Baldur's Gate 3: how to free Shadowheart in BG3

As you’re making your daring escape from the crashing Nautaloid, you’ll run past a pod with a woman trying to escape. It’s easy to ignore Shadowheart, but you’ll be missing out on a valuable ally in the subsequent fight if you do. She’s a strong early-game party member, as a Cleric she has strong healing magic but isn’t afraid of a fight either.

We’ll tell you how to unlock Shadowheart’s pod and how to recruit Shadowheart to your party later on.

He’s not the only ally you can find in the early game, so check out how to recruit Astarion in BG3, as well as how to romance Shadowheart in BG3 if you want to get closer to her.

How to free Shadowheart – BG3

Interact with the pod to activate the quest – you have the option to deny it, but don’t be a jerk. Shadowheart will direct you to the console next to the pod, but it won’t activate, inspect it to discover the open slot.

Head through the door to the east, into a room with lots more pods. On the upper level, there is a dead thrall, search their corpse and you’ll find a rune. Take it back to the console and it’ll activate.

To open the pod you’ll need to pass a skill check, but rolling anything other than a critical failure will pass it. Shadowheart’s pod will open and you can have her join you for the final fight of the prologue.

How to recruit Shadowheart – BG3

Once the ship has crashed and you awaken on the beach, you’ll find Shadowheart unconscious just in front of you if you saved her. From there you can ask her to join your party, and she will.

If you didn’t save her, you’ll still have a chance to recruit her if you can find her in this opening area, although you won’t start on quite as friendly terms.