Summary
Combat inBaldur’s Gate 3works in a similar way to its source material,Dungeons & Dragons. Combat takes place at varying levels of difficulty, andBaldur’s Gate 3includes some truly terrifying foes, inspired by some of the most fearsome and legendary beasts of Faerun.
Players don’t need to focus on strategy too much, but that depends on the difficulty setting, with Honor Mode fights that have higher stakes and demand more consideration and planning. When the time comes to destroy these foes, players should get a Long Rest, stock up on some potions and items, and start planning for some battlefield management.
Updated February 20th, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose:Since Baldur’s Gate 3’s original release, Larian has added new content and made several bug fixes, with the substantial Patch 8 still on the way. Other than some minor changes, there won’t be anything as big as a new boss, but there might be some new weapons, stats, and abilities to contend with. Not all of these enemies appear in Act 3, so strategy is often required instead of gear or experience.
20True Soul Nere
Numerous Allies And Environmental Hazards To Deal With
While this fight can be avoided entirely by siding withTrue Soul Nere, only players wanting todo an evil runare likely to want to choose this option. Nere is an arrogant character who murders his deep gnome slaves out of frustration. His arrogance is well-placed, however, as he’s a force to be reckoned with as an enemy.
Nere can cast Psionic Visage in Honor Mode, which uses a reaction to create 3 duplicates of himself, becoming immune to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage as long as one remains active. Attacking him while a duplicate is active removes one of the duplicates but deals 2d6 Psychic damage to the attacker.
Despite Nere’s strength and aptitude for spellcasting, the real threat in this fight comes from the overwhelming number of companions helping him. Nere has many Duergar under his command, and the lava nearby is a powerful environmental threat for both sides. The best way to get the upper hand is to broker a deal before the fight with some Duergar who are plotting a mutiny.
19The Underdark Minotaurs
A Powerful Enemy That Comes In Pairs
In Act 1, players can descend through the Shattered Sanctum to the Underdark and will find themselves in the Selunite Outpost. The first time they get close to the front gate, which faces north towards the Myconid Colony and the Zhenatrum Hideout, aminotaurwill charge towards the gate, only to be zapped into oblivion by the crystal-light-beam security system.
Eventually, the party will discover that they can disable the trap and open the door. It’s also possible to crawl out a side window, but players should bear in mind that the trap will still be working, so one must be careful to avoid it. Continue north along this route, and the party will encounter not one, but two more minotuars.
Their leaps and charges can push characters off the ledge along with knocking them prone, never mind that they have enough power to one-hit party members with little or no AC. The best way to take them on is to carefully fight one before the other. Since they both patrol around the same route, it’s possible to do this with some patience.
18Bernard
A Robot Similar To The Steel Watchers
The Arcane Tower is already a dangerous place, but that’s mostly because of the various booby traps and armed guards patrolling both the perimeter and the tower’s interior.Bernardand his companion robots are on the very top floor of the tower, and players will have to solve a few puzzles and do some exploring just to get there. Once they reach the tower, they have to tell Bernard the password; otherwise, he and his fellow robot guards attack.
Part of the story is that these guards were used as the inspiration for the Steel Watch in Baldur’s Gate, so Bernard is virtually immune to slashing damage and all elemental damage. Plus, he has various AoE and combat abilities that stun enemies, buff allies, and do Lightning and Light damage. Defeating him is easiest when using blunt weapons and Cold damage, but don’t forget to take his weapon. He carries a halberd called Light Of Creation that deals extra Lightning damage.
17Ch’r’ai W’wargaz
A Powerful Githyanki Fighting Force
W’wargazis the Githyanki inquisitor at the head of Vlaakith’s search for the mysterious artifact that the party harbors. He can beconfronted as a final bossin the Githyanki creche, who players will face as soon as they exit the Astral Prism after entering it at Vlaakith’s behest.
The Githyanki are formidable opponents throughout the game, and players will have to face multiple foes in this battle, including W’wargaz, who can create Mindsteal Links on characters to make them vulnerable while strengthening himself. He also has Legendary Resistance on Tactician difficulty and can summon psionic blades in Honour Mode. This ability is called the Mind-Claw of Tu’narath, which summons up to two psionic blades each round as a free reaction when he or his allies are attacked.
16Apostle Of Myrkul
Prevents Melee Fighters From Healing
The final fight against Ketheric Thorm,the boss of Act Two, is already challenging, as players must contend with intellect devourers, necromites, and even a mindflayer. However, things take a much more challenging turn when Ketheric is taken over by theAvatar of Myrkul.
Melee fighters are in particular danger, as characters standing on the platform around Myrkul will be afflicted with Bone Chill, unable to be healed, and his big scythe swings will prove treacherous. Things aren’t much better for distance fighters, who can be targeted by his Gaze of the Dead, damaging and frightening them.
15Gortash
His Avatar Of Tyranny Form Is Brutal
Gortashisn’t all that hard to kill. He’s the easiest of the Dead Three avatars to defeat, and plenty of players have found amusing ways to throw him off buildings and dispose of him instantly, but these don’t work in Honour Mode. His special ability, Tyrannical Branding, can brand a target to be hit for 20d10 force damage by Bane’s Gauntlet unless the curse is removed.
However, Gortash shouldn’t be underestimated if taking him on in more noble combat. If he lives long enough to enter his Avatar of Tyranny form, he can easily dispose of a party. He gets immunity to multiple damage types and can summon a black gauntlet that will pummel the ground around it for huge damage. On top of this, he has the Steel Watch at his command, and his throne room is full of traps.
14Orin The Red
Her Legendary Action Can Instantly Kill Characters
Orinis a terrifying character, and her combat prowess makes her just as deserving of fear. For her battle with the players, Orin takes on the Slayer form, granted to her by Bhaal. Alongside a healthy stack of “Unstoppable,” Orin’s Slayer form also deals a tremendous amount of damage. Her Sanguine Lash deals 8d8 slashing damage, bleeds the target, and sweeps them back.
Perhaps her most terrifying addition is one ofher legendary actions in Honour Mode. She’s also got her famous ancestor helping out. If Orin doesn’t use her Legendary action, Bhaal’s Edict marks a target who must kill someone by the end of their turn or die instantly.
13Dror Ragzlin
Powerful Absolute Abilities And Lots Of Allies
This hobgoblin chieftain is likely to be the first boss that players encounter who really puts up a challenge. While players may have had some tough fights leading up to this, such as the gnolls or the “Paladins of Tyr,” or even Ragzlin’s fellow goblin leaders, Minthara or Priestess Gut,Dror Ragzlinraises the game a little.
This may be down to the fact that he has far more allies than in other battles up to this point. If players approach it stealthily and can pick off some of his support, it may help, but Ragzlin is still a powerful foe to contend with. His Barbarian rage can quickly melt away the health of tough characters,even Halsin in bear form, and his ability to repel characters is deadly when he fights alongside a great big spider pit.
12Malus Thorm
Deals Heavy Damage With Assistance From Nurses
WhileKetheric Thorm is the primary antagonist of Act Two, his boss fight tends to be overshadowed by his relatives. The extended Thorm family provides some of the hardest fights in the Shadow-cursed Lands.Malus Thormtends to be the least challenging, perhaps because fighting him is an essential step in ending the Shadow Curse, but this shouldn’t detract from the challenge he presents.
In Honor Mode, he uses Wail of Loss. After being attacked, Malus can now deal 4d6 psychic damage, possibly inflict the Confused condition, and push back the target. Grasping Appendage pulls a target closer like the Druid spellThorn Whip.
With the assistance of his twisted nurses, he can deal terrifying amounts of damage. Ranged characters are often the best at countering Malus. By taking advantage of the different levels in the theater section inthe House of Healing, they’re able to pick Malus and his nurses off from afar. It is also worth noting that Malus can be killed without engaging in the boss fight.
11Grym
Nigh Impossible To Kill Without The Central Hammer
TheGrym, fabled guardian of the Adamantine Forge, is certainly the most imposing-looking boss in Act One, if not the hardest. Grym deals extreme amounts of damage, has a huge pool of health, and is resistant to virtually all damage.
Grym is highly weak to bludgeoning damage once superheated by standing in the lava pool that surrounds the forge. While it would usually still be hard to chip away at its health solely with bludgeoning attacks, the fight does seem a little easier when players realize that the central hammer would deal a lot of damage to Grym if it were standing on the anvil when it is activated.
Getting Grym to reach the anvil can be achieved by manipulating its Threat Assessment, which causes it to attack the last character that attacked it. Adamantine Reverberation gives Grym temporary extra HP, doubles movement, and finally releases a shockwave when the HP is depleted.
