Baldur's Gate 3: should you save or kill the Nightsong in BG3?
What you do with the Nightsong is one of the biggest decisions in Baldur’s Gate 3. You’ll have to clear the Gauntlet of Shar and solve the Riddle of the Night to get here, and it’s where many of the game’s narrative threads reach their climax. Not only does it dramatically affects the state of the world and your quest going into Act 3, but on a more personal level, it’s a core conflict for your party member, Shadowheart.
It will have long-lasting effects on your playthrough no matter what you choose, so we’ll help you weigh up the options so you can decide whether to save or kill the Nightsong.
Finish all your side quests – BG3
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It’s extremely important to note this is a major point of no return in Baldur’s Gate 3. Once you make this decision, almost all previous areas become inaccessible, and any quests you still had lingering in those areas will be abandoned.
The entryway to Shar’s realm is the cutoff point and the game will warn you as such, so make sure you’ve dealt with everything else you needed to handle before then. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on powerful artifacts like the Blood of Lathander and the Necromancy of Thay.
Kill or help Balthazar? – BG3
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Before you get there, it’s best to decide whether or not you’re going to help Balthazar, and by extension, the cult of the Absolute.
Letting Balthazar take the Nightsong is generally a bad idea, but it will let you get away without a fight. However, Shadowheart will permanently abandon you if you choose this option.
If you want to kill Balthazar, it’s best to do so before entering Shar’s domain. The battle in the Gauntlet of Shar can still be a challenge, but trust us, the battle in Shar’s domain is much more difficult – deal with him before he becomes a problem and you’ll just have to deal with Shadowheart’s dilemma.
Killing the Nightsong – BG3
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Shadowheart will be determined to kill the Nightsong and become a devoted servant of Lady Shar, so the easiest option is to let her. There’s no fight and Shadowheart will do it with ease, but there are wide-reaching consequences.
For starters, while she will remain your ally, you’ll be locked out of Shadowheart’s romance. As one of Shar’s chosen she will say that there’s no room for love other than that for her lady, so you’ll never get another chance with her.
Furthermore, several important characters will die. The Last Light Inn will be overrun by shadow, leaving both Isobel and Jaheira – a potential companion – will die, possibly before you even meet them. Dammon will also die, locking you out of progressing Karlach’s companion quest and romance, as well as Art Cullagh, preventing you from completing Druid Halsin’s quest.
You do get a cool spear though, so it’s not all downsides.
Saving the Nightsong – BG3
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Persuading Shadowheart to abandon Shar and not kill the Nightsong is no easy feat. Depending on what dialogue options you choose and how close your bond is, the skill check to persuade her can have a DC anywhere from 14 to 30. If you’re determined to go down this route, you should definitely place a save before attempting this roll, as if the DC is on the high end, a critical success may be your only option.
This route keeps Shadowheart’s romance options open. In fact, if you’re already close enough, she may confess her feelings for you immediately following this event, letting you start a relationship.
This time all of the casualties are members of the Absolute cult, chief among them Ketheric Thorm, who becomes a boss fight in this route.
Should you save or kill the Nightsong? – BG3
Larian Studios
While a large part of this decision should be role-playing and deciding what is best for your character, if you’re purely weighing up the pros and cons of each route, you should save the Nightsong.
Killing them doesn’t offer any real benefits in the short-term, and completely cuts off several questlines by killing key characters. Meanwhile, saving the Nightsong only leads to the deaths of people the game presents as villains, so you likely won’t be very attached to them when the time comes.
