The developers of Baldur’s Gate 3 changed how a weapon intended for Shadowheart worked, as it turns out she couldn’t use it, thanks to a quirk in the Dungeons & Dragons 5e rules.
In Baldur’s Gate 3 and D&D 5e, each character class has different Weapon Proficiencies. If you have proficiency with a weapon, then you get to add your Proficiency Bonus when using it. Naturally, warrior classes have a better weapon selection than spellcasters or sneaky classes.
One weapon that didn’t make sense in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Justiciar’s Scimitar. This is found deep in the Gauntlet of Shar and is clearly a weapon of the Goddess of Darkness’ faith, as it has a chance of blinding foes. Despite this, Shadowheart wasn’t proficient with it, as it’s a Martial Weapon, not a Simple one.
As discussed in a thread on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Reddit, the developers changed the Justiciar’s Scimitar to have no Weapon Proficiency limitations, allowing Shadowheart to use it effectively, as it was clearly intended for her.
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As explained by one user, “Wiki note – “As of Patch 4, the weapon does not have a proficiency classification, is not classified as a Scimitar, and does not require proficiency.”
Another user clarified, “I think they removed the tag because they expect people to equip it on Shadowheart. Which as a half-elf Cleric, without feats or multiclassing, cannot use a scimitar.”
These changes to the Justiciar’s Scimitar mean that every character can use it with proficiency, not just Shadowheart. It’s a really good weapon to give to a Rogue, such as Astarion, meaning that anyone can make the most of one of Shar’s holiest weapons.