Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Is the Act 3 Romance enough for you?

Probably referring to her post nightsong "I want to be with you now and always" thing or act 3 "I want to share it all with you" thing.

Oh, I am well aware. I've had these discussions before. And at that point, lots of people agree that SH/Halsin's writer won't change a thing, because of his pride, nothing else. The exact same situation was in Original Sin 2 where he was a writer of certain character.

Don't give up, keep feedback going. Up until we lose, we are winning.

Also what is character he wrote? I thought its Beast, but some say its Red Prince.

I mean Karlach pretty well does that too the moment you start the scene in act 2. She constantly validates that she wants to remain with you, even knowing she has little time left.

That doesn't cover the lack of communication and scenes throughout act 2, considering by act 2 Shadowheart is very distant and acts like how she'd act if you weren't romancing her. A little difference here and there when romanced would do wonders, imo.

It was Red Prince if I remember correctly and very weird plot about player watching Red Prince (romanced) fucking someone else. Yikes.

I wasn't saying that Karlach is less commited or anything lul, I think Karlach romance is amazing.

Pretty sure he wrote the Beast. Is there any confirmation on the interenet about it?

I dislike Shadowhearts sudden change in character and nonsensical writing that doesn't fit as much as the next person but I don't like spreading misinformation (even tho I've done this same thing before, so that's on me ) but Red Prince was written by Jan Van Dosselaer. (https://www.gamedeveloper.com/desig...e-making-of-i-divinity-original-sin-2-i-)

@Netav Oh you're in trouble now, buddy boy! Dissing Karlach in front of Orchid, get him Orchid!

Then my bad, that's why I said "if I remember correctly", which I didn't!

Though that bad plot with Red Prince is way similar to the whole Shadowheart and Halsin situation. Gives off really bad vibes.

What I mean by consistently giving you validation throughout the game, is that you meet Shadowheart at the very start and, if you save her life, she immediately starts giving you positive feedback. And there’s a tremendous amount of content through Act 1 that shows her growing trust in you. She gets all kinds of speech bubbles, sharing her thoughts, and then there is the option to ask her how you’re holding up in her estimations. And she consistently validates the player character if they’re in good standing with her, when they ask how they’re holding up. This continues into Act 3 and gets pretty intense in its sentiment.

Of course, there are the main relationship events, like the Act 1 and Act 3 romance scenes, the conversation after Nightsong, and her acknowledgment of the role that you’re playing in her life. Then there’s the Act 3 camp conversation where she says she wants to live in a cottage in the country with you after it’s all over. In addition, you get cute, fun little interactions like giving her a night orchid, which provides further positive contact with the character.

In contrast, Lae’zel is cold and acts pretty heartless toward the character honestly, until you hit Act 2 and then she’s obsessed with you. Her romance blossoms really late and you don’t get consistent validation from her. No slight on Lae’zel, because I adore her as a character, but she’s definitely not my favorite romance interest. With Karlach, I know that she has her own romance scenes, makes confessions of love, and is certainly affectionate toward the player character. The difference between Karlach and Shadowheart is that Shadowheart simply has more content. You can’t regularly ask Karlach how you’re holding up in her estimations. So you don’t have all of the same opportunities for validation. Again, no slight on Karlach because she’s a lovely character.

And I’m not sure why folks are getting hostile saying that I’m satisfied with Shadowheart’s romance. I think that it’s a beautiful romance and very well done. I don’t see why that’s a terrible position to take. There’s nothing wrong with me enjoying the game as it is, period. And besides which, I have said that there are things that I would like to see added, if you look closely at my posts. I can say that Shadowheart has a beautiful romance and also wish that there might be a little bit more, at the same time. Like for example adding a brief confession of love in Act 3, or romance-specific dialogue in Act 2

There’s no need to be adversarial.

Edit: Also with the Shadowheart-Halsin thing, it’s whatever. Ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. It doesn’t have to be a part of the story. If it’s spoiling her romance in your view, as it would in mine, just avoid it.

Edit 2: I’m speaking as someone who has romanced Shadowheart to the end of the game, Lae’zel some ways into Act 3, and Karlach some ways into Act 2, so I may be ignorant on some points but I don’t think I’m too far off.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with you loving Shadowheart's romance. I'm glad you do! I do as well, but I can see she's severly lacking true romance content compared to other love interests and I want to express it. I've romanced all three ladies (with Shadowheart being my favorite despite lacking content) and you're wrong about Lae'zel. She opens up way faster in act 2 than Shadowheart and she expresses instantly how she cares for Tav. Karlach's romance is the sweetest (If you're into it) of all three and she has the most romance content of all the ladies.

And in comparison to romance path - platonic path, there are barely any differences for Shadowheart, which is very disappointing. Hence, my hopes for some tweaks, even small ones.

I think that I see Shadowheart as having so much romance content because I include the friendship content along with the specifically romantic content, as part of her romance. I consider all of the events that happen during a friendship with her as part of her romance arc as well. Starting as soon as you save her on the nautiloid. (It helps that she’s pretty flirty from the start.) That may account for my greater satisfaction with the arc. It all contributes to building a bond with her. And I’m ace, so like… I don’t personally need extra sex scenes.

Still, not disagreeing with the proposed tweaks at all. I would love to see a clearer affirmation of love in Act 3, softer dialogue with a romantic tone in Act 2, or another scene with her in Act 2. Certainly not disagreeing with that.

+1
If the player is interested in Shadowheart, you can find out very early on that she's attracted to you though a specific dialogue branch/Insight check - at the first long rest potentially. This and her various responses when asked how you're holding up in her estimation when raising approval goes a long way. It's such a shame it drops off for almost the entirety of the second act.

Personally, I would prefer if something was changed in act 2 for Shadowheart. Because her line at the end of the act with "so do you wanna be together or nah?" or pretty weak compared to Lae'zel's. Lae'zel's scene is honestly so heartwarming when we lose duel with her, it became one of my favorite scenes in the game. (not a fan of variation when we win the duel)

And the one with Shadowheart is... really not much compared to that and that's a very important moment, because we are locking a romance with her. But instead, we just got one sentence and that's it.
Plus, if you don't need extra romance scenes, you can always skip them. I personally would love to get another one.

There's also an issue with some new content she was supposed to get this patch. Some romance banter in act 2? Well, it doesn't work. At all. So that's more of her content being broken.

So what do you all like about Shadowheart's romance - apart from validation?

Well, I don't want to spoil the party. I would love for Shadowheart to have more content, but it's essential to understand that both SH and Astarion are the characters with the MOST content in the game. I understand that they even made statistics where Astarion led the list followed by SH.

The thing is, Astarion and SH have two versions of their respective characters with tons of new dialogues and "romantic" interactions (something no other character has). The issue is that since most of us almost always choose Selunite Shadowheart and spawn Astarion, that's probably why it seems like there's so little.

If you ask me, I would prefer if they better divided the paths for SH so they have different reactions to scenarios with Mizora/Halsin, etc. Even so, I agree that they should add a bit more romantic content for Shadowheart in Act 2. The wait to see any romantic interaction between her and Tav becomes eternal, and what's there is not worth the wait when compared to Astarion's, where you have a long conversation in the camp with a hug included.

Actually, statistics released 3 months ago showed that Astarion wasn't in the lead at all. It was all the ladies.




And if we wanna talk about Selunite/DJ path, then those definitely need some tweaks, because in Shadowheart's case, there are barely any differences AT ALL.

I was referring to the content of the game (number of interactions, dialogues, etc.) those statistics are about which is the romance most chosen by the players, which coincidentally are the 3 women

Fair enough, I thought you were talking about percentage of popularity.

In any case, Shadowheart has important story arc, but I would gladly trade some of it if that would mean more ROMANCE content for her. She lacks in that department.

This is absolutely valid and folks who like Shadowheart have been spoiled in many ways. There are companions who are in much more dire need of work, including their romance. I’m thinking especially Minthara, or Wyll. I hope that eventually Larian will be able to bring those characters closer to the high standards they set with some of the others. I recognize the need for that. And I hope that they have something in the works. At the same time, it’s fun chatting about possibilities for Shadowheart, and darn it I want her special Grymforge kiss fixed!


Well, first, I like one of her potential endings. Epilogue spoilers:
Second, it’s interesting to explore personally-encountered themes or issues, such as trust or trauma or self-discovery, through her and her romance. Much the same way as folks who love Astarion explore certain life experiences of their own through his character.

Third, they’ve given her a sharp-witted, funny yet sweet personality. Wits and blades always sharp, right? Shadowheart was given a wonderful sense of humor by the devs, and that makes it very enjoyable to romance her, as well as simply bring her along as a companion. Games are for entertainment, right? And it always helps when you have a romance interest whose in-game lines make you laugh. Case in point, the interaction where you give her a night orchid. Plus the devs gave her a little extra love when it comes to smaller interactions, like giving her the Noblestalk or the idol of Shar, throughout the game. So it’s fun to have consistent, positive, small interactions that have some substance to them. And, if you’re taking her on the good path, those reflect positively on her personality as well.

I will also say, fourth, that her Act 2 romance does have some very powerful moments that are memorable, in my opinion. Act 2 spoilers:
Fifth, (Act 3 spoilers)
And then sixth and last (although I’m sure I could say more if I thought longer), (Act 3 and Durge spoilers)
I liked the Lohse and Sebille romance (playing as Lohse) in Divinity Original Sin 2, for a similar reason. Lohse faced down her literal demon, and smote him down where he stood, and Sebille took a knife to her master and, in my game, consumed his soul as well. They were both traumatized by a powerful authority figure, used and exploited, their free will taken away, and they both faced that person down and rebuked them, and came out the better for it.

For me, there’s something powerful about stories like that, something that sticks with you. And I think that is: you’re saying a better world is possible? A better future is possible? If that’s a dream, then it’s a beautiful dream.

So yes, those are some of the reasons that I enjoy Shadowheart’s romance aside from the very sweet, consistent affirmations that she offers to the player character. Hope this helps answer your question! And to connect this to the original topic, what I’ve listed are also some of the reasons that Shadowheart’s romance ultimately feels satisfying to me, despite its imperfections. Again, not saying I wouldn’t welcome more content, but I love what content there is.


I think it’s a mistake to hold her romance arc as distinct from her character arc, like they have nothing to do with each other. The romance enriches her character arc, and the character arc enriches the romance, in fact is an integral part of it.

Right now her story in act 2 is exactly the same without any differences for romance and platonic paths. It needs to be changed.