10 Hidden Video Game Mechanics With MAJOR Consequences

Baldur's Gate 3 features an approval system for all of your companions that visibly changes whenever you make choices in the game.

However, affection isn't the only way you can influence your friends. There are also several hidden mechanics that arguably shape your companion in a far more important way. The best example of it is Shadowheart's secret points system.

Early in the story, your party's cleric, Shadowheart, reveals that she is devoted to an evil deity of loss called Shar. This makes her hate her lady's rival, Selune, with all of her (Shadow) heart, but as it turns out, the girl can be secretly influenced by you to change her mind.

All the way up to Act 2, the choices that you make affect Shadowheart's relationship with her goddess. If you do good deeds and respect her beliefs while also supporting Selune's worshippers, Shadowheart will accumulate points of doubt, which, in her final test of faith, will cause her to renounce Shar in favor of Selune.

Doing the opposite will instead reinforce her in her devotion to Shar. And while you can influence her choice with persuasion and good approval, if you can't do either, it's best to be mindful of this mechanic.