[Top 5] Baldur's Gate 3 Best Shadowheart Builds That Are Powerful

Updated:

19 Apr 2024

Shadowheart is the companion that took the hearts of many players, and for good reason too. She's charming, good looking, has a great character story and she’s a strong companion that can heal her party, be the support that they need, or be a complete killing machine.

She is the second companion you will encounter in the beginning, and players can rescue her from the pod in the Nautiloid. Shadowheart is a disciple of Shar and was sent on a mission to retrieve a very important artifact. Throughout the game, you will be able to decide her fate: will she continue to be a Shar disciple or will she find out the real truth?

Her race is that of a half-elf, specifically a half high-elf. The main class Shadowheart starts with is the cleric, and if you build her correctly, she will be one of the best healers in the party. If you don't like that, you can always build her as a damage dealer. Shadowheart pros are that she is a great healer, proficient in stealth, and has some uses outside of combat.

5. The Storm Cleric

Time to bring down the storm on them!

In this build, you’ll combine the sorcerer and cleric classes. Specifically, you'll want to go with the “Tempest Domain” subclass for the cleric and the “Storm Sorcerer” subclass for the sorcerer. Another thing with this build is that Shadowheart will have access to a huge variety of spells.

In the sorcerer class, you'll want to focus on lighting or thunder spells. As for the Cleric, specifically the “Tempest Domain,” it will also offer thunder and lightning spells, but you'll want to choose a few spells that buff your party. The build is fun as it fully focuses on the damage that comes from any electrical type spell.

You can also enhance the damage by summoning water on the battlefield, which allows Shadowheart to pump out huge damage numbers and deal damage in an area of effect. Shadowheart with this multiclass can also juggle between sorcery points and choose metamagic options that will enhance the spells and make them stronger.

Why The Storm Cleric Is Great:

Shadowheart will have a huge damage output from all thunder and lightning spells.
The Channel Divinity spell of the Cleric will automatically deal maximum damage, which is a great combination with spells.
Shadowheart will be able to deal a ton of AoE damage with this build, which is critical against a huge number of enemies.
Shadowheart can summon water at will, which increases the damage of all electrical abilities and it will deal damage in an area of effect, which is hugely important for this build.

All Build Details:

Race:

Half High Elf.

Stats Distribution:

Strength: 9
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 16

Level Up Order:

Level 1 - Cleric, Tempest Domain Subclass
Level 2 - Cleric, Channel Divinity,
Level 3 - Sorcerer, Storm Sorcerer Subclass.
Level 4 - Sorcerer, Spell: Thunderwave, Metamagic Options: Twinned Spell, Distance Spell., +2 Sorcery Points.
Level 5 - Sorcerer, Metamagic Option: Quickened Spell, +1 Sorcery Point, Spell: Scorching Ray.
Level 6 - Sorcerer, +1 Sorcery Point, Feat: Spell Sniper, Spell: Misty Step.
Level 7 - Sorcerer, +1 Sorcery Point, Spell: Lighting Bolt.
Level 8 - Sorcerer, +1 Sorcery Point, Spell: Create or Destroy Water, Gust of Wind, Sleet Storm, Call Lighting.
Level 9 - Sorcerer, +1 Sorcery Point, Spell: Confusion.
Level 10 - Sorcerer, +1 Sorcery Point, Ability Improvement: Charisma, Spell: Blight.
Level 11 - Sorcerer, +1 Sorcery Point, Spell: Cloud Kill, Metamagic Option: Subtle.
Level 12 - Sorcerer, +1 Sorcery Point, Spell: Hold Monster.

Equipment:

Weapon Melee: Markoheshkir
Shield/Off Hand: Viconia’s Walking Fortress
Weapon Ranged: Darkfire Shortbow
Armor: Robe of the Weave
Helmet: Birthright
Cape: Cloak of the Weave
Gloves: Gemini Gloves
Boots: Helldusk Boots or Watersparkers
Amulet: Spellcrux Amulet
Ring 1: Shifting Corpus Ring
Ring 2: Killer’s Sweetheart
Instrument: /

4. The Warlord

It is time to go to war. Peace was never an option!

Time to turn our favorite Shadowheart into a ruthless warlord. This build specializes in the cleric and fighter classes. For the cleric, go for the “War Domain” subclass, and for the fighter, go for the “Battle Master” subclass. This build excels at martial combat, tactics, and all divine blessings that are related to warfare.

The strength of this whole build is that Shadowheart will be able to wear heavy armor, be tanky on the frontlines, and deal great damage. Additionally, with this build, Shadowheart will be able to attack with the bonus action points. Another great thing about this build is that you're able to cast “Divinity Guided Strike,” which gives Shadowheart a +10 on an attack roll.

This build also grants Shadowheart the spell “Divine Favor,” which empowers her weapons to deal extra radiant damage. From the fighter class, Shadowheart will gain the ability “Action Surge,” which gives her an additional attack per turn, alongside battle maneuvers that will help her out in battle.

Why The Warlord Is Great:

Shadowheart will have spells to silence enemies, which is great against spell casters, mages, or other enemies that highly rely upon magic.
The cleric class will also give her the option to summon the undead to aid her in battle.
The fighter class will give Shadowheart the ability “Action Surge,” which gives her an additional action to use.
Shadowheart can use her bonus action points for attack because of the “War Domain” subclass of the cleric class.
Shadowheart will be able to be on the frontlines, tanking the damage for her team without any downsides, and be able to deal a decent amount of damage.

All Build Details:

Race:

Half High Elf

Stats Distribution:

Strength: 16
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 10

Level Up Order:

Level 1 - Cleric, War Domain Subclass.
Level 2 - Cleric, Spell: Turn Undead, Guided Strike.
Level 3 - Cleric, Spell: Warding Bond.
Level 4 - Cleric, Feat: Savage Attacker, Spell: Silence.
Level 5 - Cleric, Spell: Animate Dead.
Level 6 - Cleric, Glyph of Warding.
Level 7 - Cleric, Spell: Stone Skin.
Level 8 - Cleric, Feat: Alert.
Level 9 - Fighter, Fighting Style: Protection or Battle Master
Level 10 - Fighter, Ability: Action Surge.
Level 11 - Fighter, Subclass Battle Master.
Level 12 - Fighter, Feat: Shield Master.

Equipment:

Weapon Melee: Blood of Lathander
Shield/Off Hand: Viconia's Walking Fortress
Weapon Ranged: /
Armor: Helldusk Armor
Helmet: Helm of Balduran
Cape: Cloak of Protection
Gloves: Gauntlets of Hill Giant strength
Boots: Helldusk Boots
Amulet: Amulet of Greater Health
Ring 1: Killer's Sweetheart
Ring 2: Ring of Free Action or Ring of Regeneration
Instrument: /

3. The Tricky Cleric

Time to make these guys blind.

This Shadowheart build focuses on crowd control and utility for your party members while retaining the support playstyle of the cleric class. The utilities that come with this build will focus on trickery, deception, and illusion.

This build will also help out your stealth characters, as it comes with a spell called “Blessings of the Trickster,” which grants another creature an advantage on stealth checks. In the early levels, you won't deal much damage, and that shouldn’t be your priority when playing this build.

During battle, you can buff your party members so they have a higher advantage in dealing damage, or you can debuff enemies and make them have a disadvantage in attacks. You can even stun enemies or silence them if you have acquired those spells. Additionally, with this build, you can summon the dead to aid you in battle, or you can summon a spectral weapon.

You can even summon a Guardian of Faith, which is a strong summon that can deal AoE damage. The only downside with him is that he isn't mobile, so you need to be precise with the summoning location. The build is fun if you like playing a character that isn’t primarily damage focused but focused on deception and trickery.

Why The Tricky Cleric Is Great:

Shadowheart, with this build, will have great crowd control.
She will be able to buff party members and debuff enemies.
Shadowheart can summon the dead, a guardian of faith, or a spectral weapon to aid her in battle.

All Build Details:

Race:

Half High Elf

Stats Distribution:

Strength: 8
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 10

Level Up Order:

Level 1 - Cleric, Trickster Domain Subclass.
Level 2 - Cleric, Spell: Turn Undead.
Level 3 - Cleric, Spell: Spiritual Weapon.
Level 4 - Cleric, Feat: War Caster, Spell: Lesser Restoration.
Level 5 - Cleric, Spell: Mass Healing Word, Animate Dead.
Level 6 - Cleric, Spell: Glyph of Warding.
Level 7 - Cleric, Spell: Guardian of Faith.
Level 8 - Cleric, Ability Improvement: Wisdom.
Level 9 - Cleric, Spell: Flame Strike, Beacon of Hope, Mass Cure Wounds.
Level 10 - Cleric, Spell: Banishment.
Level 11 - Cleric, Spell: Planar Ally.
Level 12 - Cleric, Spell: Heroes Feast, Ability Improvement: Wisdom.

Equipment:

Weapon Melee: Selûne's Spear of the Night
Shield/Off Hand: Viconia's Walking Fortress
Weapon Ranged: Darkfire Shortbow
Armor: Armor of Persistence
Helmet: Helm of Balduran
Cape: Mantle of the Holy Warrior
Gloves: The Reviving Hands
Boots: Helldusk Boots
Amulet: Amulet of the Devout or Spellcrux Amulet
Ring 1: Crypt Lord Ring
Ring 2: Till Death Do Us Part
Instrument: /

2. The Holy Cleric

She's God's strongest warrior.

This build will combine the cleric and paladin classes. Specifically, you'll want the “War Cleric” subclass combined with paladin’s “Vengeance Paladin” subclass because of “Divine Smite,” which adds quick burst damage to her melee attacks. You'll want to spend 7 points in the cleric class and 5 in the paladin class.

This build combination will turn Shadowheart into a deadly martial artist with the ability to wear heavy armor. It's also considered a hybrid build, as you'll have a variety of spells at your disposal. The build gives Shadowheart an extra attack, improves on her overall melee damage while also retaining the ability to heal people.

Sadly, the build doesn't improve her overall AoE damage, but it makes her deadly in close combat. Also, this build will apply a lot of radiant damage to Shadowheart melee attacks through the paladin class. The build is really fun if you're looking for a more melee damage centered Shadowheart while also having offensive spells at your disposal.

Why Is Great:

Shadowheart can attack 2 times per turn.
With the paladin class combination Shadowhearts, melee attacks will deal additional damage because of “Divine Smite,” which adds radiant damage to a melee attack .
Shadowheart is still able to heal her companions a little bit and support them in battle.
The build makes Shadowheart the main damage dealer of your party and she can be quite tanky with the right equipment.

All Build Details:

Race:

Half High Elf

Stats Distribution:

Strength: 16
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 10

Level Up Details:

Level 1 - Cleric, War Domain Subclass.
Level 2 - Cleric: Guided Strike, Spell: Healing Word.
Level 3 - Paladin, Oath of Vengeance Subclass.
Level 4 - Paladin, Fighting Style: Protection, Spell: Divine Smite, Smite, Cure Wounds, Compelled Duel.
Level 5 - Paladin, Spell: Divine Favour
Level 6 - Paladin, Spell: Searing Smite, Feat: Savage Attacker
Level 7 - Paladin, Extra Attack, Spell: Branding Smite
Level 8 - Cleric, Spell: Lesser Restoration
Level 9 - Cleric, Spell: Silence, Ability Improvement: Strength
Level 10 - Cleric, Spell: Mass Healing Word
Level 11 - Cleric, Spell: Glyph of Warding
Level 12 - Cleric, Spell: Banishment, Stoneskin.

Equipment:

Weapon Melee Blood of Lathander
Shield/Off Hand Shield of Devotion
Weapon Ranged - /
Armor Helldusk Armor
Helmet Helldusk Helmet
Cape Mantle of the Holy Warrior
Gloves Helldusk Gloves
Boots Helldusk Boots
Amulet Amulet of Greater Health
Ring 1 Killer's Sweetheart
Ring 2 Ring of Free Action
Instrument - /

1. Life Domain

No one shall die on my account!

The overall best build for Shadowheart is the full focus on the cleric class, specifically the “Life Domain” subclass. This build is a full support role, and it focuses on healing your party. Another great thing about this build is that Shadowheart can wear heavy armor and can deal damage in an area with “Spirit Guardians.”

With this ability, you don't need to do anything except come close to the enemies to deal damage to them. It's great when you're surrounded by enemies. Additionally, if you want, you can dip 1 level into the “Storm Sorcerer” to achieve the ability to fly. Make sure that you're healing your party members in any situation because that's what this build is mainly focused on.

It's a fun build for Shadowheart that focuses on her being able to heal her party members from anywhere on the map and bring them back to full HP. You can also resurrect your fallen party members with a spell. It also gives her AoE damage, which she greatly lacks, and gives her some protection.

Why Life Domain Build Is Great:

Shadowheart, with this build, can heal anyone at a moment's notice.
The build offers Shadowheart the “Spirit Guardians” spell, which is great for dealing damage in an area of effect against a huge number of enemies.
This build also allows her to wear heavy armor without having to respec into the fighter or barbarian class. The armor gives her additional protection against damage.
Shadowheart gains the ability to resurrect fallen party members.
Shadowheart can heal people with the bonus action points without losing the action to deal damage.

All Build Details:

Race:

Half High Elf

Stats Distribution:

Strength: 8
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 10

Level Up Order:

Level 1 - Cleric: Subclass Life Domain
Level 2 - Cleric: Preserve Life Spell
Level 3 - Cleric: Aid, Lesser Restoration
Level 4 - Cleric: Ability Improvement: Wisdom
Level 5 - Cleric: Spell: Beacon of Hope, Revify.
Level 6 - Sorcerer: Subclass Storm Sorcerer, Spell: Tempestuous Magic or go for Cleric.
Level 7 - Cleric: Spell: Blessed Healer
Level 8 - Cleric: Spell: Guardian of Faith, Death Ward.
Level 9 - Cleric: Feat: War Caster
Level 10 - Clefic: Spell: Mass Cure Wounds
Level 11 - Cleric: Spell: Divine Intervention
Level 12 - Cleric: Spell: Blade Barrier

Equipment: