House of Grief is the stronghold of the followers of Shar in Baldur’s Gate 3. This elusive place is hidden in plain sight inside the Lower City. Staying true to its name, this place is responsible for the upbringing of Shadowheart as a tool of Shar, and this is where her journey will come to an end.
Before making this journey, you must have Shadowheart in your party. You can follow our companion guide about recruiting her and deciding whether she will become a Dark Justiciar or not.
Sharran Lookout location
To continue Shadowheart’s companion quest, Daughter of Darkness, you first need to find and talk to a Sharran Lookout in Act 3. As soon as you reach Revington, go all the way east of the Rivington waypoint to find a village. A guy named Freg Drogher is standing near the Requisitioned Barn at (X: 44, Y: -100).
He is the Sharran Lookout and from the same cloister, Shadowheart belongs to. When you talk to him, Shadowheart will take over the chat. He will threaten Shadowheart and tell her that her parents in Baldur’s Gate 3 are being kept captive in the House of Grief. He will leave after telling you the exact location of the Sharran stronghold.
Baldur’s Gate 3: The House of Grief location
The House of Grief is in the Northwestern region of the Lower City, west of Baldur’s Gate waypoint. You can enter this area by either going through the Wyrm’s Crossing and lowering the bridge of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress or by obtaining the Lower City pass from Inspector Valeria during Investigate the Murders‘ side quest.
Go across the House of Ellerrathin until you notice a Balduran statue. Cross the bridge near it to find some stairs leading to a house (X: -264, Y: -9). Talk to Mirie and accept her demands. Now sit on a bench, preferably with Shadowheart selected as the main, to start a cutscene.
An inquisitor will appear and start asking some questions. Shadowheart will find out that she is Mother Superior, Viconia DeVir. The leader of the Sharran followers. Interact with the gate and enter it to reach the Cloister of Sombre Embrace.
Save Shadowheart or Give Her to the Mother Superior
The House of Grief’s map is divided into 5 main parts in Baldur’s Gate 3. Central Chamber, where Viconia Devir is; the Northern part, which leads to Nocturne; the Western part, which houses the Mirror of Loss and Shadowheart’s parents, Night Orchid Cave in the South; and the main entrance in the East.
Once you reach the middle of the central chamber, the Cloister of Sombre Embrace, you will be surrounded by Shar’s disciples. Depending on your previous actions, things will play out here differently.
- If you shunned Shar by sparing Nightsong during Act 2, the disciples would be hostile. They will pass degradatory remarks about Shadowheart’s new appearance and her new goddess, Selune. Be prepared for a vicious fight.
- If Shadowheart became a Dark Justiciar of Shar by killing Nightsong, more than half of Shar’s followers will join you. This is how you can easily cheese the fight with Viconia DeVir.
- You can betray Shadowheart and hand her over to the Mother Superior. However, you will lose Shadowheart forever, and we won’t recommend it. However, you will gain Viconia and Shar disciples as allies during the Gather Your Allies quest.
Fight Mother Superior and defeat her
The fight with Mother Superior will be brutal in Baldur’s Gate 3. At the start of the fight, she will inflict Shadowheart with one of her spells, Wayward Heart. This spell will put Shadowheart at a significant disadvantage. Any attack against Shadowheart from Viconia will always be critical.
You can easily remove this spell from her by letting her rest for a while or by using the Remove Curse spell. In the meantime, you must protect Shadowheart from all the attacks of the Viconia.
Viconia is not only immune to Radiant damage, but she can reflect the damage 2x to the attacker. Shadowheart belongs to the Cleric class and can use Thunder and Lightning Spells, the only way to hurt Viconia DeVir.
This is because by using these spells, we cannot get blasted from her passive ability, Radiant Retort. You or any of your party members will only get blasted if you attack Mother Superior while her passive ability is equipped.
Focus on her minions and spread your party across the arena. Make sure that you keep Shadowheart alive at all costs. Using Polymorph or Hold Enemy spells on Viconia are also good options to give you a temporary breather.
During the last stage of the fight, Mother Superior will use the Sunder the Heretical spell. You and your party members must be careful of this spell, as it can easily take half of your party out instantly.
You can avoid this attack if Shadowheart is a level 10 cleric. At this level, she will also get access to the Divine Intervention class feature. You can cast the same spell, Sunder the Heretical, simultaneously to save your party and deal massive damage to Viconia DeVir.
During the fight, Sharron Cultists will cast Darkness using spells such as Call of the Dark Lady and Beckoning Darkness. To prevent getting damaged by these Darkness afflicting spells, you can use Blessing of Selune.
Aside from this spell, you can also get near any light source to prevent getting damaged by the Darkness.
Spare or Kill Viconia DeVir
The fight will stop once Viconia is near death, and you will get three options. Spare her, kill her, or let Shadowheart kill her. She will tell you the location of Shadowheart’s parents.
If you decide to kill Viconia DeVir in Baldur’s Gate 3, you will get access to plenty of items. The items you will get after killing Viconia are mentioned below:
- Viconia’s Walking Fortress (legendary shield) – Equipped with an armor rating of 3, this shield will knock your enemies out when inflicted with close-range melee attacks.
- Viconia’s Priestess Robe – Equipped with an armor rating of 10, this item will increase the chances of passing DC stealth checks.
- Handmaiden’s Mace – You can deal with poison and bludgeoning damage with this item. It also increases your strength stat to 18.
- Inspiration: Knives in the Dark (Soldier) – This spell allows you to prevent getting damaged by the Shar’s Cultist later in the Storyline of Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Viconia’s Personal Chest Key
If you spare Viconia DeVir, your party member Jaheria will agree. Doing so, you will not get the loot from the Viconia DeVir. Still, you can loot some items from the dead Shar’s Cultist. This is a very big loss, and you will miss out on the best legendary shield in Baldur’s Gate 3.
We recommend that you kill Viconia just for the sake of her shield. Oh, and yes, revenge for Shadowheart’s parents.
Don’t forget to pick up the Silver Key from the corner of the battlefield. You can also meet a merchant named Nocturne in the dormitory to the North. She will allow you to buy some items from her. It would be best to use this opportunity because this is the last time you will see her. Nocturne will disappear for good once you take a long rest.
You can also find a treasure chest inside one of the rooms in The House of Grief. Use the key you obtained from Viconia DeVir to open it and obtain the Counting House Vault 8 Key.
Shadowheart’s parents’ location and dilemma
Once you have decided what to do about the Viconia DeVir, the next thing to do here is find Shadowheart’s Parents.
Go to the west side of the map, straight from where you entered, and pick up a Black Diamond from the altar. This will raise the plate, and now you can use the Silver Key to open the door to the Chamber of Loss. Here, you will find Shadowheart’s parents, Arnell Hallowleaf and Emmeline Hallowleaf, tied to magical plates.
When you talk to them, they will reveal Shadowheart’s real name to you, Jenevelle Santos Hallowleaf. Here, you get three more options. Ask Shadowheart to kill her parents, save them, or let Shadowheart decide.
- If you are following the path of Selune, aka saving Nightsong, killing Shadowheart’s parents will turn them into moonmotes. They will guide Shadowheart for the rest of her journey.
- If you are following the path of Shar, killing Shadowheart’s parents will trap them in a world of agony and pain forever.
- If you save them, they will join your camp. In the case of Shar’s path, Shadowheart will get cursed. She will lose all worldly interest, and you will lose your chance to romance her.
- If you don’t say anything or let Shadowheart decide, no matter which you choose, Shadowheart will kill her parents.
The Mirror of Loss
From the Chamber of Loss, go farther inside until you reach a chamber downstairs housing the Mirror of Loss. This relic is unique, and you can manipulate it into giving you the ability bonuses.
To use Mirror of Loss, you need to pass a Religion check and then surrender your memories. Each memory responds to a particular ability. You will lose 2 points in that ability and the skills associated with it.
If you successfully pass the religion check, the mirror of loss will let you gain new memories. This will allow you to gain 2 points in any ability you like. However, you can only use one character once to gain ability points. You can also deceive the mirror into losing fake memories (no loss to ability points) and gain new memories (+2 to any ability).
FYI: We have detailed a guide on how this mirror works and what you can obtain or lose by using it.
Night Orchid Cove
If you go to the South, where you fought Viconia DeVir, you will notice a barricade. Destroy it with your weapons or any fire spells to find a ladder. This ladder will lead you to a cave with Night Orchids in it.
You can give one of the flowers to Shadowheart to unlock her memories. She will share a lot with you, and this will unlock the “To Bloom in the Darkest Knight” achievement/trophy.
