SHAR'S SHADOW - Lore Friendly Shadowheart Build Guide - BG3 Tactician

Want to follow Shadowheart's lore while still bringing ruin to her enemies? Want a surprisingly strong build with some uniquely awesome tricks, that overwhelms enemies through trickery, deception, and the shadows of Shar? Want to play Shadowheart as the developers designed her to be played? Look no further! This build follows the lore of the enigmatic cleric, while providing buffing, utility, and damage to the party that are second to none!
This character uses Trickery Domain Cleric and Thief rogue to become the Mistress of Shadows' most powerful servant - while providing healing, buffs, and powerful damage output across the entire battlefield, all from the perfect safety of the shadows!
Full detailed level guide from 1-12, including stats, feats, items, and abilities!

[@TailsxNobody]

I'm very happy with this build. She is way more optimized without feeling out of place

[@jonich7918]

One thing I’ll shout out is the boots of speed (I think that’s what they’re called) that let you use the “click heels” ability. Basically does the same thing as dash, and gives enemies disadvantage on their opportunity attacks. Just helps spread the spirit guardians more without having to worry about tanking too much

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Yup, excellent item, especially for any character trying to move around a lot! They're slightly less important for this character since we can already bonus action dash, but adding in the immunity to AoOs is still extremely powerful.

[@1SaG]

While the boots are great (and yes, I do think they are simply called "boots of speed"), they do require SH to use her bonus action to activate their function. Which is a bit of a problem with a cleric who can use bonus actions to cast certain very useful spells (like some healing spells). I usually put those boots on one of my melee damage dealers like Lae'zel or Karlach to give them added mobility. Not even sure what boots my SH is currently using - I usually give her the boots of aid and comfort and switch to something else when I reach Act II (3 temp-HP aren't all that much once you reach a certain level).

[@Fernandanatac]

To be ultimately lore-friendly, I think I’ll follow this build until she changes into a Selunite. Then, I’ll respec her into a Light domain cleric!

[@TheCourteousKurt]

Selune doesn’t have light as a domain. Knowledge, Life and Twilight are her domains

[@4m4n40]

@@TheCourteousKurtWhen I was looking at Selûne’s domains, I was baffled when I saw that! 😅

[@TheCourteousKurt]

@@4m4n40 It kinda makes sense, since light domain is about the pure light like the sun, whereas twilight is about the moon 🤓 and Selune is a moon goddess. But I can see why people associate her with light, since moon light is just reflected sunlight 🤣

[@JoshSweetvale]

​@@TheCourteousKurtShar is also more Twilight than Trickery. It's always darkest before the dawn.

[@TheCourteousKurt]

@@JoshSweetvale Shar’s domains are death and trickery. Both of those fit her well 🤓

[@spire92]

Love this build!! It gets super strong early with phalar aluve (double death circle, enemies hit less, scales with finesse too), adamantine shield since you’re impossible to hit already, and bow of the banshee (advantage on feared enemies). Action economy sucks but it’s the best synergy until you get radiating orbies

[@Barsikr]

Very cool guide, thank you! It definitely made shadowheart a lot better. Interestingly the very next fight was defending the portal for Halsin and she really was the mvp for running around with spirit guardian and killing small enemies, and then turn dead helped a lot with the bigger ones :)

[@pierrejarthon4254]

Lore friendly & very relevant & well explained.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Thanks so much! Glad you liked it :D

[@NaveSutlef]

This will definitely be my Shadowheart build on my newest playthrough! Looking forward to this.

[@Turantula]

I like this build so much that I'm going to use it (or very close to it) for my own Honour Mode Shadowheart run

[@cocaloca5402]

Finally, a build that stays on theme and doesn't go "TriCKeRy bAd, nO duMBaGe...gO TeMpEsT BBRRRRRRRRR"

[@Horde334]

In single player im sure it'd be fine but in co-op 1 weak link can drag an entire party down or be a game over and im sure the people in the party wouldn't be too pleased having to reload and redo encounters cause you chose a domain that drags ass in every fight.

[@Youtubesuckscock]

It does suck though and you cope about that all you like it doesn't change the fact that it's the worst domain

[@user-dz6lj6ne3d]

Idea for a build: A lore friendly (in your personal opinion) dark urge class guide. Think it could be fun to see what YOU feel is an accurate but also fun build for the Durge enjoyers.

[@levigenesis6350]

Agreed on this. I want to start a Durge build but the ive seen so many opinions on if the default class and race is canon. It doesn't make sense being a sorcerer to me or at least a pure spellcaster

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Cool idea! I hadn't really considered doing a dark urge lore build - will definitely add it to the list!

[@AssassinEXE]

@@levigenesis6350 as far as I know the default race is, you can find his body in a non DUrge playthrough

[@vincentvindevogel2368]

I miss wardstone :(

[@redelephantsdotnl]

Assassin 3 / Fist Monk 3 / Battlemaster 6. Enjoy :)

[@IRedpunk]

Seems like a nice build, gonna try it !

[@dankewolfie2794]

Great video! Is it worth doing this as soon as you can? I only have Shadowhearts default gear. Will changing her class make her look like a rogue instead of how she looks now?

[@AkA47Ak]

Hey man, thanks for all the videos. Do u have one of the dark justiciar shadowheart build

[@farseer001]

With the ability numbers, the proficiency max for stealth and slight of hand is 6 not 7 as in the video. Is that a result of a patch?

[@hametsuj]

Thief/Trickery is my default build for SH. But I think Thief/Trickery is much better played as a stealth archer (dual hand-crossbows) with a support focus on spell casting. My Dex is higher than Wis, and spells are more focused on party buffs over offensive spells. This lets me spell cast out of combat a lot of the time and focus on damage while turn-based. In my experience, the Spirit Guardians build works much better with Str/Wis, some significantly different equipment, and a focus on Radiating Orb. I also think Aid is a must for any Cleric build. Upcasted with a bunch of summons will give you over 100 additional HP across your party.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Sure! You can definitely focus more on the ranged attacks from the build. One reason I didn't is that I think the best thing Trickery domain has going for it is access to Fear, which dropping Wisdom gives up - without using that I think any other cleric domain would serve better. That said, clerics are so strong that even with a weak domain they can do really well.

[@hametsuj]

@@Cephalopocalypse I don't dump Wisdom. Dex just takes higher priority. I end up with 20 Dex, 16 Wis, 16 Con. Ranged attacks and Finesse weapons are just more accessible than using spell slots, and I've found that AC is overall more important than Wis saves, especially for a stealth character. The real difference offensively is +2 spell save DC, which can easily be mitigated with equipment if I find a need to cast Fear, Polymorph, or Dominate Person. There's also the shield that gives Disadvantage on saves vs Fear. I prefer to use the higher level spell slots for summons, but that's just personal preference. As you say, Cleric is so good that the Domain choice doesn't matter all that much, particularly for this type of build.

[@marcosdheleno]

i feel like it really depend on what you want to do. for example you could go balls to the wall if you want her to be more stealth melee. do something crazy like 6 cleric 3 thief 2 fighter 1 monk that way you get alot more attacks, and focus more on hiding and striking. you could also go 3 shadow monk 1 rogue, or 3 shdw monk 3 thief and not get fighter. go more into dex, and less into wisdom. as a side note, i feel like assassins in BG3 are just not worth using, as shadow monks do what they are supposed to, but better in pretty much every way. same with gloom stalker rangers. out of the 3, assassins, are the ones that feel less good at "assassining"(i know the word is written wrong, i did it on purpose as a joke, also because youtube has an issue on comments like this).

[@JohnDoe-nf2ok]

Really fun build

[@shishkabobby]

Using speak with dead, her Disguise Self is great for talking with anyone that you killed who doesn't want to speak with their killer. Appearing as a drow is also a great ability in the first chapter, even with low charisma. If only the Ring of Human Influence from BG2 was available, she would be a natural party face.

[@tonichan89]

That's odd, in my game I don't get to prepare 4 spells at Cleric lvl 1, but 3. I checked the different difficulty settings in custom mode and none of them seemed to yield being able to pick 4.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Prepared spells are based on your cleric level plus your wis modifier - if your wisdom is lower than 16 that will reduce the number of prepared spells

[@user-wk9qn2qx9b]

Is there any build using shar chosen set?

[@scalpingsnake]

Damn invoke duplicity in tabletop sounds really cool. Would have been great to have it implemented like that in the game.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Yeah, it was honestly one of the few real letdowns I had in this game. I understand if it was too hard to code, so given that I think a simple fix would be to just make it a bonus action so it could actually be used in combat the way they seem to intend you to.

[@barcster2003]

It's even better in one d and d. It's meant to be confusing for your enemy. I do wonder if it's possible for them to implement it.

[@Drazha]

@@Cephalopocalypse They should have done it like spiritual weapon. Let it give advantage and have a basic spell attack/heal every round. Movement limited to 30 feet.

[@Alexander_0385]

After her Storyevent, would you just change the TD with knowledge or Life (The Aspekts of Selnune) or just let it like it is? it shouldn't matter that much at this point.

[@AXPMAD]

Hi. Huge fan of your builds. Do you think this build will work in honor mode or do you suggest a different cleric build?

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Thanks! Yes, this should work fine on honour, though it does take a little more finesse to play and position than the more generically powerful light or tempest builds - if you're fine with a little more complexity, then this build will be great!

[@AXPMAD]

@@Cephalopocalypse Yeah I don't mind complexity. Just looking for different fun builds which I've never tried. Also using your wild magic sorcerer, karlach wolf and laezel fighter build on current playthrough. Do you think I should change anything?

[@SigfridSWE]

Personally I hope they ad the Twilight domain cleric from dnd in a future expansion/update. For me that would be the most lore accurate subclass for her.

[@marcosdheleno]

unfortunately no dlc for BG3. but i feel like they left ALOT of fun subclasses out. fighters for example, would be far more fun here with either echo knight, or psi warrior instead of eldritch knight. same with warlocks, they got 3 subclasses, but they left out hexblade. there's also an argument about both undead and celestial warlocks. monks have no way of mercy, or drunken master. both of which i feel would fit the game better than the four elements. rangers could do with the swarmkeeper and the fey wanderer. although, diferent from monk, warlock and knights, all 3 options for ranger are the more iconic ones. for rogue, i gotta say, i dont think assassins are a good subclass for rogue in BG3, neither are arcane trickster. AT at least give a custom version of a spell, but most of the time, it doesnt really offer much compared to a wizard with 3 level dip into thief wouldnt make it better. instead, i feel like a swashbuckler and soulknife would fit better in this game, since they offer more fun combat gimmicks. finally for sorcerers, i feel like wild magic just doesnt feel good in either of the sorcerer nor the barbarian. i would rather they put the divine soul, which would be a diferent type of sorcerer, since its closer to a cleric, but with sorcerer gimmick, and the aberrant mind. as a side note, i feel like the aberrant mind, soulknife and psi warrior would fit more in BG3 as well due to the fact the characters are infected by the illithid parasite.

[@DTHPR542]

Do you think i can pull off shadowheart melee spear and shield lore friendly build on tactician diff. Despite her having awful stats like having both 13 str/dex?

[@Cephalopocalypse]

You definitely can, though I'd advise moving some stats around to give her a little more strength - another alternative is to have her drink strength elixirs to set her strength to 21, which will let her fight in melee just fine

[@DTHPR542]

@@Cephalopocalypse But elixirs will be removed on rest and gauntlets of str are only avaible in act 3.Thats why is so confusing why larian is mentioning her polishing spear in camp when they publish patch notes and spear of shar being in the game.I will respec jaheira and minsc because thats the only lore friendly way and bioware made them not larian.

[@sopelq3565]

whats the difference between starting as cleric and at 2nd lvl picking rogue and starting this build as a rogue and then picking cleric? does this make a difference?

[@mikemac1298]

I was wondering the same thing. Playing this class though, I've noticed my weapons are limited. Maybe that's why he chose rogue first?

[@MARUSHI-YT]

late, but the starting class will grant you your proficiencies in armor, weapons, and saving throws. e.g., you are a sorcerer lv1. multiclassing into a paladin at lv2 won't grant you heavy armor proficiency

[@sopelq3565]

@@MARUSHI-YT thank you :D

[@PugglesWuggles]

could u make a light shadowheart build aswell? i dont really want to spec her with stealth

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Check out my guide "The best support cleric in bg3" :D

[@KyleHead]

I was really not interested in keeping Shadowheart as Trickery domain when I first learned about the other domains. I’ve played through the game a couple times now and have always felt like I needed to respec Shadowheart to something else almost immediately (and I almost always have her in my party). This seems like a fun way to use the class.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Yeah - trickery really got left out in the cold by Larian. I think a really easy fix would be to make Invoke Duplicity a bonus action, which would let it actually function in combat the way it's intended to. Still would be less cool than the tabletop version, but no extra coding required.

[@keithbos4506]

@@Cephalopocalypse I think my prefered way to buff it would be to add rogue weapon proficiencies and sneak attack but only every 3rd or 4th level of cleric. Completely homebrew but it'd open up a niche for it without being overpowered

[@renshii422]

I've always kept her as trickery and multiclassed into rogue. She's actually pretty kickass as a trickery/thief. with dual crossbows she was pretty much untouchable.

[@westenev]

Tbf, Holy lawnmower works on any cleric domain (dip 1 into storm sorcery so you can punch everyone with spirit guardian). Probably not very lore friendly though.

[@SigfridSWE]

Yeah, hope they ad the Twilight domain subclass from dnd in the future. That would be the mowt lore accurate one for her and the best probably. You can do a lot with that one (even thou its not the best one for an OP build in dnd either).

[@OddConrad]

Stacking all the healing items on a character like this makes me curious for the "what if" of building a faux divine soul sorcerer with a similar cleric/ thief rogue combo path

[@marcosdheleno]

i said it before, i feel like they picked some bad choices for sub classes here. instead of eldritch knight, i feel like psi warrior would be better. instead of wild magic sorcerer, the divine soul and aberrant mind would fit better, and be more fun to play swarmkeeper would be alot of fun, no idea why they didnt give us hexblade, as its one of the most popular warlock subclasses. and instead picked 3, which are so similar, you dont really feel like you gain much from either besides a few spells, or some mediocre bonus. elements monk is so underwhelming, i dont doubt you can make them good, but they feel like mediocre clerics, instead, i feel like mercy or drunken master would be much more fun to play with. maybe even ascended dragon.

[@gamerdweebentertainment1616]

on sanctuary I don't think AI even approaches you, does it?

[@Cephalopocalypse]

The AI acts really inconsistently around sanctuary, especially if the rest of your party is hidden - this build honestly does incredibly bizarre things to the AI. With a sanctuaried ally, sometimes they run up to them and pass the turn while taking spirit guardian damage and never notice shadowheart is there.

[@PartNinja]

You can do another lore friendly build for Shadowheart as a Dark Justicar. Depending what you want to do with her story some items received can change up her build/playstyle. Later on I feel she more becomes a paladin than a cleric.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

True! I was trying to lean into her character as we first meet her, since I don't know what direction people will take her as they play, but there's obviously a lot of fun builds you can base on her later story beats!

[@climhazzard115]

I made a Shadow monk cleric build for her that was going to use Shar's spear of evening to fight from the shadows. Just the immunity to blindness synergizes quite well with shadow monk. All the equipment that gives bonuses while obscured or to obscured targets combines quite well with it too. Plus the Dark justiciar equipment. But then I learned what the consequences of her becoming a Dark Justiciar were, which wasn't really something I had planned, at least for this playthrough, so I gave up the whole idea.

[@danielbrilliant3532]

I ran her as an assassin/war cleric early on, which felt appropriate as Shar's champion. She absolutely slayed with a heavy crossbow. Then I added gloom stalker as she rediscovered her love of animals. Then she ditched cleric all together for awhile (also for lore reasons). Then she picked up bard as she rediscovered her love of music and life. She ended up as the most powerful ranged shooter by a country mile.

[@VDViktor]

Her canonical story is that she’s a selunite and she returns to the light in the end, since 4/5 options lead to that outcome, including the one where you let Shadowheart decide herself. So “dark justiciar” is not lore friendly techically.

[@samz9121]

@@VDViktor Spiler warnings would have been nice. BG3 is still new-ish.

[@justinemmons2369]

Great idea on how to build SH. Wish you would have shown actual game play using the build though.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

I'd like to include more gameplay of course, but video editing is extremely time-consuming

[@TheLeviathan1293]

I mean, mostly everything is tactician viable in this game, specially a cleric. You have bless, healing, aid, sanctuary, guidance, the turn undead thing, no matter the domain and that's mostly enough. There are no bad clerics, it's either a good cleric or a great cleric.

[@JoshSweetvale]

Also gear. Mace of Lathander goes IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

[@danomyte67]

What would you recommend for shadowheart for a selune cleric build?

[@Cephalopocalypse]

The Light Cleric build I posted ("The Best Support Cleric in BG3") should be perfect for a selunite version imo

[@TheCourteousKurt]

⁠​⁠@@CephalopocalypseThe thing is though, Selune’s domains are life, knowledge and twilight not light

[@PatheticApathetic]

@@Cephalopocalypselight is not one of Selune’s domains, so a Light cleric Shadowheart would not be lore accurate

[@e-duh3529]

​@@PatheticApathetic uber late but since it's a support build one can go life instead of light

[@zusevan4968]

I think this build depends on the yuan-ti scale mail, maybe with this you didn't even need to use rogue, but ranger with a better combat skills, not so good at stealth but still pretty decent

[@marcosdheleno]

i mean, gloomstalkers are better assassins than assassin rogues. and they get superior darkvision which is great for a character that loves the shadow.

[@zusevan4968]

@@marcosdheleno it makes sense

[@WylliamJudd]

Your comment about Hold Person is not correct. That is also how it works in tabletop.

[@scalpingsnake]

Oh yeah im in my third playthrough, only just used fear for the first time now in act 2 and wow it was so good! I think like all 4 enemies failed the save lol, and with me being in act 2 one enemy ran into the shadow curse hahhaah

[@Cephalopocalypse]

A really underused spell I think, it's as good or better than hypnotic pattern in a lot of cases.

[@mikemac1298]

Why didn't you use the Justiciar's Scimitar? This build screams the need for it.

[@zzFlare]

by then, most people would want to switch her into selune cleric, I think this build fills the gap from lvl 1 until then

[@mikemac1298]

@@zzFlaremakes sense...

[@vincentvindevogel2368]

I miss sightsone

[@beaustone5533]

Does this effect shadowhearts story in anyway?

[@outphase78]

No

[@michaelsandy2869]

Give her something that provides momentum, and maybe crusher's ring and embarrass the monk's with your speed :

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Exactly! With only a couple movespeed items, she's actually faster than a car :P

[@RyanS406]

lol sounds fun

[@stopthink7202]

I don't understand why you would have a dex of 15 and a wisdom of 17 with the aim of increasing them both when you get a stat increase, when you could have both at 16 and put 2 points into wisdom when you get them, Giving you an additional bonus in dex until such time as you get the stat improvement.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

That would be great if we could! Only 2 stats can start 16 or higher, so if we take that stat split we would need to reduce CON. 17 16 15 are the highest possible individual starting stats. You could take a 16 16 14 split and then respec to the 17 16 15 build when you hit level 4, which is definitely better, but I like to present these builds as much as possible without respecs because it tends to confuse people to include one.

[@autisonm]

I think you could also justify Nature and Knowledge domain Cleric. Shadowheart seems to dislike things that go against nature as shown by some comments in act 2 I think and Knowledge (and the lack thereof) is what Shar is all about kinda.

[@allstarbatmanny]

Late reply but Knowledge was one of Shar’s domains in 4th Edition so anyone who wanted to stick to a lore accurate build has a non-Trickery option if they are willing to squint a bit!

[@PatheticApathetic]

You cannot. Shar’s domains are Trickery and Death. You can’t justify choosing a different domain and still be lore friendly

[@marcosdheleno]

@@PatheticApathetic guy before you explained that she used to have that domain in prior editions. which would fit lorewise. kinda like how we have diferent versions of christ based on which version of christianism you follow. you could argue that she follow the version from 4e instead of 5e. as a side note, i feel like her cantrip of choice makes no sense lorewise, she should get minor illusion, or at the very least, something like true strike or bladeward. maybe even friends. instead she gets firebolt for no good reason beyond "there are some flamable barrels near where you first get her" which seems like a really bad reason to do it. also, i feel like she should either be a half drow, or a deep gnome(since they have a trickery related natural power).

[@tftg458]

lorewise this sounds good but i just can't help but cringe at the idea of a follower of shar having spells that look like radiant holy light. i'm still looking for a good build for sharan shadowhearth and than a moon themed selunite shadowhearth using the spear with moonbeam.

[@marcosdheleno]

that's how i felt as well. in many ways she is the furthest from lore accurate as she should be. yeah the build is functional and pretty solid even. but i feel like she should work better as either a crowd control, or stealth stabber. as a side note, i did this build for her, its not stronger, but it gives that aspect of shadowy that she should have: 6 cleric 3 thief rogue 2 fighter 1 monk. you can also make due with 3 thief rogue, 3 shadow monk, or even 3 shadow monk 2 fighter 1 rogue. could also make due with a mix of trick cleric/gloomstalker ranger, and maybe shadow monk or thief rogue. i feel like going that way, will let you use her as more of a shadowy sneak attack assassin of sorts(but without assassins, because i think they are kinda lack luster as a subclass compared to thief).

[@kittydaddy2023]

...but Shart's main weapon is a Spear.

[@grittywaffle]

love your fuckin videos

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Thanks very much!

[@1SaG]

I'm probably "underthinking" this, but: I do agree that Trickster seems rather weak-sauce compared to the other sub-classes. But since I'm not a huge fan of multi-classing, I approach this more from a "pragmatic" perspective while still keeping an eye on the lore. I usually respecc SH as soon as I get Withers and turn her into a Life-cleric. My reason being is that even Sharrans will probably have a need for uber-healers, since a dead Sharran will not be able to do Shar's bidding. I do like having a dedicated healer on the team and with all the healing-focused gear you find in Act I, SH can really turn things around when the crap hits the fan. My early to mid-game gear is almost exclusively focused on buffing her healing/support powers: Hellrider's Pride gloves, Druid antler-crown, boots of aid and comfort, Whispering Promise ring, Ring of Salving and the Dwarf-lady's healing amulet. Add to that the Radiant Armor from the Selunite Outpost for some awesome de-buffing potential (hard to *not* deal radiant damage with SH), Lathander's Light as her weapon and, eventually, the initiative-boosting shield from the Bugbear trader, and you have an excellent support Cleric. Re Lore-friendliness: I haven't tried most of the other sub-classes, but I do believe Light is probably the strongest - but there's no way I would turn her into that while she's still a Shar-fangirl. So I simply wait until she changes deities (or, rather, until she changes her hair-color) and *then* respecc her to Light. She does hit quite a bit harder like that (only with her spells, though :D ) but it also decreases her usefulness as a healer - so I find that I have to adjust my play-style slightly once I switch her. Still: Having that Radiance of the Dawn attack and Warding Flare is still worth it, IMO.

[@Tkokat]

But with strenght at 8 you will not be dealing any damage with the spear. Matter of fact this whole build is for a spellcaster. Doesn't seem to be lore friendly

[@itsneoneon]

You can use str potion or put all the points that you would have put in dex to str and use the gloves of dex. And if you are doing that make sure to get the +2 to str in act 2 from the drow in moonrise towers. Gets you comfortably to 18str and you can get to 20str with the bulls strength body armour

[@Tkokat]

I found a better alternative, start as a monk and the spear uses dex instead of strenght, go way of the shadows (or something like that) and you can have a distribution in dex, con and wisdom. After six levels of monk go six levels of cleric, and with the shaar gear you are unstoppable. You can cast darkness without spending a spell slot, you're inmune to it, and enemies cannot cast any spell towards the darkness. Once they are inside, pick them one by one. Monk also allows you to use a teleportation to any dark space with a bonus action, so you can blitz anyone. It's not all that lore friendly because I don't see shart as a monk, but hey... I just destroyed Ansur in mere minutes with that build.@@itsneoneon

[@patricktarver4573]

Huge fan and love your videos, but how is it "lore friendly" when it doesn't use her spear or her armor? She's a Dark Justiciar wanna-be. I'd love to see a build around the entire set built for her storyline, which isn't terrible honestly.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Those happen later in the game! Most players looking for a lore-friendly guide aren't likely to appreciate major story spoilers for the character they're trying to build :D

[@MarcAyouni]

Lore Friendly is where every build should be. Otherwise why not just get a bunch of bland hirelings min maxing everything to render the game easy.

[@marcosdheleno]

i agree. i do feel like her using so many radiant damage skills, kinda feel like the opposite of lore friendly for her. as she barely makes use of her subclass, and more of a nerfed light cleric.

[@dragonray9450]

Just turn her into a war priest which explains her getting the upper hand on lae'zel

[@momqabt]

One thing, since youre using heal to buff: life domain is better, but i understand you wanting to go with a more thematic build. Thing is: having a high dex for AC and weapon attacks is worse than having plate, shield, a mace/flail/morningstar/spear weapon, alert feat for ini, heavy arnor master for DR and and 16 con and an 18 wis with 6th level spells, while using said dex to be "shooting" and having a very much melee spell as your concentration (spirit guardians). I get its thenatic, but the "incredibly powerful" is a falacy compared to what it could be. Id also advise getting 5e spells, having a throwable javelin/spear for hits, sacred flame for dex and toll the dead for wis is hella verstaile and powerful even without items. And thats the thing i see with build videos: they very much rely on items for it to work. Make a build that works good on its own, and then mention items that make it busted beyond belief. Reliance on an external factor is always bad. Make the cake exquisite, then add the items for the sugar-coat.

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Sounds like you are looking for either of my other two posted cleric guides, which focus on maximizing power rather than following a theme ;)

[@user-no6zk6vv4y]

"Lore-friendly" "Okay, so here's some headcanon I made up involving one cutscene and some mental gymnastics, so let's make Shadowheart a Rogue!" lol lmao

[@Cephalopocalypse]

Don't worry! I know it hurts now, but time will eventually help you recover from the trauma

[@simonmacomber7466]

This is not "lore friendly." A lore friendly build would be a pure cleric all the way through without any multi-classing at all. At no point in the play through of the game does the game present the player with an _automatic_ dip into another class. So to be truly _lore friendly_ you have to keep going in the same class all the way through to 12 (and higher should they ever add DLCs that increase the level cap.) So here is my challenge. Create a _real_ "Lore Friendly" Shadowheart build that is a Trickster Domain Cleric of Shar (with the option to switch to Light Domain at the point in the story where that is likely. Then do the same thing for the rest of the companions. An Arcane Trickster Rogue for Astarion, an Evocation Wizard for Gale, a Battle Master Fighter for Lae'zel, a Fiend Warlock for Wyll, and a Wildheart Barbarian for Karlach.

[@KodokuProjects]

It’s not that deep bro

[@zzFlare]

its really not that deep lmao, her theme is literally stealth so by virtue you start rogue, then cleric for the lore. actual cringe comment

[@simonmacomber7466]

@@KodokuProjects It's not a matter of being "deep," it's a matter of using the proper word with accepted definitions. "Lore Friendly" has a meaning that is being ignored here.

[@simonmacomber7466]

@@zzFlareIt's not a matter of being "deep," it's a matter of using the proper word with accepted definitions. "Lore Friendly" has a meaning that is being ignored here.

[@kozytime3232]

Yeah ngl this is the kind of comment I picture a neck beard in a basement writing while pushing up their glasses before downing a Mountain Dew code red.

[@GeneElder.R27]

I have yet to complete act 1 in honor. I want to use your builds, but they get destroyed in honor at early levels. I keep trying different build to just try and survive the next encounter. Shadowheart in particular, I want to play her for her storyline but she is weak af when it comes to playing her as a lore freindly cleric. Its so frustrating because im not a hardcore player, just someone who played dnd in high school.

[@marcosdheleno]

that's because her stat spread doesnt help much earlier on, since its all over the place. if you want no respec, you are gonna need some equipment to suplement her mediocre stat spread instead. luckly there are many things you can use for that. but you will need to hunt them down, and some are later or locked out if you do some choices.(if you want to be true lore you might make her a dark justiciar, which is gonna kill 2 playable characters, and a very good merchant in act 3).