Finding Shadowheart’s parents in Baldur’s Gate 3 is as much of a surprise as learning her parents were still alive in the first place. They’re located in the deepest chamber of the House of Grief, which you’ll find in the Lower City of Act 3, and in true Baldur’s Gate fashion, you’ll have a heavy decision to make.
Do you make Shadowheart kill her own parents? Or do you save Shadowheart’s parents in firm opposition to Lady Shar, the Goddess of Darkness and Loss? Unfortunately, there’s no winning solution here, and each comes with heavy consequences, so you need to weigh your options carefully. Of course, all of this assumes you didn’t give Shadowheart over to Mother Superior.
Updated March 27, 2026, by Kaitlyn Peterson: Whether you choose to save Shadowheart’s parents or not has significant consequences, so there’s no shame in reading up on what this choice entails. For that reason, this guide has been updated with information on how to ensure Shadowheart makes the right choice on her own as of the latest patches for BG3.
Shar Questline: What Happens If You Execute Shadowheart’s Parents?
If you choose to take Shadowheart down the path of the Dark Justiciar, you’ll learn of Shadowheart’s parents only after you find them hanging in the House of Grief. Shar herself will demand that Shadowheart execute them, and this is undoubtedly the evil path.
Of course, allowing Shadowheart to execute her parents will result in their death, but it’s much more than that. Killing Shadowheart’s parents will send them to eternal torment in the dark afterlife with Shar, forever separated from their goddess of worship.
The only consolation to this, if you see it that way, is that Shadowheart’s memory will be wiped again as she gains more power, so you’re the only one who has to live with the decision on your conscience. Shadowheart will forget she ever had parents and won’t believe you if you tell her what she’s done after. You’ll be the only one who has to live with the decision.
On the plus side, Shadowheart will gain immense power under Shar. Any remaining Justiciars in the previous room will be under Shadowheart’s control and join you for the final battle.
If you take this route, don’t kill all the Justiciars in the other room. If you do, there will be no one to join you in the final battle, and you’ll lose the main benefit of taking this route in the first place.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Builds For Shadowheart
While she plays her cards close to her chest, Shadowheart makes for a trustworthy companion on Baldur’s Gate 3’s battlefield.
Selune Questline: What Happens If You Kill Shadowheart’s Parents?
Unlike in the Shar questline, killing Shadowheart’s parents if she walks the path of Selune is vastly different. After you defeat Mother Superior, you’ll continue further into the House of Grief and run into none other than Shar herself, who will still demand that Shadowheart kill her parents.
While it is a terrible thing to consider, especially if you’re attempting a morally good route, it’s not entirely black-and-white either. Killing Shadowheart’s parents in this scenario means that Shadowheart will be forever relieved of Shar’s burden. Shadowheart’s parents, being aware of this, will even attempt to convince her to go through with it.
If you do decide to go through with it, Shadowheart’s parents will be delivered to Selune and become “Moonmotes.” These celestial lights are said to always travel with Shadowheart, supporting her forevermore. So, while it is still hard to go through with, it does offer a bit more comfort afterward than killing them on the Dark Justiciar route does.
Additionally, Shadowheart’s painful curse will be lifted. However, there’s no memory wipe in this scenario. Shadowheart will be forever free of Shar, but she’ll have to live without her parents and the guilt of having killed them.
That said, their being Moonmotes seems to dampen the hurt ever so slightly, and Shadowheart does eventually learn to accept it. If romancing, Shadowheart eventually appears to accept this loss and offers you a place with her, wherever that may be. She takes the steps to move on despite the regret she carries, giving Shadowheart’s ending a bittersweet taste.
At the end of the game, if you chose to romance Shadowheart, she reveals the depth of her guilt and emotions by stating that she would have given anything, even the curse, to speak with them again. So, if you want to pick the option that you believe Shadowheart would choose herself, you should convince her to save her parents.
What Happens If You Betray Shar And Save Shadowheart’s Parents?
You can choose to save Shadowheart’s parents on either path (Shar or Selune). Both paths will lead to the same outcome with this choice: Shadowheart’s parents will be freed and brought to camp to join you for the remainder of the game.
If you want to let Shadowheart choose this option for herself, you’ll need to encourage her to do what she believes is best when faced with the decision. However, if you want to ensure that she will save her parents when given this choice and lower the risk of anything else happening, then you need to trigger a few memories in the Lower City with Shadowheart that remind her of her life before Shar.
The three memories will each prompt Shadowheart to make a quick comment, and then she’ll have an ! indicating she needs to speak with you. You only need two to convince her to make the right choice, but keep in mind that you also need to have high approval with her. So, if you want to find the memories, add Shadowheart to your party and go to the following locations:
- Allister Marnley’s Grave (X: 24, Y: 14)
- A Graffiti drawing on a wall near the Baldur’s Gate waypoint (X: -214, Y: -32)
- Shadowheart’s hidden spot (the Night Orchid cave) in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace (Basement of the House of Grief)
Remember, you can convince Shadowheart to do the right thing even if you don’t revisit these memory locations. The main reason for doing this is to convince her to make that choice herself. Either way, Shadowheart’s parents will be rescued and come to camp.
Emmeline, Shadowheart’s mother, will continue to suffer from severe memory loss and her steeply declining health, but she’ll give wisdom and comfort to Shadowheart. Arnell will continuously offer his wisdom. Together, the two have a marked improvement in Shadowheart’s mood as they support her for the rest of the story (and likely after).
The drawback of this choice is that Shadowheart’s curse will continue to linger. Although the true nature of the curse is slightly vague, it apparently physically agonizes and tortures Shadowheart nightly and will continue to do so for the rest of her life.
At the end of the game, if you choose to romance Shadowheart, she states that she’ll settle down near them in a quiet home, spending the rest of her life with them and you. She is still deeply afflicted by the pain of Shar’s curse, but she states she can weather it as long as she has both you and her parents.
However, Shadowheart’s life promises to be a long one as a half-elf, and the ending leaves some ambiguity about how Shadowheart will endure centuries of torture after her parents’ eventual death.
Baldur’s Gate 3: All Act 3 Quest Guides
There are more quests in Act 3 of BG3 than you can shake a stick at!
