Don't play Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3, says Shadowheart actor, or at least not as an Origin character: "Don't do that, because then you lose loads of my conversational dialogue"

Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing companion Shadowheart, a young half-elf woman with long tied-back black hair
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

When experiencing Baldur's Gate 3 for the first time, players shouldn't pick Origin characters such as Shadowheart – or so her voice actor thinks, anyway.

Jennifer English, the talented voice actor behind Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 and the likes of Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, reveals as much in a new interview with Fall Damage. When recalling some of her "iconic lines," she looks back on one bit of character creator dialogue in particular: "My lady Shar tasked me with a mission of such secrecy that I surrendered great swathes of my memory in order to safeguard the knowledge of it."

According to English, players only hear the line while considering picking Shadowheart as an Origin character – a decision the actor would actually advise against now. "It's [during] the idle at the beginning, where you can possibly play as me – but don't do that, because then you lose loads of my conversational dialogue." Although I do personally think that at least one Shadowheart playthrough is worth it at minimum, I see her point.

Can Shadowheart / Maelle Actor Remember Her Iconic Lines? - YouTube Can Shadowheart / Maelle Actor Remember Her Iconic Lines? - YouTube
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When you choose to play as an Origin character, you do miss out on many of the lines that would occur if you approached them with your own Tav or another party member. Some of the greatest lines stem from such moments, including the one English goes on to mention, in which Shadowheart disappointedly exclaims at the Moonrise Towers, "You can't just stick your hand in every strange hole you come across!"

There are a few other ones English goes over, including the "God's favorite princess" line she saw made canon following its appearance in memes – a highlight, if I do say so myself.

Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart actor was "pretty unsurprised" to learn she played the RPG's most-romanced character: "People are going to love this, and love her"

Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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