

"Bye!...gotta go now...Cheers!".

Um, I JUST freed her with a Warlock in patch 9 without using my tadpole. It's still possible in patch 9.

Cheer up Shadow, you know what they say?
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
And...

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. :3

Interesting. What subclass did you pick, and what sequence did you do stuff in?

I tried with a Great Old One warlock a couple of days ago and didn’t spot that option. I started by clicking on the pod and then used the Warlock option to successfully examine the glyphs. I didn’t have any option there to open the pod directly. I then went to the console and the only Warlock option was to inscribe the glyphs I’d seen on the pod, which brought the console to life (which you usually need the stone from the locked chest to do), but I still needed to put my hand on the console and use the tadpole to actually open the pod.

It was a couple days ago (yes I know I said I JUST did it) I was the Fiend sub-class. It gave me the usual options and the warlock option about the pod being linked to the console next to it. So I went to the console and chose to inscribe the rune like you mentioned. That opened the pod for me. Well, after the "will the pod to open" wisdom roll bit you always have to do. I'm not sure what was different between us other than sub-class. Sounds like we had the same options though.

Just played as a Sorcerer with Arcana skill, and I was happy to see another alternative to the opening of Shadowheart's pod. If you succeed in an Arcana check while examining her pod, you open an option to use another Arcana skill to try to fix the pod without getting the part.

Nicely done. I LOVE the fact that there are multiple ways for this scene to go, giving different classes and/or skills more value. Again, well done, Larian! I like to give positive feedback when I find it because we do tend to focus primarily on the negative.

That is using the tadpole; previously you did not need to do that.

i liked it better when you didn't have to use that power thing. Arcana check is more than enough.

But yeah cool stuff, the whole save Shadowheart was community suggestion so gj for listening.

I have no idea why they changed controls and add limits on how companions work on the ship? Like why can't we loot with them? That just leads to more unnecessary clicking.

Normal control that were there from the start were 10 times better. The new scheme of no inventory access for companions is just bad.

Now i just have to kill lae'zel every single time to take her armor and shove her body down to avernus...

Not sure why they wasted all that work on removing inventory and other UI just to make worst version of the game. LIke that will stop me from geting that armor? Lae'zel isn't even woth the res scroll shes carrying.