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In Act 3 ofBaldur’s Gate 3, players are thrust into the climax of intertwining personal tales—including that of Astarion, a vampire spawn enslaved for two centuries by the Vampire Lord Cazador. The opportunity will arise for you to help Astarion challenge his tormentor and prevent a catastrophic blood ritual involving seven thousand sacrifices.
Cazador’s bid for god-like power poses a dire threat to Baldur’s Gate, and the monumental challenge of defeating a Vampire Lord falls upon your shoulders. Nonetheless, with the right strategy, the tide can easily turn in your favor. This guide aims to explain Cazador’s boss fight and share the tactics needed to help you ensure victory.
Updated June 18, 2025, by Sean Murray:BG3’s Cazador fight is the culmination of Astarion’s personal quest, and one that can be pretty hard to win. If you’re looking for how to defeat Cazador, this guide has you covered, now with improved formatting and more links to other helpful Baldur’s Gate 3 topics.
Approaching Cazador
With Astarion
Though it might be tempting tobring Astarion with youfor a dramatic showdown with his former master, it is worth noting that if you have Astarion nearby when you approach Cazador, Astarion willlose control and attack Cazadorregardless of what dialogue option you choose.
This will give Cazador the opportunity tolock Astarion into the ascension ritual, rendering himincapacitatedwhile he is part of the ritual.
This also imposes athree-turn limit on the combat,after whichAstarion and all seven thousand and six other vampire spawns will disintegrate.
Cazador will then becomeVampire Ascendant, becoming significantly more powerful.
If Astarion becomes locked into the ritual, you will be able tofree Astarion with the Help actionto bring him back into combat orkill any of the spawn(Astarion included) to prevent Cazador from being able to ascend.
Due to hisAlertfeature, Cazador has asizable+9 boost to initiativeandcannot be surprised—though the monsters he has with him can be.
Without Astarion
If you speak to Cazadorwithout Astarion with you, he will recognize you as someone who has been traveling with Astarion.
you’re able to then make a toughDeception checkto promise him to bring him Astarion, in which case, he willlet you walk away. Otherwise, combat will automatically start at the end of this dialogue.
Cazador’s Stats
Cazador’s reputation as a fearsome and ruthless Vampire Lord is well-earned. He boasts tons ofhard-hitting spells,features thatskyrocket his survivability, as well as amassive 200+ HP health poolthat rivals the Apostle of Myrkul from Act 2.
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*Has proficiency in these Saving Throws
You gain a+1 bonus to Spell Save DCandspell attack rolls.
Arcane Vampirism
When the creatures affected by your spells fail any associatedSaving Throws, regain1d4 hit points.
You can maketwo additional attacksafter attacking with your main-hand weapon.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity
This creature takes20 Radiant Damageif it starts its turn insunlight. Whilesunlit, it hasDisadvantage on attack rollsandability checks.
Vampire Regeneration
The vampire regains20 hit pointsat the start of its turn if itisn’t in sunlight, or hastaken radiant damageordamage from holy water—in which case this traitdoesn’t functionuntil the start of its next turn.
This feature is only present if you’re playingon Tactician mode.
Provides a+10 bonusto the nextSaving Throwmade.
Though not listed, Cazador can also casthigh-level spells such asCall Lightningand useMisty Escape—which will render himalmost intangibleand give him a great deal oftemporary Hit Points.
If you’re looking at this long list of features and starting to feel a little cowed, don’t worry; there are several methods ofusing his own traits against him.
Cazador’s Backup
Before we get intoCazador’s weaknesses, let’s look atthe lackeysthat will be supporting Cazador, as they can prove to bemore dangerousthan theVampire Lordhimself in certain circumstances.
These creatures will immediately join the fightwhen you engage in Cazador’s boss battle.
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Predator Werewolf’s Notable Features
Multi-Attack: Wounded
Can Multi-Attack if the target is Prone or if its hit points are at 60% or less.
There arefourof these werewolves, and they will immediately go intomelee rangeto attack themost vulnerable targetwithin reach. They hit very hard but havelow AC, as well as low DEX, and WIS saves, meaning you’re able to likelyburst them down quickly.
They arecompletely immune to attacksfrom non-magical weapons, making it vital toequip yourmartial fighters with magic weaponsbefore sending them after these creatures.
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Fallen Gur Hunter’s Notable Features
Sacred Defiance Aura
Affected entity and nearby undead haveAdvantageagainst the effects of Turn Undead.
Ghastly Fume
The affected entity’s foul stench creates a pungent cloud thatNauseatesall creatures around it.
Nauseous: Can’t take actions.
These Ghasts will immediately attempt toswarm your partyand activate theirGhastly Fume traitto poison them. Make sure your party is spread out enough to avoid being incapacitated. These are melee bruisers that hit hard but haverelatively low AC, as well aslow CON and WIS saves.
They havesurprisingly high DEX, making spells such as Fireball less effective than alternative AOE spells likeSunbeamandCone of Cold.
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These swarms of Bats serve asshock troops,withextremely low health and abysmal CON saves,though they havehigh AC and DEX saves.Target them with anarea-of-effect CON or WIS saving throw spelland they should all die immediately.
Despite their low impact on the battle, they will still inflictThreatenedon anyranged attackersin your party, making it beneficial toget rid of themquickly.
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8*
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Chatterteeth is an interesting addition to this fight: askeleton spellcasterwho focuses on supporting Cazador withspells such asEyebite, which can incapacitate one of your party members withAsleep or Frightened conditions.
Though a formidable caster with a sizable health pool, it is aSkeletonvulnerable to bludgeoning damage. Any martial with ablunt weaponwill likelymake quick work of itslow AC.
Cazador Boss Fight: Recommended Tactics
Though there arecountless ways of tackling this boss fightdue to the overwhelming variety ofbuild optionsin Baldur’s Gate 3, here are somerecommended tips and tricksto make your victory against the Vampire Lord a little easier.
Due to Cazador’s resistance tonon-magical physical damage, you should also be sure toequip your martials with magical weapons.Radiant damageis also essential, as it will stopCazador’s regeneration.
1. Rescue Astarion
If Astarion was with you when you approached Cazador, he will become locked into the ritual andincapacitated for three turns, after which he willdisintegrateandCazador will ascend.
In this case, yourfirst priority should be to free him with the Help action,as you would otherwise be fighting an already tough boss battle withonly three party members.
You will not be able to free theother six spawnin the room, and they will remain part of the ritual untilCazador is killed.
That said, ifAstarion is freedor ifany spawns die(Astarion included), theritual will stop,and there will no longer be athree-turn limit.
2. Using Sunlight
You might notice when reading Cazador’s Notable Features that there’s one trait that stands out as a huge weakness: when a vampire such as Cazador is in thepresence of sunlight, he willlose his vampiric regeneration,gain disadvantage on attacks and ability checks, as well as take20 Radiant damage per turn.
This is amassive weaknessthat you can and should take advantage of.
Though Cazador’s ritual grounds are too far underground for the sun to reach, you may recreate the effects of sunlightwith spells such asDaylight, which will immediately debilitate Cazador.
3. Area Of Effect Attacks
BesidesChatterteethandCazadorhimself, almost every creature on the platform will attempt toswarm the most vulnerable targetavailable to them.
This means that a well-placed Fireball,Chain Lightning,Sunbeamor otherarea-of-effect spellcan deal a devastating blow to everyGhast and Werewolfon the field, as well as obliterate allthe Bats at once.
4. Turn Undead
In a similar vein as above, a cleric with theTurn Undead Channel Divinityfeature (and adecent Wisdom scoreto bolster theirSpell Save DC) can neutralize the Fallen Gur Hunters (Ghasts) with one action.
Though theGhastshave advantage on the saving throw, they stillonly have10 Wisdom, making it aworthwhile gambleto cast.
This can also work onChatterteethas a bonus effect, though it’smore important to keep the Ghastsaway from your partydue to theirarea-of-effect incapacitation.
Though unlikely due to hishigh Wisdom savebonus, it is possible forCazador himself to fail the Turn Undead save, which will also neutralize him for three turns and make the fight much easier.
If this happens, you shouldavoid hitting him, as doing so will end the Turn Undead effect. Instead,focus on ridding the platform of all the additional monsters.
5. Displacement And Knockback
The last (but certainly most fun) tip for fighting Cazador is thatany creature you throw off the edge of his ritual grounds will die instantly.
Unfortunately, as of Patch 4, thisno longer workson Cazadorhimself.
Features such asTelekinesisandRepelling Blastcan still be used to blast his allies off the cliff. A prime target for this isChatterteeth, who has middling Strength saving throws andcan incapacitate your party memberswith his supportive spells.
Though it might seem a little anti-climactic to defeata millennia-old Vampire Lordby shoving his allies into the void… Well, he really should have picked a better spot to hold his ritual.
Finishing Cazador Off
In the Forgotten Realms, vampiresautomatically returnto their coffins when close to death. This is also the case for Cazador, who will immediately retreat to his sarcophagus… which is convenientlyin the middle of the ritual grounds.
Killing Cazador With Astarion
If you approach Cazador’s sarcophagus with Astarion, he will yank open the sarcophagus and throw Cazador to the ground. After this, you will be faced with the moral dilemma of allowing Astarion toascend into Vampire Ascendant—sacrificing thousands of spawn to gain incredible new powers—or convincing Astarion thathe can be better than his former master.
Killing Cazador Without Astarion
If you approach Cazador’s sarcophagus without Astarion, you will have the option ofkilling him as he slumbersorleaving him alone.
HavingDetect Thoughtswill also let to peer into Cazador’s mind and learn about his troubled past.
If you kill Cazadorwithout Astarion being present at all,he will be frustrated that he did not get to do it himself. Depending on the dialogue option you choose, he may evenchoose to leave the party permanently.
Baldur’s Gate 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the long-awaited next chapter in the Dungeons & Dragons-based series of RPGs. Developed by Divinity creator Larian Studios, it puts you in the middle of a mind flayer invasion of Faerûn, over a century after the events of its predecessor.
