If you intend to beat Balthazar in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3), you better have a good strategy in mind. This dude is no slouch in a fight, and also never fights alone. Luckily, we can help you with that. Here’s how to beat Balthazar in BG3.
How to Beat Balthazar in BG3
The two main places you can fight Balthazar are both in Act 2. The first is when you meet him in his little room near Shar’s trials in the Mausoleum. This is before the trials themselves, and you’ll meet him if you follow the strange trio of skeletons who all speak with one voice. In this room, he’s flanked by some very powerful undead, so while you can fight him here, it can be a very tough fight unless you can take out his brother, Flesh.
If you do decide to fight him here, it’s worth trying to kite him and his goons through the doors to bottleneck them, and then use things like twisting vines, cloud of daggers, or any other AoE spells you can muster to cause them to take damage as they follow you. The more common combat ground is after Shar’s trials down by Nightsong. Here, you’ll have a chance to either let him transport Nightsong or throwdown in the strange arena you find yourself in.
This fight is where he’ll summon the most minions, with around 20 boney friends appearing out of nowhere. Most of these are fairly weak, but it’s worth noting that due to sheer numbers, they can be a real challenge. You’ll want to make sure your fighters stay near the centre mass of the floating island here to avoid being knocked off, and if you happen to have Shadowheart on your team, then we highly recommend Turn Undead after running into the middle of them.
Radiant damage is always a good shout, but for beating Balthazar in either fight, you’re going to want to silence him as fast as possible and then hit him with melee fighters a lot. He’s pretty weak when up close, and while his magical prowess may indeed be intimidating, he’s not half the threat when he can’t speak.
After you beat Balthazar in BG3, you can acquire several valuable items:
| Item | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Circle of Bones | Rare Headgear | Grants resistance to physical damage for nearby undead allies and allows the wearer to cast Animate Dead once per Long Rest |
| Warped Headband of Intellect | Uncommon Headgear | Raises the wearer’s Intelligence to 17 |
| Animate Dead | Level 3 Necromancy Spell | Allows the caster to animate a corpse to create an undead servant |
Shoving Balthazar Off a Cliff in BG3
You can also just kick him into the void if you fight him near Nightsong, but then you won’t get to loot him. This strategy, while effective, requires careful positioning and timing. You can achieve this in a few different ways. The simplest is to use a character with a high strength score to physically shove him off the edge.
Alternatively, you can use spells that manipulate the environment or push enemies. Gale’s spells, such as Thunderwave, or a well-placed Gust of Wind can also send Balthazar tumbling into the abyss. However, remember that using these methods will prevent you from looting Balthazar’s body after the fight.
Who Is Balthazar in BG3?
Balthazar is a mysterious undead necromancer in BG3. He serves General Ketheric Thorm, a pivotal character in the game, and is tasked with retrieving the Nightsong, an artifact crucial to Ketheric’s immortality.
Little is known about Balthazar’s origins, except that his alliance with Ketheric Thorm predates the Cult of the Absolute. His devotion to Ketheric and mastery of necromancy highlight his role as a champion of Myrkul, the god of necromancy.
And that’s how to beat Balthazar in BG3. If you’re looking for more on the game, check out our guide to all the romance options in BG3.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.
The above article was updated on 5/6/2024 by Davi Braid to clairfy information about beating Balthazar in BG3.
