Who Is Shar in Baldur’s Gate 3?

If you’ve recruited Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s not long before you discover she’s a Cleric of Shar. This may be because she’s mentioned it through dialogue or you just happened to notice it on her character sheet. If you never played the previous Baldur’s Gate games or you’re simply not up on your Dungeon & Dragons lore, you may wonder who that is.

Who is Shar in Baldur’s Gate?

Shar is part of the pantheon of gods in the Forgotten Realms lore. As the goddess of darkness, she oversees dark places such as caves and, most notably, the Underdark. She is also the deity of dark deeds and loss. She acts as the dark counterpart of her twin sister, the moon goddess, Selune.

Both Shar and Selune were present at the creation of the Forgotten Realms, formed from the primordial essence at the creation of the universe. Initially, the two sisters saw themselves as one entity and created the world of Abeir-Toril together. They also formed the goddess Chauntea, who represented the world, which led to the creation of life.

However, when Chauntea requested more warmth, the two sisters disagreed on granting this wish. This caused a divide between the sisters and began the war that they continue to fight in the Forgotten Realms.

While Selune worked to create the Sun, Shar found this abhorrent and attempted to blot out all light in the universe. This led to a great war between light and darkness. To protect the new life of the worlds, Selune tore out some of her divine essence and threw it at Shar. This essence tore out some of Shar’s essence, and the combined magical essence created Mystryl, the original goddess of magic.

Mystryl sided with Selune and called for a truce between the two sisters. This uneasy truce caused Shar to retreat into the darkness, where she plots to take down her sister and restore the universe to nothingness.

Where Does Shar Appear in Baldur’s Gate 3?

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Shar’s presence is felt heavily in interactions with Shadowheart. As her Cleric, her personal quest is tied heavily to her worship of Shar. Earning Shadowheart’s trust will also provide more information on Shar and her worldview throughout your quest. There’s even a puzzle tied to Shar in the game’s second act.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available now for PC. A PS5 version will be released on September 6, 2023.