Best BG3 Shadowheart Build Guide - Updated For 2026✅

Q: Is This Build Beginner-Friendly?

This Shadowheart Build is mostly beginner-friendly . If you follow the recommendations in the guide, the build will make your playthrough easier by applying severe debuffs to enemies. However, the Cleric can be a tricky class to use in the early game (before level 5) because you initially don’t have many good spells and not much equipment. The good news is that Shadowheart makes for a good healer in these early levels, even though her damage output isn’t great.

Q: Should I Use Illithid Powers with Shadowheart?

Illithid Powers are not required for this build, and don’t have any especially important synergies with it. You can use them if you like, but it’s completely optional. The build is capable of finishing the game on any difficulty without using any Illithid Powers.

Welcome to our Ultimate BG3 Shadowheart Build. Many players struggle with Shadowheart early in the game, finding her default setup (Trickery Domain) weak and inconsistent because she misses plenty of attacks.

By switching Shadowheart to the Light Domain subclass, we transform her into a powerful spellcaster.

This build enables her to dish out massive AoE damage and provide essential buffs, all while utilizing powerful debuffs to ensure your enemies rarely land a hit.

Table of Contents for the BG3 Shadowheart Build:

Shadowheart Build – First Steps
Shadowheart Build Starting Point (Level 1)
Shadowheart Leveling Guide (2-12)
Shadowheart Equipment
1. Early-Game Shadowheart Gear
2. Best Shadowheart Gear (Late-Game)
Shadowheart Build Extra Info
Frequently Asked Questions

For more Cleric builds, visit our BG3 Cleric Builds page or explore the complete BG3 Builds Database. You can also check out our BG3 Builds Tier List to see which builds perform best.

Strengths and Weaknesses list for the Shadowheart Light Domain Build:

Strengths

POWERFUL AOE DAMAGE
BEST LIGHT DOMAIN SPELLS
STRONG BUFF & DEBUFF BUILD
CRUSHES UNDEAD ENEMIES
HIGH ARMOR CLASS (AC)
RADIANT ORB META BUILD
HONOR MODE APPROVED

Weaknesses

LOW SINGLE-TARGET DPS
WEAK MELEE ATTACK

BG3 Shadowheart Build – First Steps

In this section, we will cover how to recruit Shadowheart and the essential steps to respec her into our powerful Light Domain setup. If you’re an experienced player, feel free to skip ahead to the next part.

How to Recruit Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3

Shadowheart is likely the first companion you will encounter. While she is easy to find, rescuing her early provides a significant boost to your initial “approval” rating with her.

Step 1: The Nautiloid (Prologue)

In the final room before the helm, you’ll find Shadowheart trapped in a pod.
Go to the small side-room to the east.
Loot the Eldritch Rune from the Dead Thrall.
Insert the Rune into the console next to her pod to free her.
Detailed Guide: How to recruit Shadowheart in BG3.

Step 2: The Ravaged Beach

The Beach: Shadowheart lies unconscious on the sand directly in front of your starting position.
The Dank Crypt: If not found on the beach, she is at the north end at the side-entrance to the Dank Crypt, banging on the stone doors.
The Druid Grove: If you missed her twice, she will be sitting near the training area in the Emerald Grove.

Pro Tip: Rescuing her on the Nautiloid grants an immediate +10 Approval, making it easier to unlock her romance and story beats early.

How to Respec Shadowheart in BG3

To unlock the full potential of the Light Domain, you must respec Shadowheart at your camp.

Step 1: Unlock Withers (The Dank Crypt)

You need the NPC Withers to change classes. Find him early in Act 1:

Withers Location: Inside the Dank Crypt.
Access: Enter via the Chapel Entrance or the hole in the floor near the bandits.
The Secret Room: Find the Skull Lever to open the secret door to gain access to the Dank Crypt.
The Sarcophagus: Interact with the large coffin to wake Withers. He will now appear in your camp.

Step 2: The Respec Process

Once Withers is at your camp, follow these steps:

Switch Character: Ensure you are controlling Shadowheart (not your main character).
Talk to Withers: Select “Can you help me change my class?”
Cost: 100 Gold.
Class: Cleric
Subclass: Light Domain

When to Respec? I recommend doing this at Level 4. This allows you to fix her starting Ability Scores (Strength/Dexterity) and grab your first crucial Feat.

Why We’re Using the Light Domain Subclass for Shadowheart

We’ll be using the Light Domain Cleric subclass for this Shadowheart Build for the following reasons:

This is considered to be the META Shadowheart Build with a focus on the Radiating Orb.

Warding Flare

Use a Reaction to impose Disadvantage on an attacking enemy.
Can be used to protect allies at higher levels.

Radiance of the Dawn

A large AoE that deals Radiant Damage to many enemies at once.
This is perhaps the strongest Cleric action in the game, and it can carry the party at early levels.

Fireball, Flame Strike and other strong Domain Spells.

High-impact offensive spells that stay relevant until the endgame.

Radiating Orb Synergy

You can deal lots of Radiant Damage, which makes you great at triggering equipment that applies the Radiating Orb debuff. This will be vital for the build.
This build is designed to trigger Radiating Orb gear (like the Luminous Armour).
The Loop: Deal Radiant Damage > Apply Orbs > Enemies get -1 to Attack Rolls per stack.
Result: Enemies will almost never hit your party.

The Light Domain Cleric has more damage potential than other Clerics. It helps to protect and heal your party, and with this build, it can easily apply crippling debuffs on multiple enemies at once, making your playthrough much easier.

Healer Build? If you want a healer build for Shadowheart, check out our BG3 Healer Build with the Light Domain Cleric.

BG3 Shadowheart Build Starting Point (Level 1)

Here, we will look at the BG3 Shadowheart Build’s status at Level 1, before we begin leveling up. This is how the build should look immediately after doing the respec to Light Domain.

Race – Half High Elf
Ability Point Distribution
Starting Cantrips
Starting Spells

Race: High Half-Elf

Shadowheart is a High Half-Elf. This race isn’t actually that great, and there are better picks for Cleric Builds generally, but it’s not possible to change Shadowheart’s race without modding the game, so it is what it is.

High Half-Elf “Wizard” Cantrip (Pick One)

One positive of High Half-Elf is the ability to choose an extra Cantrip from the Wizard list. Since these use Intelligence, avoid damage spells (like Fire Bolt) as they will miss.

Instead, pick a Utility spell:

Mage Hand: Manipulate objects and levers from a distance.
Blade Ward: Group enemies together (only deal half dmg) before hitting them with Radiance of the Dawn.
Friends: Essential for passing dialogue checks (lower difficulty on non-Honor Mode).

More useful Racial Passives

Darkvision: Reduces hit penalties in dim environments, vital for landing Guiding Bolt.
Fey Ancestry: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against Charm and total immunity to magical Sleep.
Civil Militia: Grants proficiency with Spears, Pikes, Halberds, and Glaives, as well as Light Armor and Shields.

What is Advantage? When you have Advantage, you roll two dice and take the highest result. This significantly increases your success rate for critical saves and attacks.

Ability Point Distribution

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Shadowheart starts the game with an ability distribution that is a little suboptimal in my opinion.

But when you respec her to the Light Domain Cleric subclass, you will also have the opportunity to fix this:

Strength – 10 Points

Improves jump distance and carry weight.

Dexterity – 14 Points

Boosts Armour Class (AC) and Initiative.
Helps you act sooner in combat.

Constitution – 16 Points

Increases Max HP.
Vital for Concentration Checks to keep spells active.

Intelligence – 8 Points

Not relevant for our build.

Wisdom – 16 Points

Primary Stat.
Powers your spell accuracy and damage.

Charisma – 10 Points

Can be useful in social interactions.

Ability	Points	Why it matters
Strength	10	Mostly for jump distance and carry weight.
Dexterity	14	Important: gives you a higher Armour Class and improves initiative.
Constitution	16	Important: Increases HP and helps Concentration checks for spells.
Intelligence	8	Not relevant for our build.
Wisdom	16	Most Important: Main spellcasting ability for the Cleric.
Charisma	10	Can be useful in social interactions.

Tips:

Wisdom is the most important Cleric attribute, as all of your spells scale from this stat. Low Wisdom means less hit chance with most of your spells.

Constitution improves your HP and makes your Concentration Spells more likely to stay active after you take damage.

Dexterity improves your Armour Class and makes you better at lockpicking. We’ll be wearing Medium Armour, so we don’t need to increase Dexterity above 14.

We have enough Constitution and Dexterity here to see us through to the end of the game, so the only ability we will upgrade as we level up is Wisdom.

Starting Cantrips

We recommend choosing the following Cleric Cantrips to begin with:

Guidance

Best utility Cantrip.
Adds 1d4 to dialogue and environmental rolls.
Essential for passing difficult checks early in the game.

Resistance

Bolster the target’s defences, giving them a 1d4 bonus to Saving Throws.
Can be used in some dialogue encounters in the same way as Guidance, but these are a bit less common.
This is a Concentration Spell, casting it will cancel other active concentration spells like Bless.

Sacred Flame

This is the Cleric’s main damage Cantrip.
It suffers from low hit chance because enemies can perform a Wisdom Saving Throw to completely block the damage.
There are situations in BG3 where Radiant Damage is really good, and I’ve seen this hit for over 80 damage, so it’s worth slotting as long as you know its limitations.
The 70% Rule: Check the hit chance before casting; if it’s below 70%, look for better options before proceeding.

Starting Spells

The following spells are a perfect fit for Shadowheart at Level 1:

Guiding Bolt

This is a must-pick, because it can deal up to 24 ranged damage right from the start of the game, which is very nice early-game damage.
As a bonus, the next person to attack the target will have an Advantage against them.

Healing Word

Useful for healing yourself or your allies.
Can be used in close and long range.

Pro Tip: At first glance, you might wonder why we chose this instead of Cure Wounds, which has a higher potential healing value.

That’s because this skill can be cast at long range, while Cure Wounds needs you to be in arm’s reach of the target, which just isn’t going to cut it.

A good healing spell needs to be easy to use in all situations, and that’s what Healing Word gives you.

Bless

Target up to three Allies, giving them a buff on Attack Rolls and Saving Throws.
This improves your allies’ attack and defense, which can be really handy.
This is a Concentration Spell, so casting it will break any other Concentration effect you have active.

Pro Tip: Use this when fighting early-game boss enemies like the Gnolls on Risen Road – it’s going to help a lot while you’re stuck with weak early-game weapons.

Keep Shadowheart safe from damage when she’s using a spell like this – on Tactician difficulty enemies will focus their attacks on anyone who is concentrating on a spell, so you’ll need to be doubly careful with this if you are playing on Tactician.

Inflict Wounds

Deals up to 30 Necrotic damage to an enemy.
Can be upcast for more damage later in the game.
Only works in melee range but deals high damage.
The 70% Rule: Only cast this when you have at least 70% hit chance.

You’ll also get a couple of extra Spells from the Light Domain subclass. These cannot be changed, but it’s worth giving them a mention anyway:

Burning Hands

Deals up to 18 Fire Damage in Melee range, and ignites anything flammable.
Only use this if several enemies are close together.

Faerie Fire

An AOE spell that encases multiple targets in light, forcing them to be visible.
Causes any Attack Rolls made against them to have Advantage.
Enemies need to succeed on a Dexterity Saving Throw to not be affected by this.
This is a Concentration Spell, so remember not to use it at the same time as Bless!

Light (Cantrip)

Infuse an object with an aura of light.
Occasionally useful, particularly if someone in your party lacks Darkvision.
This will not light the way through magical darkness, however. You need the Daylight spell for that.

Here is a quick image recap on how your Shadowheart respec should look like once you are done:

BG3 Shadowheart Step-by-Step Leveling Guide (2-12)

Now that we’ve covered the foundation of the build, we can begin looking at how you should progress it as you level up.

Early-Game Leveling (2-4)
Mid-Game Leveling 5-8)
Late-Game Leveling (9-12)

Early-Game Leveling Process (2-4)

We’ll start with the early-game levels, 2-4, for the Shadowheart Build.

Level 2
Level 3
Level 4

Level 2

At Level 2, you’ll gain a new Spell Slot and Channel Divinity Actions for your Shadowheart Build in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Channel Divinity Actions

Channel Divinity Actions are a special type of ability specific to Clerics.

Channel Divinity Actions have their own number of uses, separate from Spell Slots.
To begin with, you only have one use, which can be replenished by either a Short or Long Rest.

With the Shadowheart Light Domain Cleric, you’ll unlock the following Channel Divinity Actions at Level 2:

Channel Divinity Actions

Turn Undead

Each undead that can see or hear you is Turned.
The Undead affected spends its turns fleeing from you, until it takes damage.

Radiance of the Dawn

Deal (2d10 + Cleric Level) Radiant Damage to hostile creatures.
On a successful save, targets still take half damage.
Doesn’t affect creatures that have total cover from you.
Deals decent AoE damage.
Especially strong vs enemies that are vulnerable to Radiant Damage.

You also get one extra prepared spell slot. Select the following:

New Spell

Create or Destroy Water

Double Damage: Applies the Wet condition, causing enemies to take 2x Lightning & Cold damage.
Anti-Invisibility: Instantly reveals hidden or invisible enemies.
Surface Control: Extinguishes fires and washes away Acid.
Ice: Freeze the water with a Cold spell to make enemies fall Prone.
Electricity: Electrify the water with a Lightning spell for extra area-of-effect damage.

This is one of the most versatile spells in the game for controlling the battlefield.

Level 3

At Level 3 for your Shadowheart Build, you unlock another First Level Spell Slot, two Second Level Spell Slots.

There are a couple of Second Level Spells that are great to prepare at this point:

New Spells

Aid

Heals your allies within 9 metres for 5HP.
Increases their maximum HP by 5, until the next Long Rest.
Use this after every Long Rest to improve your party’s health.
Later on, you can upcast the spell to increase the effect by 5HP per spell level.

Hold Person

Hold a humanoid creature, making it unable to move or act.
At the end of each turn, the creature can try to free itself with a Saving Throw.
Melee attacks against the stunned creature are guaranteed crits.
This is a Concentration Spell.

Tip: This is especially good when combined with a melee heavy hitter in your party, like Karlach, Lae’zel, or any other Fighter/Barbarian/Paladin.

You’ll also unlock a couple of new Light Domain Spells, which are spells that the Cleric will always have prepared (i.e they automatically go on your action bar without needing to choose them).

New Light Domain Spells

Flaming Sphere

Summon a flaming sphere that deals 2d6 Fire damage to nearby enemies and objects.
It also sheds bright light in a 6 metre radius, and dim light for an additional 6 metres.
On a successful save, enemy creatures still take half damage.
Requires Concentration, and will continue damaging enemies close to the sphere each turn.

Scorching Ray

Hurl three rays of fire.
For each ray that hits, you deal 2d6 Fire damage.
You can hurl the rays at one target or several.
Later on, you can upcast the spell – each spell level will add another spell projectile.

I often find this spell to be a bit disappointing, but when you get lucky and all of the Rays hit, it can do really good damage.

Also, keep in mind that some of the First Level Spells you already knew can now be upcasted to Second Level, improving their effects but consuming a second level spell slot instead.

Prayer of Healing

This heals your entire party by a significant amount, but only outside combat.
It’s especially useful on Tactician/Honour difficulty, where Camp Supplies are scarce.
Use it to heal your party when you’re out of Short Rests, but it feels too soon to take a Long Rest (because you have too many Spell Slots and action charges left, for example).
Thanks to the Cleric’s ability to slot and unslot spells freely, you can do this whenever you want without needing to reserve a spot for it.

Level 4

At Level 4, Shadowheart receives her first Feat, a massive boost to her spellcasting power as a Cleric.

Feat: Ability Improvement
Recommendation: Put both points into Wisdom.
Result: Shadowheart reaches 18 Wisdom, which increases her Spell Hit Chance and your Spell Save DC (making it harder for enemies to dodge your attacks).

You’ll also gain another First Level and Second Level Spell Slot, and you’ll need to choose another Cantrip.

New Cantrip

Thaumaturgy

Grants Advantage on Intimidation and Performance checks.
Essential for passing difficult dialogue encounters.

You can slot two more spells now (one from leveling up, another from improving our Wisdom Modifier; you have to go into the spell menu to see the second slot). The following spells are great choices:

New Spells

Spiritual Weapon

Summon a spiritual weapon to help you in combat.
The weapon can be controlled and deals Force Damage.

Pro Tip: This is good for dealing extra damage in the early-game, and it’s also good for distracting enemies when you’re outnumbered.

Enemies will often waste their time attacking this instead of your party members. It only has 20 HP, but it is resistant to most damage, so it’s good for this purpose.

Enhance Ability

Choose an ability and give yourself or an ally Advantage in all checks of that ability until you lose Concentration on the spell.
This is a very powerful buff for both combat and non-combat situations, but it does prevent you from casting any other Concentration spells.

Mid-Game Leveling Process (5-8)

We’ll now go into the mid-game section of the leveling-up process for this Baldur’s Gate 3 Shadowheart Build, looking at levels 5-8.

Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8

Level 5

At Level 5, Shadowheart’s Spellcasting ability further improves.

Firstly, the Turn Undead Action is now upgraded to Destroy Undead, which will now deal Radiant Damage to undead who are Turned by the Action.

You’ll also unlock two Third Level Spell Slots. While this build is quite flexible, and it’s up to you which spells you choose here, we recommend taking a close look at the following options:

New Spells

Glyph of Warding

Inscribe a circle of arcane glyphs on the ground that trigger a magical effect when stepped on by an enemy.
Only one glyph can be active at a time.

Revivify

Revive a companion. They return to life with 1 hit point.
This is good because you no longer need to carry around Revivification Scrolls to revive casualties.
I don’t recommend using it in combat unless you can immediately heal the person you revived.

Spirit Guardians

Create an AOE of either Radiant or Necrotic damage that follows Shadowheart.
Damages and slows down all enemies who enter.
The Radiant version of this spell is especially good in areas with undead, as they tend to be weak to Radiant damage.

Pro Tip: Shadowheart can deal loads of damage by casting this and then running through a crowd of enemies. Just beware of opportunist attacks if you do this.

Luckily, Clerics like Shadowheart can change their prepared spells at any time (as long as they aren’t in combat) by accessing the Spells menu. So if you don’t like your choices, keep trying new spells until you find ones you like.

Finally, you’ll unlock another two Domain Spells at Level 5:

New Domain Spells

Daylight

Enchant an item to shine like the sun.
Or summon a sphere of sunlight that dispels all darkness around it.
Useful spell in early Act 2.

Fireball

Shoot a bright flame from your fingers that explodes upon contact, torching everything in the vicinity for 8d6 Fire Damage.
On a successful save, targets still take half damage.
High damage potential.
It’s an AOE that can roll for up to 48 damage, and deals a minimum of 8 damage.

Level 6

At Level 6, Shadowheart gains a couple of new features:

An extra Channel Divinity Charge, allowing you to use two Channel Divinity Actions per Short/Long Rest.
Another Third Level Spell Slot, giving you three in total.
Prepare one more Spell. Choose one of the spells from Level 5 that you didn’t get yet.

That’s basically all you get at Level 6, but fortunately, there’s a lot more to come at the next level.

Level 7

At Level 7, you unlock 4th Level Spells. This level transforms Shadowheart from a support caster into a true battlefield controller.

New Light Domain Spells

Guardian of Faith

Summons an immobile Guardian.
On his turn, he attacks a nearby enemy for 20 Radiant Damage.
Enemies who move or attack while within range of the Guardian are also attacked.
Every time the Guardian attacks, he also deals 20 Radiant Damage to himself.

Wall of Fire

Create a blazing wall of fire, burning anyone who dares stand too close for 5-40 Fire Damage.
Requires Concentration to maintain.

New Prepared Spell

Freedom of Movement

An excellent situational spell that allows you to snap an ally out of any stun or immobilising effect.
This spell has been a life-saver for me several times.
The only drawback is that you need to be next to the target.

Level 8

Level 8 is a massive milestone for this Shadowheart Build. You finally reach the maximum power for your spellcasting.

Potent Spellcasting

You now add your Wisdom Modifier (+5) to all Cantrip damage. This makes Sacred Flame a much more reliable source of “free” damage between big spells.

New Feat

Feat: Ability Improvement
Recommendation: Put both points into Wisdom.
Result: Shadowheart reaches 20 Wisdom
You now have the highest possible Spell Save DC and Attack Rolls. Your enemies will almost never resist your spells.

Additionally, you also can prepare two more Spells. Sadly, there aren’t many more good options for now.

New Prepared Spells

Banishment

Temporarily removes a dangerous enemy from the fight for 2 turns.
Use this on heavy hitters (like Ogres or Bosses) to thin out the crowd.

Death Ward

A “Life Insurance” policy.
The next time the target would drop to 0 HP, they stay at 1 HP instead.

Pro Tip: This lasts until a Long Rest and does not require Concentration. Cast it on Shadowheart or your main character every morning.

Late-Game Leveling Process (9-12)

We’ll now look at the late-game section of the leveling guide for our best Shadowheart Build in BG3, covering levels 9-12.

Level 9
Level 10
Level 11
Level 12

Level 9

At Level 9, Shadowheart’s spellcasting continues to improve, as you can now access even more powerful spells. Here you’ll unlock:

Another Fourth Level Spell Slot, giving you three in total.
One Fifth Level Spell Slot, and the ability to prepare Fifth Level Spells.
Two more Domain Spells from your subclass

New Light Domain Spells

Destructive Wave

Create a shockwave of either divine or malevolent thunder that damages nearby creatures and possibly knocks them prone.
Choose from 5-30 Thunder and 5-30 Radiant or Necrotic Damage.

Flame Strike

Make a pillar of divine fire roar down from the heavens like the wrath of affronted angels.
Deals 5-30 Fire and 5-30 Radiant Damage, unless the target rolls a Dexterity Saving Throw.

Prepare one more spell, plus another two more to replace Death Ward and Banishment from Level 8:

Dispel Evil and Good

Allows you to dispel mind-controlling conditions ( Charmed, Frightened, Possessed).
While active, Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fiends, Fey, and Undead have Disadvantage when attacking you.

Insect Plague

Locusts attack everyone within a 12 metre area, dealing 4-40 Piercing Damage
They are making the area Difficult Terrain, and imposing Disadvantage on Perception Checks.
Damage is halved on targets that roll a Constitution Saving Throw.
This is one of the best spells in the Cleric’s arsenal, and can turn a chokepoint into a deadly killzone that enemies will really struggle to penetrate.
Especially useful in Act III, given the narrow streets and tunnels, which make chokepoint tactics especially effective.

Mass Cure Wounds

A good multi-target healing spell.

Level 10

At Level 10, Shadowheart unlocks another spell and the ability to get a one-off boon from Shar or Selune. You gain:

Another Fifth Level Spell Slot, giving you two in total.
Choose one more Cantrip. We already picked up the most important Cantrips, so you can choose whatever you like here.

Divine Intervention

Once per character, invoke your god’s aid. When activating this, you can choose from:

Sunder the Heretical – Deal 8-80 Radiant Damage to a group of enemies.
Arm Thy Servant – Grants you a Legendary weapon.
Opulent Revival – Resurrect fallen Companions with half health and restore nearby allies as if they had Long Rested.
Golden Generosity – Provides a rich bounty of Potions and Camp Supplies.

Divine Intervention is a potentially good passive for helping you out in a pinch. But beware that this can only be used once per character. There is no way to recharge the ability.

Prepare one more Spell.

Prepare Spell

Greater Restoration

It cures a range of Conditions and debuffs from your allies.

Level 11

At Level 11, you don’t gain any new class abilities, but you do get access to Sixth Level Spells, the most powerful tier of magic in Baldur’s Gate 3.

You’ll gain one Sixth Level Spell Slot, and as usual, you’ll be able to prepare one more Spell.

New Spell

Heroes’ Feast

Strong defensive buff to your whole party to use alongside the Aid spell.
The Buff: Increases Max HP, grants immunity to Poison and Disease, and prevents your party from being Frightened.
The Synergy: This stacks with Aid. By casting both, you can increase your party’s health by over 30-40 HP permanently.
Free Supplies: It spawns a chest of high-quality food, effectively making Long Rests “free” for the rest of the game.

Level 12

If you’ve reached this point, then you have finished leveling up your Shadowheart Build to the max level. Congratulations!

At Level 12, you can choose one more Feat for your Shadowheart Cleric Build.

New Feat

Feat: War Caster
Advantage on Concentration: You are now much less likely to lose your spells when taking damage.
Shocking Grasp Reaction: You can now use a magical reaction to “zap” enemies who try to run away from you, preventing them from escaping your damage aura.

You can also choose one more Spell to prepare.

New Spell

Planar Ally

Summon a powerful creature to fight alongside you.
Also great as a decoy, soaking up damage.

Shadowheart Build Equipment for Baldur’s Gate 3

In this section, we will outline the best equipment recommendations for Shadowheart in BG3.

We have included both an early game and a late game section for equipment, so you can use this build no matter how far through the game you are.

Don’t worry if you don’t have all of the listed equipment, and feel free to try out different items and combinations too. This is just a guideline and the build can still work great with some of the equipment changed.

Early-Game Gear for Shadowheart

Early-Game equipment is available in Act I and the earlier parts of Act II. It is generally less powerful than the late-game version of the build. However, there are still some really handy items you can find fairly early in your BG3 playthrough.

Slot	Item	Effects	Location
Head	Wapira’s Crown	Whenever you heal another creature, you also gain 1d6 HP	Reward from Zevlor for completing the Save the Refugees quest
Cloak	Cloak of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn
Chest	Luminous Armour	When you deal Radiant Damage, you inflict Radiating Orb in a 3 metre radius Radiating Orb reduces enemy Attack Rolls by -1 per stack, up to 10 stacks	In an opulent chest in the Selunite Outpost.
Gloves	Luminous Gloves	Dealing Radiant Damage to the target gives them 1 stack of Radiating Orb +1 to Strength Saving Throws	Inside the Potter’s Chest in the Ruined Battlefield
Boots	Vital Conduit Boots	Get 8 Temporary HP whenever you cast a spell that requires Concentration	Sold by A’jak’nir Jeera in Crèche Y’llek
Necklace	Pearl of Power Amulet	Restore a spell slot of first, second or third level, once per Long Rest	Sold by Omeluum in the Myconid Colony
Ring 1	Coruscation Ring	Dealing spell damage while partially or fully illuminated gives 2 stacks of Radiating Orb to the target.	In a chest hidden in the cellar of Last Light Inn
Ring 2	The Whispering Promise	Healing a creature gives them the Blessed buff	Act I Vendors – Volo or Grat the Trader
Main Weapon	The Blood of Lathander	Heals you when you’re about to be incapacitated, once per Long Rest Emits light that Blinds Undead and Fiends (this light also means the Coruscation and Callous Glow rings will always trigger) Allows you to cast a non-repeatable variant of Sunbeam once per Long Rest	In the secret area in Rosymorn Monastery, accessed by solving the statue puzzle near where you meet Vlaakith’s projection.
Shield	Shield of Devotion	Grants you an additional Level 1 Spell Slot Use your Reaction to attempt to knock a melee attacker Prone	Sold by Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn
Second Weapon	Any with Proficiency	Slot any ranged weapon that Shadowheart has Proficiency with.	N/A

Radiant Orb Essentials:

Chest: Luminous Armour

Effect: Dealing Radiant Damage causes a 3m Radiating Orb shockwave.
Location: Opulent chest in the Selunite Outpost (Underdark).

Gloves: Luminous Gloves

Effect: Inflicts Radiating Orb stacks on targets hit by Radiant Damage.
Location: Inside the Potter’s Chest in the Ruined Battlefield (Act 2).

Ring: Coruscation Ring

Effect: Dealing spell damage while illuminated adds two Radiating Orb stacks.
Location: In a chest in the Last Light Inn cellar.

Defensive & Support:

Head: Wapira’s Crown

Effect: Healing others heals yourself for 1d6.
Location: Reward from Zevlor for saving the refugees.

Cloak: Cloak of Protection

Effect: +1 AC and +1 Saving Throws.
Location: Purchased from Talli in Last Light Inn.

Boots: Vital Conduit Boots

Effect: Gain 8 Temp HP when casting Concentration spells.
Location: Sold by A’jak’nir Jeera in Crèche Y’llek.

Ring: The Whispering Promise

Effect: Healing an ally grants them Blessed (+1d4 to rolls).
Location: Act I Vendors (Volo or Grat).

Weaponry & Power:

Main Weapon: The Blood of Lathander

Effect: Blinds Undead/Fiends; Revives you once per Long Rest; Grants Sunbeam.
Heals you when you’re about to be incapacitated, once per Long Rest.
Location: Secret area in Rosymorn Monastery (Statue Puzzle).

Shield: Shield of Devotion

Effect: Use your Reaction to attempt to knock a melee attacker Prone
Location: Purchased from Talli in Last Light Inn.

Amulet: Pearl of Power Amulet

Effect: Restore a spell slot (up to Level 3) once per Long Rest.
Location: Sold by Omeluum in the Myconid Colony.

Pro-Tip: Radiant Orb Synergy

For Light Domain Clerics, the combination of Luminous Armour and The Blood of Lathander is great. Since the mace emits constant light, it triggers your rings’ effects reliably, and every Spirit Guardians or Radiance of the Dawn pulse will stack massive Attack Roll penalties on enemies, making your party almost untouchable.

Late-Game Gear for Shadowheart

Late-Game Equipment is found in Act III and the latter parts of Act II. However, some items from the early game may also find their way onto this list if they are powerful enough to remain competitive with items found in the latter parts of the game.

At this stage of the game, we are mainly focusing on finding items that improve our Spell Save Difficulty Class. Increasing this stat means that enemies need to roll a higher number to succeed on a Saving Throw against our spells.

Slot	Item	Effects	Location
Head	Hood of the Weave	+2 bonus to your Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls	Sold by Mystic Carrion in Philgrave’s Mansion
Cloak	Cloak of the Weave	+1 bonus to your Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls	Sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee, once her special stock has been unlocked.
Chest	Luminous Armour	When you deal Radiant Damage, you inflict Radiating Orb in a 3 metre radius Radiating Orb reduces enemy Attack Rolls by -1 per stack, up to 10 stacks	In an opulent chest in the Selunite Outpost.
Gloves	Luminous Gloves	Dealing Radiant Damage to the target gives them 1 stack of *Radiating Orb* +1 to Strength Saving Throws	Inside the Potter’s Chest in the Ruined Battlefield
Boots	Helldusk Boots	You cannot be forcibly moved by hostile spells You are immune to Difficult Terrain You can use your Reaction to succeed a failed Saving Throw	In a locked Gilded Chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress.
Necklace	Amulet of the Devout	+2 to Spell Save DC +1 Channel Divinity Charge	Found in the main offering chest in the basement of Stormshore Tabernacle
Ring 1	Coruscation Ring	Dealing spell damage while partially or fully illuminated gives 2 stacks of Radiating Orb to the target	In a chest hidden in the cellar of Last Light Inn
Ring 2	Callous Glow Ring	Deals 2 bonus Radiant Damage when you hit an enemy who is partially or fully illuminated	In an opulent chest in the vault room of the Gauntlet of Shar
Main Weapon	The Blood of Lathander	Heals you when you’re about to be incapacitated, once per Long Rest Emits light that Blinds Undead and Fiends (this light also means the Coruscation and Callous Glow rings will always trigger) Allows you to cast a non-repeatable variant of Sunbeam once per Long Rest	In the secret area in Rosymorn Monastery, accessed by solving the statue puzzle near where you meet Vlaakith’s projection.
Shield	Viconia’s Walking Fortress	+3 Armour Class When a foe hits you, you can use your Reaction to bash them, dealing 2d4 Force Damage and knocking them Prone Advantage on Saving Throws against Spells. Spell Attack Rolls against you have Disadvantage	Looted from Viconia DeVir in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace
Second Weapon	Any with Proficiency	Use any leftover ranged weapon that Shadowheart has Proficiency with	N/A

Spellcasting Power:

Head: Hood of the Weave

Effect: +2 bonus to Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls.
Location: Sold by Mystic Carrion in Philgrave’s Mansion (Act 3).

Cloak: Cloak of the Weave

Effect: +1 bonus to Spell Save DC and Attack Rolls.
Location: Sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee (unlock special stock).

Necklace: Amulet of the Devout

Effect: +2 to Spell Save DC and +1 Channel Divinity Charge.
Location: Main offering chest in the Stormshore Tabernacle basement.

Radiant Orb & Damage:

Ring 1: Coruscation Ring

Effect: Spell damage while illuminated adds 2 stacks of Radiating Orb
Location: In a chest hidden in the cellar of Last Light Inn.

Ring 2: Callous Glow Ring

Effect: Deals +2 Radiant Damage to illuminated enemies.
Location: In an opulent chest in the vault room of the Gauntlet of Shar

Boots: Helldusk Boots

Effect: Immunity to forced movement and difficult terrain; fail-safe for Saving Throws.
Location: Gilded Chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress (Act 3).

Legendary Weaponry:

Main Weapon: The Blood of Lathander

Effect: Blinds Undead/Fiends; Revives you once per Long Rest; Grants Sunbeam.
Heals you when you’re about to be incapacitated, once per Long Rest.
Location: Secret area in Rosymorn Monastery (Statue Puzzle).

Shield: Viconia’s Walking Fortress

+3 Armour Class
When a foe hits you, you can use your Reaction to bash them, dealing 2d4 Force Damage and knocking them Prone.
Advantage on Saving Throws against Spells.
Spell Attack Rolls against you have Disadvantage.
Location: Looted from Viconia DeVir in the House of Grief.

Pro-Tip: Maximizing Spell Spell Save DC

In the late game, the goal for this Shadowheart Build is to reach a Spell Save DC of 22 or higher. By combining the Hood of the Weave, Cloak of the Weave, and Amulet of the Devout, your Spells become almost impossible for enemies to dodge, ensuring maximum damage and crowd control in Baldur’s Gate Act 3’s hardest battles.

Shadowheart Build Extra Info

Below is some extra information about this BG3 Shadowheart Build, such as tips for playing the build as you progress through the game, how you can use Illithid Powers (entirely optional) and how the build changed in Patch 8, the final major update expected for Baldur’s Gate 3.

How to Play Shadowheart in BG3

Now that we’ve fully explained the process of creating this Shadowheart build for Baldur’s Gate 3, we will give you some tips about using the build.

Early-Game Shadowheart BG3 Strategy

This BG3 Shadowheart build is obviously weakest when you are low-level, but this can be a particular problem for Shadowheart and other Clerics.

Their attacks tend to be rather weak early on, and they don’t have many reliable damage options from spells and cantrips either.

Inflict Wounds is your best damage source early in the game, but it often has a low hit chance.

To counteract these problems:

I recommend being especially careful with your Actions early in the game so you don’t waste turns.
Attack when there are good opportunities, but otherwise, you are best off focusing on supporting and healing allies and debuffing enemies.
Once you obtain some of the Radiating Orb equipment (like the Luminous Armour and Gloves) you can start debuffing enemies quite easily, especially when you combine this with the Light Domain’s Radiance of the Dawn action, which deals strong Radiant Damage in a large AOE and can apply many stacks of Radiating Orb to nearby enemies.

This state of affairs lasts until you reach Level 5, at which point Shadowheart starts unlocking some much better spells.

Mid-Game Shadowheart BG3 Strategy

In the Mid-Game, Shadowheart is stronger, with a more useful range of spells and abilities.

Spirit Guardians is especially good, because many enemies in Act II are weak to Radiant Damage.
Act II is also a very interesting time in Shadowheart’s story, so make sure to explore the Shadow-Cursed Lands fully and don’t miss anything important here.
Despite the stronger spells, in many fights you’ll still be best off with supporting allies as Shadowheart for now, since we’re still lacking the late-game Cleric spells.
If you’ve been collecting the recommended equipment then by now you should be able to put crippling debuffs on enemies with Radiating Orb, even making boss enemies greatly struggle to hit you.
You have good AOE damage potential from spells like Spirit Guardians, Glyph of Warding and Fireball. Utilize these, but be wary of Concentration checks.

Important: Keep looking for ways to activate the Radiating Orb equipment – I can’t stress enough how strong the debuff is.

Late-Game Shadowheart BG3 Strategy

Once you reach level 9 and above, you’ll start unlocking spells like Insect Plague and Flame Strike.

Insect Plague is the best offensive spell in Shadowheart’s arsenal, as it puts a massive movement speed debuff on anyone caught within and deals up to 40 Piercing Damage per turn. It works amazingly well in chokepoints where enemies cannot find another way to reach you. Dropping it on top of a cluster of enemies can also be really strong, even if they’re not in a chokepoint.
If you want a larger burst of damage immediately, you’re usually better off using Flame Strike instead.
For maximum single-target damage, upcast Inflict Wounds to Spell Level 4 or 5. This old level 1 spell scales really well when upcast, and can crit in excess of 100 damage if you’re lucky.
Make sure to keep buffing your party’s HP by upcasting Aid after every Long Rest, and when you hit Level 11, you can also add Heroes’ Feast to this routine. This makes your party much stronger.

Honor Mode Approved

This Shadowheart Build is highly recommended for Honor Mode runs. The “Radiating Orb” debuff from the Luminous Armour can stack up to -10 to enemy attack rolls, effectively neutralizing bosses who would otherwise one-shot your party.

We hope you liked this Shadowheart companion build for BG3 (Baldur’s Gate 3).

Best Party Composition for Shadowheart

The Light Domain Shadowheart Build is incredibly versatile, acting as a “Tanky Caster.” She performs best when surrounded by teammates who can capitalize on her Radiant Orb debuffs and elemental combos.

This composition focuses on maximizing AoE damage and ensuring no enemy can land a hit.

Front-Line Tank (Lae’zel or Karlach):

Either Lae’zel or Karlach stays near Shadowheart. As Shadowheart debuffs enemies with Radiant Orbs, your tank becomes virtually unhittable.

Elemental Striker (Gale or Wyll):

Either Gale or Wyll is essential for your group. Shadowheart casts Create Water to make enemies Wet, and your caster uses this to his advantage.

Single-Target Assassin (Astarion):

While Shadowheart handles the “mobs” with AoE, Astarion (Assassin or Thief) can pick off high-HP targets that survive the initial blast.

BG3 Shadowheart Build Patch 8 Changes

While BG3’s Patch 8 added a lot of new content to the game, including five powerful new spells, the changes impacting this Shadowheart Build were minimal. The Radiating Orb equipment remained unchanged, as did the actions, spells and cantrips used in this guide.

What Patch 8 did bring to the table is two new Cantrips, which you can use on Shadowheart if you want:

New Cantrips

Bursting Sinew

Create an explosion from an intact corpse, dealing Piercing Damage to all nearby creatures.

This is very situational, but skilled players can manipulate the battlefield to create situations where multiple enemies may fall victim to this spell several times over.

While it doesn’t fit well into the build’s theme, it is a strong option that you may want to try regardless.

Toll the Dead

Deals 1d12 Necrotic Damage against a target, or 1d8 if the target is full HP.
The damage scales up at Levels 5 and 10.
A powerful alternative to Sacred Flame that scales based on the target’s current health.
Higher Damage: Deals 1d12 Necrotic damage if the target is already injured.
The Trade-off: Since it deals Necrotic damage, it will not trigger your Radiating Orb gear.
Verdict: Use this in the early game for raw damage. Once you equip your Radiating Orb gear in Act 1, switch back to Sacred Flame to maximize your debuff stacking.
Saving Throw: Enemies roll Wisdom to avoid all damage.

That is all that changed with Patch 8, so you can rest assured that this build will still work perfectly in the latest version of BG3.

Cleric Build Illithid Powers (optional)

Illithid Powers are unlocked later in BG3 when you learn more about Mind Flayers and Tadpoles. By eating Jars of Mind Flayer Parasites you gain one point. This is another optional skill tree that you can get access to if you want. Here are some of the best Illithid Powers for the BG3 Shadowheart Build:

Concentrated Blast

Allows you to deal extra damage to a target when you are Concentrating on a spell.
Potentially also healing if the target is Concentrating too.

Cull the Weak

When you reduce a creature’s hit points below a certain threshold, this power instantly kills it and deals 1-4 Psychic Damage to nearby enemies.
This is particularly effective when engaging groups of weaker foes, enabling you to thin their numbers rapidly.
You have quite a few AoE spells, which are pretty good at activating this effect.

Fly

This can be used to reach hard to get to places or change positions in combat.

Black Hole

This power creates an area-based effect that pulls in and slows targets.
It’s particularly useful for crowd control, allowing you to cluster enemies together for area-of-effect attacks or to isolate them from vulnerable allies.

Psionic Backlash

This is a top-tier Reaction from the Illithid Powers skill tree in BG3.
This allows you to deal Psychic Damage when a nearby enemy casts a spell.
This is especially useful if the target is casting a Concentration Spell.
The damage from Psionic Backlash can immediately break their Concentration, ending the spell’s effects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is This Build Beginner-Friendly?Andrew2025-05-21T09:33:15+00:00

Is This Build Beginner-Friendly?

This Shadowheart Build is mostly beginner-friendly. If you follow the recommendations in the guide, the build will make your playthrough easier by applying severe debuffs to enemies. However, the Cleric can be a tricky class to use in the early game (before level 5) because you initially don’t have many good spells and not much equipment. The good news is that Shadowheart makes for a good healer in these early levels, even though her damage output isn’t great.

Should I Use Illithid Powers with Shadowheart?Andrew2025-05-21T09:17:44+00:00

Should I Use Illithid Powers with Shadowheart?

Illithid Powers are not required for this build, and don’t have any especially important synergies with it. You can use them if you like, but it’s completely optional. The build is capable of finishing the game on any difficulty without using any Illithid Powers.

Is this Shadowheart Build good for Tactician/Honour Difficulty?Andrew2025-05-21T09:13:57+00:00

Is this Shadowheart Build good for Tactician/Honour Difficulty?

Yes. This build works on any difficulty, and is especially useful on Tactician and Honour difficulty because the Radiating Orb debuff makes it much harder for enemies to hit your party. On Tactician and Honour, enemies have a boost to their Attack Rolls, but with this debuff you can completely negate that.

Best BG3 Shadowheart Build Guide – Updated For 2026✅

BG3 Shadowheart Build – First Steps

How to Recruit Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3

How to Respec Shadowheart in BG3

Why We’re Using the Light Domain Subclass for Shadowheart

BG3 Shadowheart Build Starting Point (Level 1)

Race: High Half-Elf

Ability Point Distribution

Starting Cantrips

Starting Spells

BG3 Shadowheart Step-by-Step Leveling Guide (2-12)

Early-Game Leveling Process (2-4)

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Mid-Game Leveling Process (5-8)

Level 5

Level 6

Level 7

Level 8

Late-Game Leveling Process (9-12)

Level 9

Level 10

Level 11

Level 12

Shadowheart Build Equipment for Baldur’s Gate 3

Early-Game Gear for Shadowheart

Late-Game Gear for Shadowheart

Shadowheart Build Extra Info

How to Play Shadowheart in BG3

Early-Game Shadowheart BG3 Strategy

Mid-Game Shadowheart BG3 Strategy

Late-Game Shadowheart BG3 Strategy

Best Party Composition for Shadowheart

BG3 Shadowheart Build Patch 8 Changes

Cleric Build Illithid Powers (optional)

Frequently Asked Questions

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