Shadowheart and her partner compete in a quiz about the popular companion from Baldur’s Gate 3. They reveal not only new insights into the creation of the character but also decide on further personality traits of the half-elf.
Who are the two women? Jennifer English, the voice of Shadowheart from Baldur’s Gate 3, and her partner Aliona Baranova both worked on Larian’s RPG, where they also met and became a couple.
Since the success of the game, the two have become very visible faces for the player community, speaking at panels at conventions and streaming their own campaign in Baldur’s Gate 3 on Twitch and YouTube. There, they have already given a small insight into how contact with the game’s developers can be used for special gestures.
In a video from Fall Damage on YouTube, the two compete in a quiz about Shadowheart, where they not only demonstrate their solid knowledge. They also provide many interesting insights into the character’s development and her influence on the events in the game.
Here you can see the animated short film for Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3, where Shadowheart is also featured:
New information on the development of “God’s Favorite Princess”
What influence did Jen and Aliona have on Shadowheart and Baldur’s Gate 3? In the quiz, the two answer questions about Shadowheart to test how well they really know Jennifer’s character. Both perform really well and reveal a bit more about the development of the beloved companion. The information shared includes:
- Shadowheart’s real name is Jennevelle Hallowleaf. One of the lead writers, John Corcoran, had a whole list of possible names, but he wanted Jennevelle to be used since it is based on Jennifer’s name.
- What was born from a meme eventually found its own place in the game. Aliona saw memes of Shadowheart online with the already well-known meme phrase “I may be a hater and a gatekeeper, but I am also God’s Favorite Princess and the most interesting girl in the world.” She got Jen to record that line in Shadowheart’s tone, which ultimately found its own place in the game’s epilogue.
- In keeping with the epilogue: The two share that if a romantic relationship has been established with Shadowheart, she reports on a squirrel that regularly sits on her shoulder and is fed nuts by her. This is a reference to a squirrel from the first act of the game, whose voice Aliona lent when one can speak with animals.
All questions are answered correctly, but when it comes to the exact race, class, and subclass of Shadowheart, Aliona is unsure. However, she then answers in her own way: “Race: Half-Elf, Class: Cleric, Subclass: sexy lady.”
You can watch the Shadowheart quiz with Jennifer and Aliona here:
What else do the two talk about? Aliona admits she thought the quiz would be more about personality questions regarding Shadowheart, which would then be confirmed or denied by Jennifer. Since they still have enough time, the two decide on further facts for the cleric, which, due to the prior influence of the two, should be considered “canon” (“officially valid”):
- Shadowheart’s favorite coffee is black, but she actually prefers colorful coffees, like a unicorn frappuccino, which she does not want to be seen with.
- Her favorite animals are owlbears and (of course) squirrels.
- Her favorite karaoke song is “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence, but Jennifer adds that Shadowheart would also rock out to Alanis Morissette or Paramore.
- Shadowheart’s favorite snack is not entirely clear to both. Jen thinks of a cheese platter; Aliona thinks of Tav, the standard name for the player character from Baldur’s Gate 3 – cheese would have been her second choice.
- Her favorite cocktail is either an espresso martini or a piña colada.
When asked who would play Shadowheart in a live-action film or series, Jennifer is quite certain: “Don’t touch her, or I’ll get angry. That’s my final answer.”
The only exception is Aliona’s suggestion of a “young Rebecca Ferguson,” which Jennifer would also have been satisfied with.
Jen and Aliona have been streaming regularly on Twitch since 2023 and uploading videos of their campaign to YouTube. There, they have their own loyal audience with whom they also like to interact a lot. When a fan passed away, the two wanted to honor her. Through their contact with the developers, the player was then immortalized forever in Baldur’s Gate 3: Player becomes a part of Baldur’s Gate 3 after her death – Shadowheart honors her with a special tribute
