GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Baldur's Gate 3 - House Of Grief And Sharran Lookout Guide

I can't believe her real name is Jenevelle Santos!

2 Comments

Shadowheart's quest, Daughter of Darkness, will soon conclude during the third act of Baldur's Gate 3. This time, you need to learn about what led to her worship of Shar, and if there's anything you can do about it. Our guide discusses the Baldur's Gate 3 House of Grief and Sharran Lookout objectives, as well as the decisions that you need to make. Likewise, please be aware that this article contains spoilers.

How to Complete Sharran Lookout and House of Grief in Baldur's Gate 3

The Baldur's Gate 3 House of Grief and Sharran Lookout objectives are part of the game's third act. But, before you get to that segment, here's a brief recounting of the choices we made in our campaign:

  • We romanced Shadowheart for the entirety of the campaign. However, you should still get her questline even if you're in a relationship with a different companion. Just make sure that she remains alive in your party to avoid mishaps.
  • In Act 2, we convinced Shadowheart to spare Nightsong. That caused her to reject Shar.
  • Shadowheart learns that, as a child, she would've been a Selunite novice. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped by Sharran disciples. Moreover, it's revealed that her parents are still alive.

Alternate arc: It's possible for this storyline to be different if Shadowheart killed Nightsong, thereby fully embracing Shar's teachings. The quest might progress as though Shadowheart is trying to reclaim her rightful place as the leader of the enclave.

Where to Find the Sharran Lookout

In any case, our next objective in the Daughter of Darkness quest is to find the Baldur's Gate 3 Sharran Lookout. In the village of Rivington, head to the right of the waypoint. There, you'll meet a fella by the name of Ferg Dogher (X:45; Y:-102). You can let Shadowheart handle the conversation here, and you'll learn that her parents are imprisoned in the House of Grief.

Ferg is chilling in Rivington.
Ferg is chilling in Rivington.

Where to Find the House of Grief

The Baldur's Gate 3 House of Grief is in northwestern edge of the Lower City (X:-246; Y:-9). We suggest recruiting Jaheira and Minsc, if possible, before heading to this place.

Once inside, you'll want Shadowheart to sit on the granite bench, which leads to a cutscene involving the enclave's Mother Superior. Let her handle the dialogue here. Alternatively, if your character sits on the bench, you'll be asked several questions. Still, for storyline purposes, it's better to let Shadowheart take the lead in this part. She'll also get the Rites of Loss Inspiration point.

You'll find out that the Mother Superior is none other than Viconia DeVir. Fans of the series will remember her as one of the companions from the previous games. As an evil-aligned Drow, Viconia has forsaken Lolth and now serves Shar. As such, if Jaheira and Minsc are with you, they'll have additional banter during the cutscene.

Left: The House of Grief's location; Right: Jaheira and Minsc won't be too pleased when they get reunited with Viconia.

Dilemma: Save Shadowheart or Give Her to the Mother Superior

In the inner sanctum of the Baldur's Gate 3 House of Grief, you're given an ultimatum: do you defend Shadowheart, or do you hand her over to the Sharran cultists?

Defend Shadowheart - This leads to a battle against Viconia and over a dozen disciples. We discuss this shortly.

Surrender Shadowheart - Viconia will be pleased. She promises the aid of Lady Shar's faithful as part of the Gather Your Allies tally.

Come on, are you really going to give up Shadowheart at this stage of the game?
Come on, are you really going to give up Shadowheart at this stage of the game?

Boss Fight: Mother Superior and Shar's Disciples

Because Shadowheart is the best girl, we're never gonna give her up, and we're never gonna let her down--even though she did turn around and desert Shar. Best be prepared for this bout, since Viconia is tough:

  • Shadowheart will be afflicted with Wayward Heart, which causes her to get critically hit by all of Viconia's attacks, while having a disadvantage against Wisdom saving throws. It seems that this dissipates upon doing a long rest.
  • Viconia transforms into a wolf, so she'll have her base HP once you've taken out her polymorphed form.
  • Viconia heals a lot of HP if she uses Nightbringer's Beloved. Moreover, her Radiant Retort passive causes her to blast her attacker with double the radiant damage that they deal. That's why we suggest having Shadowheart respec into the Tempest Domain in our Cleric build guide. That way, you can make use of thunder and lightning spells.
  • As a last resort, Viconia can take out several characters with Divine Intervention: Sunder the Heretical. Of course, you can also cast this given that Shadowheart's level is high enough at this stage. But, this spell can only be used once.
  • If those aren't enough, the other cultists will happily cast Darkness. This is followed by Beckoning Darkness and Call of the Dark Lady, both of which proc necrotic damage when a character is in an obscured or dimly-lit spot.

Needless to say, you've got your work cut out for you. Ideally, you'll want to go all-out with AoE spells, such as Cloudkill, Destructive Wave, Ice Storm, and the like. Likewise, there are high-tier Illithid Powers, like Black Hole, that can be used to gain an advantage. You can also try to reposition your party members individually before the fight so you can whittle down the enemy forces.

Use every AoE at your disposal, because Shar's followers won't take it easy on you.
Use every AoE at your disposal, because Shar's followers won't take it easy on you.

Dilemma: Should You Spare or Kill the Mother Superior

After the Baldur's Gate 3 Viconia fight, you've got another decision to make: spare Viconia or kill her? If you ask Shadowheart, she won't care either way, so the choice is up to you.

Kill Viconia - Minsc will approve of this, and you can loot her for various goodies:

  • Viconia's Walking Fortress (legendary shield) - +3 AC; when hit with a melee attack, use a reaction to deal 2-8 force damage and knock your enemy prone; advantage on saving throws against spells; spell attack rolls against you have disadvantage; Reflective Shell action; Warding Bond spell.
  • Viconia's Priestess Robe - +10 AC; while obscured, gain advantage on Stealth checks; Shield of Faith gives a +2 bonus to saving throws; +1 AC.
  • Handmaiden's Mace - 9-21 bludgeoning and poison damage; +2 weapon enchantment; increases your Strength to 18.
  • Viconia's Personal Chest Key
  • Inspiration: Knives in the Dark (Soldier) - This requires you to survive the battle against Shar's cultists. For some reason, you won't get this at all if you spare Viconia, even though you won the fight.

Spare Viconia - Jaheira will approve of this. Viconia just limped away, and we never saw her again.

When you're done, make sure to loot all the corpses in the chamber. You'll also want to grab the Silver Key. Likewise, if you check one of the side rooms in the main chamber, you'll meet a priestess named Nocturne--she and Shadowheart used to be pals. Try to purchase some items from Nocturne, as she'll disappear after you do a long rest. Additionally, you'll find the Counting House Vault 8 Key from the small chest in the dormitory. You can use it once you return to the Counting House.

Shadowheart doesn't really care about what happens to Viconia after the battle.
Shadowheart doesn't really care about what happens to Viconia after the battle.

Dilemma: What to Do with Shadowheart's Parents

The next thing you need to do in the Baldur's Gate 3 House of Grief is find Shadowheart's parents. Pick up the Black Diamond in front of the altar, and you'll see a plate that gets raised. Interact with it, and unlock the door using the Silver Key.

In the inner sanctum, you'll see her parents chained via magical means. As you approach, a cutscene will trigger. You learn Shadowheart's real name: Jenevelle Santos Hallowleaf.

Shar, the Mother of Night, chides you for your foolish efforts. You're told that, if Shadowheart frees her parents, she'll continue to suffer from her curse. Alternatively, Shadowheart can let her parents die so she can be free of Shar's hold on her. It's quite an emotional moment, followed by an impossible choice that must be made.

Decide on what happens to Shadowheart's parents.
Decide on what happens to Shadowheart's parents.

"You should end their suffering, and yours" - Shadowheart will turn her parents' spirits into Moonmotes. They might have perished, but their spirits will always be with her. After a long rest (or two) at camp, there's a scene where Shadowheart stands in front of Selune's statue, tearful that she only had a brief moment with her parents.

"This is your choice" or "Remain silent" - This will also cause the death of Shadowheart's parents.

"Do not lose your parents, not again" - You have to pass a DC20 Religion or Persuasion check. Shadowheart's parents will stay in your camp. During the camp scene after a long rest, Shadowheart's parents will approach her. In a tearful moment, they say that they will continue to accept her despite what she's become in her misguided service to Shar. For the sake of clarity, this was the outcome that we chose.

The Mirror of Loss

Last but not least, you'll see the Mirror of Loss at the back of the room. If you interact with it, you can go for an Arcana or Religion check to examine the relic's purpose. There's another Religion check to offer a prayer, but we didn't plan on doing this as it might mean becoming a Shar worshiper.

Anyway, you're asked to surrender a part of yourself:

  • Pick any of the six attributes, and you'll lose two points to that stat. This can be cleansed via the Remove Curse spell.
  • You can also pick the Deception reply and pass the check.
We tried interacting with the Mirror of Loss using Shadowheart, but it felt so wrong that we immediately reloaded our save.
We tried interacting with the Mirror of Loss using Shadowheart, but it felt so wrong that we immediately reloaded our save.

Strangely enough, we only read of certain tidbits experienced by random people recounted via voiceover. Our character didn't gain a new power, ability, or passive. We're not sure if this is working as intended.

In any case, this is everything you can expect from the Sharran Lookout and House of Grief in Baldur's Gate 3. Regardless of your decisions, you'll conclude Shadowheart's Daughter of Darkness quest chain.

Baldur's Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You'll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.

Jason Rodriguez on Google+

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 2 comments about this story