Baldur’s Gate 3: Shadowheart and Lae’Zel Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

The earliest hours of Baldur’s Gate 3 would convince many a player that Lae’Zel and Shadowheart were nothing alike, sworn enemies who are destined to kill each other. Sure, there are some initial similarities and things they’ll both like, but each of them wear a specific kind of metaphorical mask—one not of their making. Shadowheart tries to feel nothing, to be calm and collected, and to be wise to the more deceptive ways of the world; she pretends, for example, to not care about those living destitute, yet her approval, her heart, and her dialogue at the BG3 party post-Goblin Camp/Emerald Grove (whatever players decide) prove otherwise. Meanwhile, Lae’Zel is sworn to the structure of her society and finds it just and unwavering, until its justice for her wavers and her whole world comes crashing down.