Hardest Bosses In Baldur’s Gate 3

Key Takeaways

• Combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 is turn-based, inspired by D&D, with varying difficulty levels and epic foes.
• Prepare for tough fights by resting, stocking up on potions, and managing the battlefield strategically.
• Encounters with formidable enemies like True Soul Nere, the Underdark Minotaurs, and Githyanki forces require careful planning.

Combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 works in a similar way to its source material, Dungeons & Dragons, playing out as a turn-based strategy game in a classic fantasy setting. Fights take place at varying levels of difficulty, and Baldur’s Gate 3 includes some truly terrifying foes, inspired by some of the most fearsome and legendary beasts of Faerun.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, players don’t need to focus on strategy too much depending on the difficulty setting, but some threats have higher stakes and demand more consideration. 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 November 13, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: Baldur’s Gate 3 was the biggest gaming hit of 2023, and since its original release, Larian has added new content and made several bug fixes. One of these later additions was Honour Mode, an unforgiving difficulty level that permits no reloads or resurrections should the whole party fall. This new mode makes it more important than ever to know which bosses can be expected to put up a tough fight. Not all of these enemies appear in Act 3, so strategy is required instead of gear or experience.

18 True Soul Nere

Numerous Allies And Environmental Hazards To Deal With

• Location: Grymforge
• Related Quests: “Free True Soul Nere” and “Deliver Nere’s Head”

While this fight can be avoided entirely by siding with True Soul Nere, only players wanting to do an evil run are 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.

17 The Underdark Minotaurs

A Powerful Enemy That Comes In Pairs

• Location: Waiting between the Selunite Outpost and the Myconid Colony
• Related Quests: Finish The Masterwork Weapon

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, a minotaur will 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.

16 Ch’r’ai W’wargaz

A Powerful Githyanki Fighting Force

• Location: Creche Y’llek
• Related Quest: Discover the Artefact’s Secrets

W’wargaz is the Githyanki inquisitor at the head of Vlaakith’s search for the mysterious artifact that the party harbors. He can be confronted as a final boss in 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.

15 Apostle Of Myrkul

Prevents Melee Fighters From Healing

• Location: Mind Flayer Colony
• Related Quest: Defeat Ketheric Thorm

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 the Avatar 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.

14 Gortash

His Avatar Of Tyranny Form Is Brutal

• Location: Wyrm’s Rock
• Quest: Get Gortash’s Netherstone, Our Fiery Friend

Gortash isn’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.

13 Orin The Red

Legendary Action Can Instantly Kill Characters

• Location: Temple Of Bhaal
• Related Quests: Get Orin’s Netherstone, Rescue Orin’s Victim

Orin is 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 of her 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.

12 Dror Ragzlin

Powerful Absolute Abilities And Lots Of Allies

• Location: Shattered Sanctum
• Related Quest: Save The Refugees

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, Ragzlin raises 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.

11 Malus Thorm

Deals Large Damage With Assistance From Nurses

• Location: House Of Healing
• Related Quests: Wake Up Art Cullagh, Lift The Shadow Curse

While Ketheric 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 tends 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 spell Thorn 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 in the 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.

10 Grym

Nigh Impossible To Kill Without The Central Hammer

• Location: Grymforge
• Related Quests: The Adamantine Forge

The Grym, 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.

9 Ansur

The Stormheart Nova Ability Can Wipe Parties

• Location: Dragon’s Sanctum
• Related Quest: The Blade of Frontiers

The fight against Ansur, the undead dragon in Act Three, can be a daunting one, and this is for good reason. As a dragon, even an undead one, Ansur has a large amount of health and deals a huge amount of damage, particularly from the lightning-breath attack. The fight also utilizes some unique mechanics that players may not anticipate or counter, like Draconic Wrath, which uses lightning breath on an attacker.

Ansur can “hoard energy,” becoming resistant to all damage. At the end of this state, he will unleash a Stormheart Nova, which can wipe players. However, players can successfully hide behind rocks to avoid taking damage from this.

8 Thisobald Thorm

Immune To Damage Before He Unleashes A Powerful Attack

• Location: The Waning Moon, Reithwin Town
• Related Quest: Punish The Wicked

This bloated and grotesque barkeep is another member of the Thorm family. Initially friendly, Thisobald can quickly turn aggressive, and he can be a very tough fight. His Overflowing Brew deals 3d6 damage to surrounding enemies and empowers his allies, and he spends most of the fight in a “numb” state, where he is immune to many damage types.

When hit with fire, radiant, acid, cold, lightning, poison, or necrotic damage, he will have a corresponding reflux attack, where he regurgitates over the characters. This part of the fight is grueling, but Thorm will eventually receive the ‘blacked out’ condition, making him easier to hit and vulnerable to the damage types he was once immune to.

7 Viconia DeVir

Not Only Her, But The Whole Sharran Enclave

• Location: The Cloister of Sombre Embrace beneath The House of Grief
• Related Quest: Daughter of Darkness, Investigate the House of Grief, Surrender Shadowheart to Viconia

Viconia DeVir is a legacy character who appeared in Baldur’s Gate 2. Back then, she was a romanceable character who could also be a party companion. Her role in BG3 is considerably different. She takes on the role of one of the main antagonists, and for a player who’s running through the Shadowheart origin story, she might be the main villain.

Depending on how the story has played out, there’s a chance that the party will fight Viconia on her own while the rest of the Sharran Enclave watches to see who their new Mother Superior will be. This is much easier than taking on the whole Sharran Enclave, which is what happens if Shadowheart rejects Shar and the prospect of taking Viconia’s place.

Fighting a Cleric is always going to be difficult, with their healing and protection spells along with some serious DPS power, and Viconia can also shapeshift, making her even more dangerous. The best strategy is to stay in the small bottleneck created by the stairways near the front door and use a lot of AoE spells and Silence, if possible.

6 Sarevok

Hard To Hit And Hits Just As Hard

• Location: Bhaalist Crypt
• Related Quest: Investigate The Murders

The infamous Baldur’s Gate antagonist, Sarevok Anchev, makes a return in act three of Baldur’s Gate 3. Given his reputation as a formidable Bhaalspawn, it shouldn’t be surprising that the fight against him can be a very tough one. Murderous Retort is an ability that allows him to instantly strike back against an attacker, a power he shares with Orin.

Supported by an equally brutal tribunal of Bhaal cultists, this fight can be tough even for the most prepared party. Players who successfully convince Sarevok that they want to be an Unholy Assassin of Bhaal can get Valeria the Hollyphant as a helping hand during the fight, but she can quite easily fall in the battle.

5 Gerringothe Thorm

Deals Damage Based On A Character’s Wealth

• Location: Reithwin Tollhouse
• Related Quest: Lift The Shadow Curse

Gerringothe is the gold-armored, twisted toll collector at the Reithwin Tollhouse. When players first encounter her, it is likely to come as a shock just how powerful she is. She has a ridiculous amount of health and deals huge amounts of damage to unprepared parties.

The key to this boss fight is preparation and a little knowledge. Gerringothe deals amplified damage to characters the more gold that they have on them. For this fight, it may be worth leaving the wealth back at camp. Players should also collect some of the various gold piles around the tollhouse, as Gerringothe can use them for abilities like her Coin Halberd or Combustible Coins.

Sublimation is a power she only has in Honor Mode. When a piece of her gold armor is destroyed, she can attempt to turn all nearby enemies into gold. Finally, players should pick off the Visages that join the fight, as each one increases her HP by 100.

4 Phase Spider Matriarch

The Boss Of The Whispering Depths

• Location: Whispering Depths, beneath the Blighted Village
• Related Quests: Search The Cellar

The Whispering Depths is a cavernous space beneath the Blighted Village in Act 1, and players are likely to find it through the quest “Search the Cellar.” The trapdoor that leads beneath the Apothecary’s House includes a secret laboratory, a creepy book called The Necromancy of Thay, and a passage into this dangerous area.

The toughest enemies here are the spiders, and the hardest of these is the Phase Spider Matriarch. As the name implies, she can use abilities like Ethereal Jaunt to move around, a spell similar to Misty Step. Matriarch’s Call summons other spider minions, and of course, she has poison and web-based powers that can act as DoTs and limit a character’s movement.

In Tactician, she can use Spider Queen’s Wrath to increase her Strength and get an extra action per turn. Honor Mode ups the stakes even more with Gossamer Tomb, which immobilizes an enemy and poisons them.

3 Auntie Ethel

Uses Infuriating Area Of Effect Spells

• Location: Sunlit Wetlands/Putrid Bog, Blushing Mermaid Basement
• Related Quests: Save Mayrina, Avenge The Hag Survivors, Save Vanra

The infamous green hag, Auntie Ethel, can be fought twice in the game, once in Act One and again in Act Three. While both can prove challenging, her Act Three fight can be particularly tough. Ethel has swallowed the missing child, Vanra, so players will either need to use the hag survivors’ secret recipe to make Ethel vomit up the child or take her down with non-lethal attacks.

Taking her down is no easy matter, though. Players will need to take out all the mushrooms that heal Auntie Ethel each turn, as well as contend with her bewitched followers and her affinity for the infuriating area of effect spells. When a spell is cast in Honor Mode, she can use a power called Weird Magic Surge to create illusory duplicates.

2 Cazador

Has A Lot Of Allies And Does Serious Damage

• Location: Cazador’s Palace
• Related Quest: The Pale Elf

When players encounter the vampire lord, Cazador, it becomes apparent why Astarion had to flee. Fighting Cazador can be a challenge for even the most prepared party. For this fight, players are going to want as much command over the initiative as possible, summoning as much support as they can.

While Cazador does draw power from his vampire spawn, as long as they are still alive and their ritual circle doesn’t have any party members or summons standing on it, players may be better off focusing their efforts on Cazador himself. It is also worth noting that players are most likely to be doing this fight with Astarion in their party.

Astarion can be helped out of the ritual condition, but it has to be done in the first two turns. All he needs is an assist, so perhaps a character with Fly and even Scratch can do it. In Honor Mode, Cazador has the ability of Vampiric Swarm, which calls a swarm of bats that deals 8d12 force damage, pushes back targets, and can give targets the “Swarmed” condition.

1 Raphael

Highest Health And Powerful Attacks

• Location: House Of Hope
• Related Quest: Save Hope, Acquire The Gauntlets For Helsik, Escape The Deal, Free Orpheus

The charming devil, Raphael, is the boss at the center of perhaps the most infamous fight in Baldur’s Gate 3. It has made an impression for numerous reasons, such as the flair, Raphael’s musical number, and, of course, the difficulty.

Raphael has the highest health in the game at a thematic 666 and some potential party-wiping moves, especially in Honor Mode. His Beguiling Rebuke charms the enemy and nearby allies to prevent them from attacking Raphael, and Soul Ascension deals 6d10 necrotic damage and turns Cambions into Hellfire Cambions. The good news for players is that his most powerful moves can be prevented by destroying the Soul Pillars.

The extravagance of Raphael’s fight isn’t to be missed, but players should heed the game’s warning and make sure they are truly prepared before tackling this daunting boss.