Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Shadowheart Romance and the Hidden Fetish - (Spoilers inside)

Now I want this as secret ending (No, thanks)

And this is when you find an old save, reload and help the goblin kids throw rocks... I'll even hand them a crossbow!

Just fail skill check on Orin

Whoops, totally an accident, but we tried at least

And what's really funny nobody even made a comment about his death.

Also his body magically appeared in the camp, also no comments.

You know, the way this game is designed, I am surprised there was no necrophilia lust going on (Kidding! I do not want that!)

It just happened to me a few minutes ago, The dude is so creepy that even after I've killed him in the Goblin Camp, he decided to show up dead the day after the party when I rested. Talk about not accepting a no, even when dead. XD

Aside from that, I came to believe that he's just the Mary Sue version in this game, Just saying

I like the "self-insert" theory, personally.

I am afraid to tell you that there is in fact a comment regarding necrophilia in the game. Spoiler says when/where.

good job Larian in our camp there is still a dog and 2 little girls, at different times. I will follow the news. Not the whole set of perversions has been collected yet.
Topic healthy necrophilia and something like that soon.

The bigger problem for me is the discrepancy between her interactions leading up to the final battle and the endings. Her wanting us to scrub her back in a bath and being generally super wholesome (that last, last kiss interaction is just mega cute) and confident. She no longer sounds insecure there, giving her that character development needed after the House of Grief situation. Then the ending takes it all away again.

Her is strange, but her ending is good in a sense where you can feel her sorrow and insecurity but she really relieves when you say that she can always stay by your side.

Or "please include age-blind option for romance! We're LGBTQPEDO+"

/Shudders why disturbed individuals claims a right to hide under this minority section is vile and beyond me.

I hope I don't see a post saying "Can we have a flag so we can only have conceding adult content, please?"

Which... shadowheart and Halsin bickering like father and child in act 2 and then the lust in act 3... I think someone took the daddy kink too far.

IMO I don't think Halsin should be able to woo or romance etc any of our other companions, I think it would have been better if he branched out somewhere else. Would have felt less intrusive to our own.
Shadowheart is written contradictory imo, and I think this was just a bone given to the crappy poly salivating lovers. But that's just me...

Thank you for posting this! I felt this way for a LONG time. Larian said companions would be "player sexual" and NOT "player and Halsin, and everyone else sexual". Why make Shadowheart LUST after other companions when you're in a committed relationship?? I get having a Poly option for people that want it - that's fine. But it should be DRIVEN by the Player, not written in the subtext of the whole Romance.

Basically, it just sucks the way they currently wrote it. Shadowheart's hidden (or not so hidden thanks to the internet) fetish really ruins her character.

It's like they decided they couldn't keep the Shadowheart romance the satisfying "slow-burn romance" they advertised. It was so perfect the way it was - a long period of building trust, learning about her, she slowly opens up more and more, and only after 80-100 hours of gameplay do you have your big moment with her. It is so powerfully intimate. It means something because she is sharing herself with you when she was so "hard to get" in Acts 1-2. It's a scene that rewards the player for their dedication and diligence - turning down other "quick sex" options that many of the others offer - to be with HER. "No, I want you - Shadowheart - because I know what we have is special. And you agree!"

Shadowheart talks about how much you mean to her. How special your relationship is.... oh but she'll totally have sex with Halsin and has been "DREAMING" about it. Like, seriously - WTF?? And for a guy that preaches about Consent and Honest conversation, Halsin is quick to try and worm his way into your relationship. Turning him down is of no avail - he and Shadowheart are just itching to have sex with each other. They flirt with each other - even encroaching on your swimming moment with Shadowheart with their dialogue. If you talk to the drow prostitutes, even just out of curiosity - Halsin and Shadowheart gang up on you and BEG you to let them have a 5-some. Say "no" and you're SMACKED with Disapproval from BOTH of them. If you do agree, you basically enter a Porno where you're a cuck sitting in a chair while your "friend" rails your girlfriend. Talk about a bait and switch!!

And you have really no say in any of this, again, because turning Halsin down does NOT change his behavior. And you can't establish boundaries with Shadowheart in any way. Your options are to ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist or be met with a companion that is so eager to have sex with others that it is offputting in the extreme. A character, mind, that just a little bit ago wanted to settle down with you and said that you're her True Love.

So yeah, I really wish they would make these optional things MORE optional. As in, if I don't want a poly relationship - DONT FORCE ONE ON ME by making my otherwise excellent companion a horndong who wants to have sex with anything that moves. At least let me establish boundaries with her. Let me tell her that "No, dear - we're not opening our relationship" and Shadowheart (who says she loves you) should stand by you in that decision. And then the characters should HONOR this CHOICE. This choice should mean that - Halsin shouldn't be flirting with her, Shadowheart shouldn't be looking to hook up with prostitutes or lusting after Mount Halsin, and Cheating on her should be met with disgust and disdain and have severe consequences.

Ok, rant over. Thanks for hearing me out!

Agree. I started my first playthrough with my friends, never expected to be engaged in romance or anything like that, we were just goofing around. I actually randomly had enough approval so she invited me to share a bottle at tiefling party. I decided to play it out(similarly 1 of my friends got Gale randomly and the other one was specifically pursuing Karlach romance from the start). But holy shit I liked her build up and story so much. It was such a cool slow burn. I was actually shocked what she decided to do in shadowfell(we reloaded there many times, I assumed she d stab the Aylin, so we tried to get a crit on persuasion. I was barbarian with 8 charisma, so. I just gave up and let her do her thing to see if I can convince her otherwise, but she just thrown the spear away?because of me?) and what she said after it was just heartwarming to me. I think it is very out of character for her and ruins her story a bit. I have no problem about her flirting here and there, but Halsin/Shadowheart banter after swim scene is just...questionable. How would he even know about that if thats supposed to be high-intimacy moment(is he spying in wildshape or something?creepy) and Shadowheart is very "playful" in that banter. Him in sharess caress is another nail, dont respect player's choice rejecting you Halsin, ye hit me with disapproval both(or let me just sit in a corner and enjoy the show alternatively), why not. If anything, Shar route Shadowheart fits more in this situation with Halsin with her general attitude and "fleetness".
In the end I only hope that this is just a Halsin bug and not an actual writing.

The worst part for me is that if you go to drow twins and ask them what arrangement they have in mind (sure you can say it should be pretty obvious what they mean, but still) its shadowheart that says: "Thats an idea, if you are comfortable in sharing so am I"
If you agree and have Halsin in your party he will ask to join and if you refuse him you get dissaproval message from shadowheart, even if you previously denied Halsin offer of poly. Like wtf is this? Shadowheart is the only female romance option that is slow burn, doesnt lead to sleeping together until act 3, and she is the one that is not only open for orgy, but straight up dissaproves if you refuse?
Let's look at her romance for a second: the most you can get from her until act 3 is a kiss. She ask like 3 times through the game if you want to be with her at the end (ending of act 2, act 3 when she talks about future on the farm, and epilogue if you destroy the brain). She straight up says that she never belived she could have real family or real love, which all point out that she is really insecure, and fear/expect abandonment, but then she is the one that acts enthusiastic about orgy? Saying its a good idea, if you are okay with it? (Again, if you just ask drow twins questions she is the one that wants it, you don't need to choose dialogue that is about hiring them)

It's like reverse Lae'zel romance, that starts as casual sex but ends up in her wanting MC only for herself for the rest of life, but you know the difference? There is a build up to Lae'zel attitude change, but there is 0 to shadowheart. If you sleep with any other companion she will end your relation, not wanting to be a spare lover, but suddenly in act 3 she is fine with it? Why? If anything she should be even less okay with it if she abandons Shar that prohibited having lasting relationships. SH/Halsin stuff is more suited for dark path shadowheart but i don't think its even possible then because you won't have a swimming scene (correct me if i'm wrong)

If her dialogue would come up only after you say you want to hire drows, the it would be a different story (but you just need to ask what arrangment you have in mind, I know, its a brothel, so that question might be kinda dumb, but still) . Kinda like Astarion, he act like he is fine with it, but if you listen to narrator he is not, he just put on an act to please you, and it makes MC an asshole for not taking into consideration his past traumas.

Also the epilogue, if she is STILL after everything unsure if you will stay with her in the end, then I don't see how her being not only fine but entusiastic about bringing other people into relation makes any sense

And by the love of Selûne the disapproval message if you reject Halsin in drow scene is disgusting if you want to make sense of it and not just say its bad writing, it's like SH is not fine with being a spare lover but is okay with you being a spare lover for her.

I think they made this very intentional. Lae'zel the 'easiest' companion, it's in fact the one that is more loyal/respectful to the player. Meanwhile, Shadowheart the 'hardest to get is... well, you have seen the interaction yourself.

Is a sick joke.

I never finished SH romance and I never will (and never will let Halsin alive). Romances in this game are disgusting (for what I've read), the only one it'll ever finish is Bae'zel.

I would like that those hidden side of companions are introduced one way or the other to the player. So that way the player knows what he's choosing. In real life, you never get to a person 100% but I don't want those experiences in a 60 dollar game.

Either we like it or not SH approves (probably likes and had participated before) orgies. Player should know this beforehand. And for the love of God, don't make her salivate for Halsin, it looks that she's more attracted to him than Tav (though some people get mad it you say so, it seems).

And it's funny because if there's a companion you wouldn't want this to happen is Shadowheart, you know, the trickery domain cleric, it can easily be seem as if she was manipulating Tav (though, again, some people might get mad if you say so). But at the same time you can see why they choose her (and Astarion) to be Halsin's possible poly partners, they are the 2 most attractive companions. Simple. But all this is just my opinion, I might be wrong.

At the end of the day. I choose to believe they f*cked up her romance by mistake.

Theory about manipulation is kinda meh since she literally throws spear away in nightfell for your character(only your relationship matter).
It has to be bug or some fuck up in writing with all this Halsin situation. Otherwise her romance is very sweet till the end.

This.
I've done the Nightsong scene where I killed my character so she does it solo and just murders the Nightsong with no hesitation. Compare that to when you're in the scene with her and she will throw the spear away even if you don't say anything so you're definitely a strong influence in that decision. In fact maybe the only reason she did threw the spear away at all knowing that Shar does not allow love.

And instantly says that she wants to be with your Tav now and always. Literally betrays Shar, dont think there are any manipulations going on here.