Shadowheart and Lae'zel's Baldur's Gate 3 romance came naturally because their writers realised they 'were writing the same story from different directions'

Shadowheart and Lae’zel’s Baldur’s Gate 3 romance came naturally because their writers realised they ‘were writing the same story from different directions’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Baldur’s Gate Baldur’s Gate 3 writer says its Dragon-Agey rep system is there to stop you totally breaking the NPCs, but it ‘becomes a dice roll’ at points to keep romance natural RPG ‘This game could never be made by AI… it’s too human,’ says Baldur’s Gate 3 actor Neil Newbon after wrapping a playthrough on stream RPG Larian’s main focus for Divinity is ‘to see how far we can push the diversity of companions’ so intra-NPC relationships can feel more natural and complex Movies & TV ‘That’s pretty cool’: Larian boss Swen Vincke responds after Stranger Things co-creator credits Baldur’s Gate 3 for inspiring the show’s climactic battle Baldur’s Gate Larian made a chill beats Baldur’s Gate 3 animation full of references to popular mods and memes RPG I’m the biggest Baldur’s Gate 3 fan, but the HBO TV show is filling me with dread Baldur’s Gate ‘I wish Wyll had gotten more content’ says the Baldur’s Gate 3 writer who wrote him, and splitting his story between devils and dads ‘might have been a mistake in hindsight’ Baldur’s Gate Baldur’s Gate 3 started on top and kept on climbing: Larian said it wouldn’t make a sequel, then drip fed us an expansion’s worth of free updates into 2025 RPG The Witcher 3’s former lead quest designer says ‘of course’ there is romance in upcoming vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker: ‘You can expect to build relationships with characters’ Baldur’s Gate Larian lead has a little ‘crash out on main’ over Baldur’s Gate 3 show announce, but big boss Swen Vincke says HBO is in touch about the writing, so now I don’t know what to think Baldur’s Gate Baldur’s Gate 3 mod restores more than 100 conversations and 1,000 lines of voiced dialogue from the early access version previously lost in the ethereal plane Baldur’s Gate Surprise! Baldur’s Gate 3 got a fresh patch. Unsurprise! It’s vanishingly small, but at least it repairs some corrupted saves Baldur’s Gate How well do you know Baldur’s Gate 3’s second act? You may need an actual brainworm to score a perfect 20/20 on our latest quiz RPG Larian says Divinity’s character customisation will be ‘even better’ than Baldur’s Gate 3’s: ‘More colors, more options, more control’ RPG Divinity’s reveal trailer was brutal and dark for a reason, Larian’s writing director says: ‘We want to give players the opportunity to be the light in that darkness’ Popular PC Gamer ClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearGDCQuizzes Games RPG Baldur’s Gate Baldur’s Gate 3 Shadowheart and Lae’zel’s Baldur’s Gate 3 romance came naturally because their writers realised they ‘were writing the same story from different directions’ News By Joshua Wolens published 23 March 2026 Green alien lady, goth cult lady: tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Larian Studios) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? 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Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Is there any greater love than that between a weird fascist space alien and the victim of a cult abduction? There is not. That’s why Romeo and Juliet is probably about exactly that, and it’s why gamers over the globe can’t get enough of Shar’zel. Lae’zart. Lart.They love it when Shadowheart and Lae’zel in Baldur’s Gate 3 kiss, is what I mean, which is a thing that can happen if you choose one or the other as your player character and work real hard at it. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers thing, as Shadowheart gets over her hatred of Githyanki, Lae’zel gets over her hatred of everything, and each realises the other is a total worm-brained smokeshow. Happily ever after.In a recent chat with Edge magazine, Lae’zel’s writer Kevin VanOrd said that, actually, writing the pair’s romantic arc wasn’t as tough as it might initially sound. With both Shadowheart and Lae’zel working their way around to questioning the systems they were raised under, John Corcoran (Shadowheart’s writer) and VanOrd realised “we were writing the same story from different directions, and so that allowed us to reframe their initial clash and inform their later conversations.”Article continues below You may like Baldur’s Gate 3 writer says its Dragon-Agey rep system is there