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Few bosses inBaldur’s Gate 3are worthy of the ire of players like Balthazar, Commander of the Reborn Dead. Battling him is not usually an easy feat, and with his penchant for cheats and swarms of allied undead, you’ll likely be wishing Balthazar was buried a meter deep for every one of his transgressions.
RELATED:Baldur’s Gate 3: How To Complete Shar’s Sanctum
Whether you’re fighting him in his hidden office or at the depths of Shadowfell, coming in unprepared will be a death sentence - pun intended. So grab your Clerics and Paladins and keep them close; you won’t want to venture far from them for this fight.
91
182
17
11
9m
Medium/100kg (Undead)
10 (0)
14 (+2)
16 (+3)
20 (+5)
9 (-1)
18 (+4)
6 (-2)
5 (-3)
Flesh’s Feats
Undead Ward
Allied undead within 6m are Resistant to Bludgeoning, Slashing, and piercing Damage
Aversion of Fire
If Flesh takes Fire damage, he has disadvantage on Attack and Ability Check rolls until the end of his next turn.
Balthazar has a 6m aura of Undead Ward.
Berserk
Flesh goes Berserk, dealing more damage and gaining Advantage on attack rolls while enemies also gain advantage on attack rolls made against Flesh.
Balthazar cannot be surprised and receive +5 to initiative.
Flesh can see in the dark 12m.
Grave Magic
Whenever Balthazar deals damage with a spell, he also deals an additional 1d8 Necrotic damage.
Immutable Form
Spells that alter his form have no effect, and Flesh has a +5 bonus on Saving Throws that would remove Flesh from this plane.
Grim Harvest
Once per turn, Balthazar regains HP when killing a creature equal to twice the spell slot level used and thrice if it was a Necromancy spell. Undead and constructs are unaffected.
Magic Resistance
Flesh has advantage on saving throws against magic spells and effects.
+8 to hit, 5ft; deals 4d8 + 5 Bludgeoning damage.
No Rest For The Wicked
Balthazar can revive one of his ghoul companions to half health.
Multiattack
+8 to hit, 5ft; deals 4d8 + 5 Bludgeoning damage and 4d8 + 5 Bludgeoning damage separately. If Flesh has gone Berserk, this attack can also knock targets Prone on a failed Strength save.
Dagger
Balthazar has a dagger but does not appear to be scripted to ever use it (if only rarely), always preferring to spellcast or flee out of Silence. It does an unknown quantity of damage.
The first chance you get to fight Balthazar, you’ll find him in thefar west wing of the Gauntlet of Shar.Here, you’re able to approach him peacefully andspeak with him.If you choose toattack him or anger himrather than (pretend to) work with him, you’ll have tofight him, a number of dangerous ghouls, and a massive construct known as Flesh.
We recommend trying tofight Balthazar in Shadowfell rather than here.
This fight isarguably more difficultthan his Shadowfell fight. We recommendbeing at least level 7when fighting him, though level 8 is the level he is balanced for. There are a few reasons for this:
What To Do First
If you decide to go ahead with this fight anyway,focus on the ghouls from the start.If any member of the party is knocked unconscious, theycan use Devourto instant-kill them.
When they’re eventuallyresurrected by Balthazarusing his No Rest For The Wicked ability (which he primarily only uses for the fight in his office), haveone character dedicated to killing thembefore they’re able to move on the next turn.
Balthazar begins both this fight and the Shadowfell fight with apotion of Haste.For the first three turns of combat, he’ll be able tocast two spells each roundfor massive damage. For this reason, it is not recommended to try this fight without adedicated healer or your own powerful potions.
Additionally, he can cast afifth-level Conjuration spell, Cloudkill:
Cloudkill(1 action; VS; Concentration):
Create a 20-foot-radius Sphere of poisonous, yellow-green fog centered on a point you choose within 36m. It lasts for the Duration, until strong wind disperses the fog, or until the caster’s concentration is broken. Its area is heavily obscured.
When a creature enters the spell’s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 5d8 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Creatures are affected even if they hold their breath or don’t need to breathe. The fog moves 10 feet away from you at the start of each of your turns, rolling along the surface of the ground.
To avoid his Cloudkill spell, consider eitherpack Gust of Wind, attack Balthazarto end his Concentration, orDash out of the cloud.Staying will result in large amounts of stacking damage.
Taking Care Of Flesh
When the ghouls are taken care of, and you’re spam-healing to cancel out Balthazar’s attacks, you can nowfocus on Flesh.
Flesh doesn’t take extra damage from Fire, but hisAversion to Fire propertymeans you’ll want tostack on the Fire attacksfor that extra advantage.Hit him with a fire spell, and then go all out.
Beware of hisBerserk and Multiattack. He can one-shot your squishier companions.
Attacking Balthazar Himself
When all enemies except potentially one ghoul are gone, you may nowfocus on Balthazar.Pin him down with your players andsurround him.
Balthazar will willingly cast Cloudkill on himselfover attacking in melee, meaning he’s willing to damage himself to kill you.Prevent him from escaping, and you can use this to your advantage.
When defeated, you’re able to loot him for a specialCircle of Bonesthat gives Undead Ward as a passive effect and the ability toAnimate Deadas an action.
Balthazar - How To Beat Him In Shadowfell
Compared to bosses you may have encountered thus far (likeYurgir The Orthorn), Balthazar is a push-over on a pure stat level - especially if you’re walking into thisfight at level 8and having completed the Gauntlet of Shar.
Much like the fight in his office, he’llbegin by drinking a Haste potion; this is dangerous simply for his ability tocast two spells in one turnas a result. His companions, however, are much easier this time.
While you’re outnumbered, his companions are allundead skeleton creatures that:
Ensure each of your characters has at least access to somemethod of Radiant damage.Clerics and Paladins are definitely wantedfor this fight.
Additionally, any casting ofResistancemight be warranted here if your party is susceptible to Blindness as theApostate Librarians spam-cast Blindness andRay of Frost.
You’ll begin combatsurrounded by a large number of undead,including the large undead creatures like the Apostate Destroyers.Shove whomever you canover the edge andmove your own members away from the edgesto prevent them from doing the same back.
If you haveaccess toSpirit Guardians, now is the time to use it.
When you’re not bogged down with enemies encircling you, sendone ally to the upper left ledgeto take care of the enemies there.
There isa known glitchwhere there is a section of the arena on the right side of the northern where enemies cannot be targeted by standard clicking on PC, nor can you see any damage, stat, or healing notifications.
If you encounter this error, you may still target a creature in this area by pressing their character preview in the initiative instead of their physical body.
After You Defeat The Skeletons
Yourmelee fighters- once the skeletons surrounding you are gone - should be making adash for the ledge Balthazar is standing on.Take out any enemies along the way. If you want tozone Balthazar,you can do so by using an area spell likeIce Stormor by castingSilence, forcing him to move elsewhere.
Balthazar will continue to try jumping and running away to avoid your fighters from getting too close. You’ll likely have toDash orMisty Stepto him to stop him from running.
A good way to catch him is tosend your melee fighter up on the right ledge where he begins the fightand keep that fighter on the left ledge where the ranged skeletons were stationary. He prefers to jump to either that ledge when threatened, falling right into your trap, or down on the ground beside the edge on the ground level (opening him up to be Shoved off).
Go all out against Balthazar.Ensure he can’t run away with feats like Sentinel or spells likeEntangle.
Keep in mind that Balthazar is one of the few boss enemies thatdoes not haveDarkvision,making him susceptible toDarkness spells. He’s also relatively light andcan be Shovedover the edge like the other skeletons.
Once he and all other enemies are defeated, you canloot his corpse(if it isn’t shoved off the edge) for his special headpiece, a book, and three scrolls of Speak with the Dead. Afterward,speak with the Nightsongto make a very important decision.
NEXT:Baldur’s Gate 3: How To Solve The Bookcase Puzzle In Balthazar’s Chambers
