After a tumultuous Act 2 for Shadowheart, her companion quest will lead to the House of Grief in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 3. Here, one of the earliest companions you can recruit will come to terms with her origins, her deity, and her very self. But you’ll also need to solve some puzzles and crack some heads in the process.
The House of Grief is where the long-running companion quest “Daughter of Darkness” ends up, though you can also just naturally explore the area. Depending on your choices, Shadowheart may be returning for answers, for revenge, or as a victorious Dark Justiciar. Naturally, this means that some story spoilers for Acts 2 and 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3 will follow.
Where to find the House of Grief in Baldur’s Gate 3
First, you’ll need to locate the actual House of Grief. After you’re accosted by a former Sharran devotee outside the city, you’ll learn that Shadowheart’s (possibly former) fellow devotees are hiding out in the house in the Lower City. You’ll find it in the southwestern area at (X:-254, Y:-5). It’s easily recognizable thanks to the guards outside and some forgetful NPCs milling around the area.
Head in, and the Shar worshippers will instantly clock Shadowheart, even if she’s changed up her hair at this point. Agree to hear them out, and you can head into the backroom. Here, you can pass a check to find a button and access the secret passageway.
Head down, and do any Long Resting you might need to. A decently tough fight is coming up, whether you’re here to take down the Sharran sect or take command of it.
How to defeat Viconia in Baldur’s Gate 3
Down the stairs and in the heart of the chamber, you’ll find Viconia preaching to her followers. Long-time Baldur’s Gate fans will recognize Viconia DeVir as a companion from the first two games in the series. Here, she is Mother Superior.
If Shadowheart is here to find her parents and has renounced Shar, Viconia and her followers will call for her head, which you can hand over if you want their assistance for Gather Your Allies. I recommend you do not do that, though. This does mean you’ll have to fight everyone in the room, though. If Shadowheart is here as a Dark Justiciar seeking to seize control, you’ll have an easier fight on your hands.
The House of Grief fight is pretty tough, even for Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3. Viconia will specifically prey on Shadowheart’s fears and transform herself and others into wolves. The magic-wielders will toss out a mix of Darkness and Bone Chill, making healing and targeting difficult. And there’s a pretty decent number of enemies in the room, too.
I recommend trying to keep yourself out of the main hallway chokepoint and using AOE spells to clear out one side. Use the room to flank around and even the field. If you have to fight in the chokepoints, spells like Cloudkill or Hunger of Hadar can work wonders. Chain Lightning was a life-saver here, too.
Make sure not to use Radiant damage on Viconia. She has a special ability to return Radiant damage back to attackers, so Smites and other attacks will bite you back hard. Necrotic is useful, as are elemental and poison attacks. Casting Daylight effects or using weapons like the Blood of Lathander can help offset the encroaching Darkness, too.
Should you kill or spare Viconia DeVir?
After the fight, you’ll have a final conversation with Viconia. At this point, you can opt to spare or kill her or let Shadowheart decide. If you fought here, it’s largely a roleplaying choice. There aren’t any meaningful gameplay differences.
Once that’s taken care of, you can check around the rooms. Head into the dorms to find Nocturne, a childhood friend of Shadowheart’s. She’ll sell you some goods and also give you some lore about her and Shadowheart’s time in the cloister. Nocturne will also tip you off about a secret area near the armory; head over there and take down the wooden planks, and you can find Shadowheart’s secret hideaway, surrounded by Night Orchids (her favorite flower).
Loot all you want, but keep an eye out for a specific corpse: Sharran Fidelian Lamona. This body has a Silver Key on it, which you can use to bypass the big door leading into the Threshold of Loss, which is where you’ll need to head to progress the quest. Otherwise, you can also solve the puzzle by dropping gems and other weights into the Sharran bowl.
Head through the door to confront the last part of Shadowheart’s quest and make quite a difficult choice in the process.
Should you save Shadowheart’s parents in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Here, you’ll find Shadowheart’s parents being held in captivity. Shadowheart will be confronted by Shar and faced with a choice. She can lift the curse that’s afflicted her throughout the game, at the cost of her parents, or save her parents from captivity, keeping the curse forever in the process.
The player can encourage Shadowheart one way or another or let her decide. (For the record, I let her decide, and she chose to let her parents die.) Letting her parents die here will remove the occasional debuff Shadowheart receives from the curse on her hand, and her parents become Moon Motes of Selune, guiding her in death. Otherwise, the curse can be removed, and Shadowheart’s parents will be freed.
If you want the optimal gameplay choice, removing the curse is a boon. But really, this feels like another roleplaying decision. Make the choice that feels right for you and for Shadowheart.
Once you’re done with that, you can depart the House of Grief. A conversation with Shadowheart will put a final note on her storyline, but otherwise, you’re done with the Daughter of Darkness storyline and the House of Grief in Baldur’s Gate 3.
