Should Shadowheart save or kill her parents in Baldur’s Gate 3?

All companion characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 have their own expansive side quests to venture on. And most of these side quests result in character-defining choices for these companions. Take Shadowheart, for example. While at the end of Act 2, you could decide whether she should save or kill Nightsong, there’s one more similar decision for Shadowheart. Once you make it to Baldur’s Gate and find the truth of her past at the House of Grief, you have to make a tough decision. Let’s go over whether Shadowheart should save or kill her parents in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3): What happens if you save or kill Shadowheart’s parents?

The goddess Shar has held Shadowheart’s parents imprisoned, and she has one decision left to make. Either save them and still keep Shar’s curse, or kill them and allow Shadowheart to free herself. In my opinion, I believe Shadowheart should kill her parents in Baldur’s Gate 3, but only if she’s a follower of Selûne.

Image: Larian Studios

Kill Shadowheart’s parents in BG3

The one good thing about this decision is the fact that her parents’ spirits will always be around her as moon motes. Also, Shadowheart has now broken the curse that Shar held over her for all these years. Later on, Shadowheart is grieving the loss of her parents, and you can console her about it.

The only problem is that if you end up killing Nightsong in Act 2, killing her parents ends up being exactly what Shar wants. Shar even says she’ll make her forget that they were her parents. Shadowheart doesn’t do it out of mercy, she does it because she would rather blindly serve Shar. In this case, the best ending for her would be saving her parents.

Image: Larian Studios

Save Shadowheart’s parents in BG3

Shadowheart gets a sweet reunion with her parents, but still ends up being in an emotional state-of-mind. Her parents help Shadowheart feel better about her decision, and tell her she’s strong enough to fight against Shar’s curse. This ending is practically the same if you killed Nightsong in Act 2.

Although it’s a grim ending for Shadowheart, I believe killing Shadowheart’s parents is best for her, but only if she’s a Selûne follower at this point. If you tell her to ask her parents what they want, they say that they’d prefer death instead of Shar having control over Shadowheart. Also, Shadowheart’s father tells her that he wants her to free herself from Shar’s curse.

If Shadowheart did end up killing Nightsong in Act 2, though, the best decision there would be for her to save her parents. Shar is irrevocably evil, and if you want a good ending for Shadowheart, you should defy what Shar wants, no matter how you dealt with Nightsong.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on Steam and the PlayStation 5.