1 Overview
The Spear of Night is Shadowheart's signature weapon in Baldur's Gate 3 — but only if she chooses the path of redemption and embraces her connection to Selune, the goddess of the moon. This very rare spear deals 1d8+2 piercing damage plus an additional 1d6 radiant damage on every hit, making it one of the most consistently damaging one-handed weapons available in Act 2. The radiant damage component is particularly valuable because very few enemies in the game have resistance to radiant damage, and many undead and shadow-type creatures are actually vulnerable to it — which is especially relevant in the Shadow-Cursed Lands where this weapon is obtained.
The Spear of Night represents the culmination of Shadowheart's redemption arc — her journey from a Sharran dark justiciar who worshipped the goddess of darkness and loss, to a redeemed servant of Selune who embraces moonlight, healing, and hope. This narrative arc is one of the most emotionally powerful in the entire game, spanning all three acts and featuring multiple critical choice points that determine Shadowheart's ultimate fate. The spear itself is a physical manifestation of her reclaimed faith: its blade shimmers with soft moonlight when wielded, and Shadowheart has unique voiced combat barks that reference Selune when attacking with it.
In mechanical terms, the Spear of Night is a versatile weapon that can be used one-handed (1d8+2 piercing + 1d6 radiant) or two-handed (1d10+2 piercing + 1d6 radiant). This versatility allows Shadowheart to wield it with a shield for increased AC or go two-handed for maximum damage output. As a spear, it also has the Thrown property (range 20/60), allowing Shadowheart to make ranged attacks in situations where closing to melee is impractical. The +2 enhancement bonus applies to both attack and damage rolls, making it effectively a +2 spear with bonus radiant damage — an item tier that normally would not appear until Act 3.
The radiant damage on the Spear of Night scales with Shadowheart's level and divine connection. In Act 3, if Shadowheart continues on her Selune path, the radiant damage increases from 1d6 to 1d8, and the spear gains an additional ability called Moonbeam Strike — a once-per-long-rest action that deals 3d8 radiant damage in a 15-foot line and blinds enemies who fail a Constitution save (DC 16). This upgrade occurs automatically through dialogue with Shadowheart at camp in Act 3, provided she is on the redemption path and her approval of the player is above 50. The upgraded Spear of Night remains relevant even in the final battle against the Netherbrain, where radiant damage is one of the most effective damage types against the eldritch entity.
| Shadowheart's Spear of Night — Full Stats | |
|---|---|
| Damage (1H) | 1d8+2 Piercing + 1d6 Radiant |
| Damage (2H) | 1d10+2 Piercing + 1d6 Radiant |
| Weapon Type | Spear (Versatile, Thrown 20/60) |
| Rarity | Very Rare |
| Enhancement | +2 to attack and damage rolls |
| Special Damage | 1d6 Radiant (1d8 in Act 3 after upgrade) |
| Act 3 Upgrade | Moonbeam Strike (3d8 radiant, line, blind, 1/long rest) |
| Location | Gauntlet of Shar / Shadowheart companion quest |
| Required Companion | Shadowheart must be in party |
2 Acquisition Method
The Spear of Night is obtained through Shadowheart's companion quest chain, specifically at the climax of her Act 2 personal quest involving the Gauntlet of Shar. Unlike the Shar's Spear of Evening — which is granted if Shadowheart embraces Shar's darkness — the Spear of Night is only awarded if she rejects Shar and chooses the path of Selune's light. This is a binary choice: Shadowheart cannot have both spears, and the choice is permanent for that playthrough.
The Redemption Path — Choosing Selune
To obtain the Spear of Night, you must guide Shadowheart toward rejecting Shar and embracing Selune throughout Acts 1 and 2. This involves making specific dialogue choices that encourage her to question her faith, showing compassion and mercy, supporting her when she expresses doubts about Shar, and protecting the Nightsong — a key figure in Shadowheart's quest who represents the living embodiment of Selune's light. The Nightsong is encountered at the climax of the Gauntlet of Shar dungeon, and what happens to her determines which spear Shadowheart receives.
The Gauntlet of Shar — The Decisive Moment
The Gauntlet of Shar is a massive dungeon located beneath the Grand Mausoleum in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. It is dedicated to Shar, the goddess of darkness, loss, and forgetfulness, and serves as a proving ground for Sharran initiates seeking to become Dark Justiciars. Shadowheart's personal quest leads the party into this dungeon to retrieve a powerful artifact for her faith — but what she discovers within changes everything.
At the deepest point of the Gauntlet, you discover that the "artifact" Shadowheart was sent to retrieve is actually the Nightsong — a celestial being named Dame Aylin who has been imprisoned by Ketheric Thorm and the Sharrans for over a century. Dame Aylin is revealed to be the daughter of Selune, a divine entity whose very existence is anathema to Shar's domain of darkness. Shadowheart is confronted with the truth: her faith has been built on lies, her goddess demands the sacrifice of an innocent celestial, and everything she believed about herself is called into question.
The Choice: Slay or Save the Nightsong
This is the critical moment that determines which spear Shadowheart receives. When you reach Dame Aylin's prison at the bottom of the Gauntlet of Shar, Shadowheart is commanded by her Sharran programming to kill the Nightsong. You have three options: (1) Allow Shadowheart to kill Dame Aylin, which completes her indoctrination and grants her Shar's Spear of Evening. (2) Convince Shadowheart to spare Dame Aylin, which triggers her redemption and leads to the Spear of Night. (3) Physically prevent Shadowheart from attacking, which also leads to the redemption path but with lower approval.
To obtain the Spear of Night, you MUST choose option 2 or 3 — convince or prevent Shadowheart from killing Dame Aylin. The Persuasion check to convince Shadowheart has a DC of 18, or you can use Insight (DC 16) to help her see through her conditioning. If Shadowheart has high approval of you (above 40), she will be more receptive to your arguments. Succeeding in this check causes Shadowheart to break down, reject Shar, and embrace her latent connection to Selune. Dame Aylin is freed, grants Shadowheart her blessing, and the Spear of Night materializes in Shadowheart's inventory as a gift from Selune herself.
3 Requirements
🌙 Prerequisite: Shadowheart in Your Party (Active)
🌙 Prerequisite: Reach the Gauntlet of Shar
🌙 Prerequisite: Complete the Gauntlet of Shar Dungeon
🌙 Required: Choose the Redemption Path
🌙 Required: Persuasion DC 18 OR Insight DC 16
🌙 Required: Do NOT Kill Dame Aylin
🌙 Recommended: Shadowheart Approval Above 40
🌙 Recommended: Astarion or Rogue for Gauntlet Traps
4 Step-by-Step Route
This route covers the complete Shadowheart redemption quest from Act 1 preparation through the Gauntlet of Shar climax where the Spear of Night is granted.
→ Recruit Shadowheart at the Nautiloid crash site (she is in a pod)
→ In conversations, choose compassionate options — show mercy, help the weak
→ When Shadowheart mentions Shar, express doubt or neutrality (don't praise Shar)
→→ At the Goblin Camp, spare the prisoners — Shadowheart approves (+10)
→ Help the wounded druid Halsin — more approval
→ Complete Act 1 and travel to the Shadow-Cursed Lands
ACT 2 — The Gauntlet:
→ After reaching the Shadow-Cursed Lands, speak with Shadowheart at camp
→ She mentions sensing a calling from Shar — agree to investigate
→ Travel to the Grand Mausoleum (X:25, Y:-15 in the Shadow-Cursed Lands)
→ Navigate the Mausoleum and enter the Gauntlet of Shar
Inside the Gauntlet:
→ Soft-Step Trial: Stealth through the labyrinth — avoid detection
→ Self-Same Trial: Defeat shadow duplicates of your party
→ Faith-Leap Trial: Jump across invisible platforms (use Misty Step)
→ Yurgir's Trial: Defeat or negotiate with the orthon Yurgir
→ Collect all Umbral Gems from the four trials
The Inner Sanctum:
→ Use the Umbral Gems to open the door to the inner sanctum
→ Descend to the deepest level — Dame Aylin's Prison
→→ Shadowheart is overwhelmed by Sharran conditioning — prepares to attack
→ INTERVENTION REQUIRED: Choose dialogue carefully
THE CRITICAL CHOICE — Nightsong Confrontation:
→ Select: "Shadowheart, wait — think about what you're doing"
→ Persuasion check (DC 18): Convince her Shar's teachings are lies
→ OR Insight check (DC 16): Help her see through the conditioning
→ If approval > 50: DC is reduced to 14 — very easy
→ CRITICAL SUCCESS: Shadowheart breaks down, drops her weapon, rejects Shar
→ Dame Aylin is freed — grants her blessing to Shadowheart
→→ RECEIVE: Spear of Night (Very Rare Spear, 1d8+2 piercing + 1d6 radiant)
ACT 3 — The Upgrade:
→ At camp in Act 3, speak with Shadowheart about her new faith
→ If approval is above 50, she mentions feeling Selune's power growing
→ The Spear of Night automatically upgrades: radiant becomes 1d8
→ → Gains Moonbeam Strike ability (3d8 radiant line, blind, 1/long rest)
Alternative: The "Good Cop" Approach
If you do not have a character who can pass the Persuasion or Insight checks, there is an alternative approach: physically restrain Shadowheart before she can attack Dame Aylin. This requires winning the initiative roll at the start of the encounter and using a character with high Athletics or Strength to grapple Shadowheart. While grappled, she cannot attack Dame Aylin, giving you time to talk her down in subsequent turns. This approach bypasses the initial Persuasion check but requires succeeding on a Strength (Athletics) check contested by Shadowheart's Dexterity (Acrobatics) — her modifier is +4, so a character with +6 Athletics has a 60% chance of success.
5 Gotcha Tips
The Spear of Night is ONLY granted on Shadowheart's redemption/Selune path. If you allow Shadowheart to kill Dame Aylin, you will receive Shar's Spear of Evening instead — a different weapon with necrotic damage instead of radiant. These two spears are mutually exclusive. You cannot obtain both in a single playthrough. If you want the Spear of Night, commit to the redemption path from Act 1 onward.
Dame Aylin has only 45 HP and no armor class to speak of. She is extremely vulnerable to area-of-effect spells like Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Spirit Guardians. If ANY party member's AoE deals the killing blow to Dame Aylin — even if Shadowheart was convinced not to attack — the redemption path fails. Disable all AoE spells and abilities before the confrontation. Position your casters away from Dame Aylin so line effects don't hit her.
If you send Shadowheart to camp while exploring the Grand Mausoleum, or if she is knocked unconscious and you long rest without reviving her at the dungeon site, quest flags may fail to fire. Always keep Shadowheart in your active party when entering the Gauntlet of Shar, and do not long rest inside the dungeon if she is downed — use revival scrolls or spells immediately.
If you consistently chose ruthless, pro-Shar dialogue options throughout Acts 1 and 2 — praising Shar, killing prisoners, showing cruelty — the Persuasion DC at the Nightsong increases from 18 to 22. This is a very difficult check that requires a highly optimized character or multiple attempts with Guidance. If you are committed to the Spear of Night, show compassion and mercy throughout the game to keep the DC manageable.
While the Spear of Night can technically be equipped by any character with spear proficiency, it is thematically bound to Shadowheart and she has unique voiced lines when wielding it. Mechanically, the radiant damage scales with Shadowheart's Wisdom modifier, making her the optimal wielder. If given to another character, the radiant damage is reduced to a flat 1d4 instead of 1d6 (or 1d8). Keep the spear on Shadowheart for maximum effectiveness.
The orthon Yurgir, guardian of the fourth trial, can be convinced to stand down through a Persuasion check (DC 20) or by finding and returning his lost contract (found in a hidden alcove at X:45, Y:-80 in the Gauntlet). Negotiating avoids a difficult combat encounter and earns Shadowheart's approval. If you do fight Yurgir, he is a CR 12 encounter with multiattack and legendary resistance — bring your A-game.
The Act 3 upgrade to 1d8 radiant damage and the Moonbeam Strike ability only triggers if Shadowheart's approval is above 50 when you speak with her at camp in Act 3. If her approval is below 50, she will not mention feeling Selune's power, and the spear will not upgrade. To ensure the upgrade, continue making approval-positive choices through the remainder of Act 2. The upgrade cannot be triggered retroactively — if you miss it, the spear remains at 1d6 radiant for the rest of the game.
Freeing Dame Aylin does more than grant the Spear of Night — she also becomes a powerful ally who assists you in the final assault on Moonrise Towers. Dame Aylin is a Level 12 Paladin of Selune with smite abilities, healing magic, and aura buffs. Her assistance makes the Ketheric Thorm boss fight significantly easier. If you kill her instead, you lose this ally AND lock yourself out of a unique ending slide showing Dame Aylin rebuilding Selune's faith in the Sword Coast.
6 Free Benefits
Obtaining the Spear of Night through Shadowheart's redemption path yields a cascade of narrative, mechanical, and companion benefits that extend far beyond the weapon itself.
| Bonus | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Dame Aylin (Ally) | NPC Companion | Level 12 Paladin of Selune — assists in Moonrise Towers assault |
| Shadowheart's Redemption | Narrative | Complete arc resolution — unique epilogue slide |
| Selune's Blessing | Permanent Buff | Shadowheart gains +1 to all saving throws permanently |
| Nightsong Resolution | Quest | Closes Shadowheart's main quest line for the act |
| Gauntlet of Shar Loot | Gold + Items | ~8000 gold, Sharran artifacts, and rare crafting materials |
| Isobel Saved | Narrative | Dame Aylin's freedom allows you to save Isobel at Last Light Inn |
| Moonrise Towers Buff | Temporary | Dame Aylin grants party Bless before the Ketheric Thorm fight |
| Shadowheart Romance | Narrative | Redemption path enables the full romance arc |
| Selune Cleric Spells | Mechanical | Shadowheart gains access to Moonbeam and Guardian of Faith |
Narrative Benefits
The redemption path is widely regarded as Shadowheart's "true" narrative arc — the one that provides the most emotional depth and satisfying resolution. When Shadowheart chooses Selune over Shar, she undergoes a profound transformation that is reflected in her dialogue, combat barks, camp interactions, and ending slide. The epilogue for the redemption path shows Shadowheart establishing a new temple to Selune in Baldur's Gate, dedicated to healing the wounds caused by the Absolute's invasion and the Sharran cult. If you completed her romance, she is shown with the player character at her side, running the temple together. This ending is considered one of the most heartwarming in the game.
Mechanical Benefits
Beyond the Spear of Night, the redemption path grants Shadowheart permanent mechanical upgrades. She gains +1 to all saving throws (Selune's Blessing), access to additional cleric spells including Moonbeam (2nd-level evocation) and Guardian of Faith (4th-level conjuration), and her Channel Divinity charges increase from 2 to 3 per short rest. In Act 3, if you continue supporting her, she gains the ability to cast Mass Cure Wounds once per long rest without expending a spell slot — a powerful party heal that can turn the tide of difficult encounters.