Should You Kill Or Save Shadowheart's Parents In BG3?

Updated Oct 27, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Alexis is an ex-narrative designer & game developer working freelance in the game journalism industry. She's worked at TheGamer for over a year, partially using it as an excuse to justify buying and studying more games. She has graduated from Washington University in St. Louis & Oxford University, holds a Bacherlor's in English Creative Writing and Victorian Literature, and has a minor in GrecoRoman Classics. As of now, she holds multiple awards for creative writing, has published two video games with Atari, and upholds that her greatest achievement was maintaining her sanity waiting for Silksong to release. Thank the Wyrm it's over! 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 make a difficult decision. 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 October 27, 2026, by Kaitlyn Peterson: Deciding what to do with Shadowheart's parents directly impacts the ending to her story. For that reason, this guide has been updated with information to help you ensure Shadowheart makes the right choice for your desired outcome, and re-formatted to help you find what you're looking for faster. What Happens If You Kill Shadowheart's Parents? Killing Shadowheart's Parents While Serving Shar (Shadowheart's Bad Ending) 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, if you see it that way, is that Shadowheart's memory will be wiped again as she gains more power. She 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 as you attempt to reach the Netherbrain. If you're going to 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. Although this is undoubtedly a more evil route, there isn't necessarily a wrong choice. It's considered a bad ending for Shadowheart because of everything Shar has done to her, and because Shadowheart effectively betrays her own values by sacrificing her parents, even if she doesn't remember it herself. That said, this might still be the right choice for you depending on your goals. Killing Shadowheart's Parents While Serving Selune (Shadowheart's Good Ending) Unlike in the Shar questline, killing Shadowheart's parents if she walks the path of Selune has a much more positive outcome for everyone. 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 is often considered the most positive ending overall. 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. Even though Shadowheart kills her parents in this outcome, this is the best outcome for everyone. Even though Shadowheart insinuates that she would've rather suffered the curse if it meant having them around, her parents were able to move on to be with their goddess, support Shadowheart as Moonmotes, and Shadowheart is free. What Happens If You Save Shadowheart's Parents? Shadowheart's Choice (Neutral Ending) If you decide to save Shadowheart's parents, they will be freed and brought to camp to join you for the remainder of the game. You can choose to save Shadowheart's parents on either path (Shar or Selune). Both paths will lead to the same general outcome. If you want Shadowheart to choose to save her parents, you'll need to encourage her to do what she believes is best when faced with the decision. However, to ensure she chooses to save them when given this choice and lower the risk of anything else happening, you need to trigger specific 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 memories to convince her to make the right choice, but keep in mind that you also need to have high approval with her. To find the memories, add Shadowheart to your party and go to at least two of 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) If you don't care whether Shadowheart makes this choice herself, you can convince her to do the right thing in the moment, even if you don't revisit these memory locations. Regardless of whether you unlock the memories and have her choose for herself or convince her to save them, her parents will return to the camp with you if spared. 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 while Arnell continuously offers his wisdom. Together, the two greatly improve 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 long as a half-elf, and the ending leaves some ambiguity about how she will endure centuries of torture after her parents pass away from natural causes. For this reason, this is often viewed as a neutral ending. Shadowheart's parents didn't want her to endure this pain at their expense, and she will eventually be forced to deal with their deaths and failing health anyway, so it's apparent that this is a temporary solution that may not have been the best outcome for everyone in the long run.