Shadowheart isn’t my favorite character in Baldur’s Gate 3, but she is absolutely essential to my party’s setup in combat. That’s especially for those parties looking to keep Origin characters within their canonical classes.
It’s always good to keep a Cleric on hand, and since I can never bring myself to roll one as my main character, Shadowheart is my trusty standby. Clerics have an incredible spell list, and it’s not all just support abilities. I can’t tell you how many times Spirit Guardians or Turn Undead has gotten me out of an unexpected jam.
Perfecting Shadowheart’s build is mostly about choosing the right spells and equipment, but the right feats can help you maximize everything else you’ve got going on. Here are my recommendations.
Ability Score Improvement
The Ability Score Improvement is easily the best feat for Shadowheart, just like it is for basically any other character. As a Cleric, many of Shadowheart’s best spells and abilities rely on her Wisdom, and this is an instant boost to her modifier that she can get as early as level four. There’s really no better option for her, especially that early in the game.
War Caster
Once you’ve taken at least one Ability Score Improvement, War Caster is worth considering. It gives Shadowheart advantage on Concentration saving throws and grants her the ability to cast Shocking Grasp as a Reaction in place of taking an Opportunity Attack. My favorite Shadowheart spells, like Spirit Guardians, rely on Concentration, and getting in the occasional zap on an enemy is fun. This one is a no-brainer.
Sentinel
As a Cleric, Shadowheart doesn’t just have to rely on her spellcasting abilities in combat. If you find you’re pulling out her mace more often than not, you might want to consider taking Sentinel for her second or third feat. It lets her attack enemies with a Reaction when they successfully hit one of your teammates with a melee attack. It also gives her advantage on Opportunity Attacks, and causes enemies to stop moving for the rest of their turn when they get hit with one of her Opportunity Attacks. It’s a little more niche than the other options, but it has its uses.
Spell Sniper
This is another contender for Shadowheart’s second or third feat slot. It lowers the roll Shadowheart needs for critical hits with spells by one, and it gives her access to either Bone Chill, Eldritch Grasp, Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Shocking Grasp, or Thorn Whip. This one is better for players who use Shadowheart more like a full caster than a melee fighter.
Mobile
In the honorable mentions category, we have Mobile. This feat gives Shadowheart an extra three meters of movement, lets her avoid difficult terrain when using the Dash action, and lets her avoid Opportunity Attacks when she successfully hits the enemy with a melee attack before moving. Those abilities make Shadowheart play the support role even better by letting her get in range of distant allies for healing spells, and that extra movement can be extremely powerful when you have Spirit Guardians up.
Alert
Another honorable mention, Alert gives Shadowheart +5 to Initiative and prevents her from being surprised. Look, going earlier in combat is always a good thing. It can be especially useful for Shadowheart, who can cast some crowd control spells before enemies get up and moving. If you can find the slot for this in your Shadowheart build, you’ll definitely get some use out of it.
