Baldur’s Gate 3: How To Free Shadowheart From the Pod
Learning how to free Shadowheart is a crucial step in the early stages of the Baldur’s Gate 3 story, but it’s not without its challenges. Trapped within a Mind Flayer pod, it takes specific steps to break her free. Successfully freeing her not only grants you a powerful companion but also opens up unique dialogue options and questlines.
There’s no downside to freeing Shadowheart, as she helps you with upcoming fights. She can also assist with the optional boss fight, Commander Zhalk, to help you get his magic greatsword.
In this guide, you’ll get the step-by-step process for freeing Shadowheart, ensuring you don’t miss this important opportunity at the start of your Baldur’s Gate 3 journey. Best of all, these tips apply whether you’re playing on PC or Mac.
How To Free Shadowheart From the Mind Flayer Pod
To free Shadowheart, you’ll need to locate a specific item within the Nautiloid ship that can neutralize the Mind Flayer pod. Once you have it, you can then interact with the pod and use the item to free Shadowheart.
- To the right of Shadowheart’s pod, you can examine a console and use it once you retrieve the necessary item.
- Walk through the doorway to the room located east of the one where Shadowheart is being held.
- In the middle of this room, you’ll find someone else trapped in a pod. Walk past it to the back of the room.
- Search the corpse, and you’ll find an Eldritch Rune.
- Before freeing Shadowheart, it may be a good idea to save your progress. A bad dice roll can turn her into a Mind Flayer.
- Head back to the console near Shadowheart’s pod and interact with it. You’ll then be prompted to place the Eldritch Rune in the socket, and then place your hand in it.
- Lastly, you’ll feel something in your head. When the new prompt appears, select “[Illithid][Wisdom] Will the pod to open.”
Shadowheart will fall out of the pod and thank you for releasing her. She then joins your party for the rest of the Nautiloid tutorial section. Now that she’s in your party, she can assist with battles and will improve your relationship with her when you meet her again later in the game.
In the room with Shadowheart’s pod, there’s also a chest on the right side that you can open for some loot.
How To Pass the Illithid Wisdom Check
As mentioned, it’s a good idea to save your progress before attempting to get Shadowheart out of the pod. Once you interact with the console, you’ll need to pass the Illithid wisdom check with a dice roll.
The exact Difficulty Class (DC) can vary depending on factors like your character’s ability scores and any relevant bonuses or penalties. A higher roll will increase your chances of success.
How To Free Shadowheart Without the Rune
Some classes can free Shadowheart from the Mind Flayer pod without the Eldritch Rune. If you’re a Wizard or are trained in the Arcana Skill, you can attempt to use the Illithid powers or use your ability to open the console.
Similar to opening the pod with the rune, you must pass the Illithid check.
How To Free Shadowheart With a Barbarian
If you decide to play as a Barbarian, don’t worry — you can still open Shadowheart’s pod by using brute force. During this part of the game, you can skip all the steps and break the lid right off the pod.
To do this, you’ll need to pass two Strength roll checks with a DC of 10. Be warned that failing the test can have adverse consequences.
Tips for Freeing Shadowheart
If you’re looking to increase your chance of rescuing Shadowheart from the pod, you should improve your wisdom score as much as possible. You can do this by leveling up or using items like the Mirror of Loss. While raising your score can help, using the Eldritch Rune is typically the simplest way to open the Shadowheart pod.
Discover More Immersive RPGs To Dive Into
Now you know how to free Shadowheart from the Mind Flayer pod. Whether you utilize the Eldritch Rune, your character’s unique abilities, or even brute force as a Barbarian, freeing Shadowheart gives you a valuable companion on your journey.
For more tips and tricks, be sure to check out our post on how to free Orpheus. You can also explore other RPGs if you’re in the mood for some more unique role-playing experiences. If you love Baldur’s Gate 3, you may also love popular titles like Skyrim and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
There are vast worlds and captivating RPGs to dive into on everything from PC to mobile. Get ready because your next adventure awaits you!
