Baldur's Gate 3's cast of characters have their individuality and ways they operate. Companions with opposing views can—and will—disagree with each other. And if the disagreement becomes severe enough, they can even resort to killing each other.
Lae'zel regards everyone with contempt. In her eyes, nothing is as important as the approval of the Githyanki Queen and her creche. And when she discovers that Shadowheart has an artifact that could be Githyanki of origin, she declares a duel to the death. Luckily, there is a way to resolve this event peacefully and keep both Lae'zel and Shadowheart as companions.
Updated by Hamza Haq on August 26, 2023: New links have been incorporated into the content to reflect the most recent information available for Baldur’s Gate 3.
What Triggers Lae'zel & Shadowheart's Fight
If you have Lae'zel in your party when you visit the Githyanki patrol near the exit of the mountain pass at the far northwest of the map in Act 1, a cutscene will trigger with Lae'zel jumping to meet the commander of the Githyanki.
The dragon rider will demand that Lae'zel join in the hunt for an artifact of great value. Both Lae'zel and Shadowheart will realize that the artifact in question is the one that Shadowheart is carrying.
It doesn't matter how you resolve the encounter with the Githyanki patrol. Show them the artifact, kill them without asking questions, or leave them without saying anything; the end result will be the same.
The next time you set up camp, Lae'zel will accuse Shadowheart of stealing from the Githyanki and possessing something that belongs to her tribe and her queen. This will trigger the fight between Lae'zel and Shadowheart.
Make sure to save before setting up camp; this will give you a recent save point should you be unable to prevent the fight.
How To Stop The Fight
No matter what choices you make during the initial dialogue when Lae'zel confronts Shadowheart, Lae'zel will insist on having a duel come morning. There is no way to prevent the fight at this juncture.
After Lae'zel's proclamation of a duel at dawn, everyone will go back to bed. Another cutscene will play immediately after, where you wake up to realize Shadowheart has snuck up on Lae'zel in the middle of the night with a dagger to the throat.
Here, you'll be presented with three dialogue options.
- Do Nothing. Shadowheart kills Lae'zel.
- [Persuasion - 10] Shadowheart - stop. You don't have to do this. Fight stops.
- Move to attack Shadowheart. Shadowheart becomes hostile.
Select the second option to stop the fight. Shadowheart will release Lae'zel, and both of them will make up the next time you exit camp. If you pick the first option, Shadowheart sinks her dagger into Lae'zel's throat, killing her.
If you select the last option, you enter into combat with Shadowheart, effectively making her an enemy. You'll have to kill her to get out of it.