How to free Shadowheart from the pod in Baldur's Gate 3

The woman in the Mind Flayer pod with the console next to her in BG3 can be freed - but how?

To free Shadowheart from the pod in Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the first optional quests you'll come across, and despite Lae'zel telling you to leave her be, it's understandable that you'd want to free her from the Mind Flayer's chamber. If nothing else, it means getting a party member a little earlier than normal, and fortunately, it's not too hard to do. We'll explain how to free Shadowheart from the pod in the Nautiloid in Baldur's Gate 3 below, and what the consequences of doing so are.

To free Shadowheart from the Mind Flayer pod in Baldur's Gate 3 is very easy to do, and requires no risk on the player's behalf. Here's the basic process that anyone can complete:

At this point the pod will open and Shadowheart will be released, becoming a party member for the rest of the Nautiloid tutorial. Certain character classes, such as the Wizard or those trained in the Arcane, can attempt to hack the console without the Rune, though you still use the Parasite along the way.

You can use Shadowheart in the fight that follows, and she'll be a big help. As discussed in our Baldur's Gate 3 companions guide, Shadowheart is a powerful cleric, and arguably one of the best party members in the game. That being said… is it worth it?

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Yes, you should definitely free Shadowheart from the pod. Aside from being easy to do once you know how, there's no real penalty to freeing her, and Shadowheart is an asset in the fight against devils in the next room - in fact, she might be able to help you defeat Commander Zhalk, the optional boss, and get his magic greatsword.

Freeing Shadowheart also gives you a significant bump to your relationship with her later on when you meet with her again, as she is understandably grateful for your rescue, and can form the basis for one of the many Baldur's Gate 3 romances. It also slightly alters where you encounter her again while deducing where to go after the crashed ship in Baldur's Gate 3. If you save her from the pod, she'll be lying in your path nearby after waking up. If you don't, she's further up the beach to the North, trying to get inside the Baldur's Gate 3 Dank Crypt.

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

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