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Of the three main villains ofBaldur’s Gate 3, it is Orin the Red who has the privilege of holding the title of the most disturbing and exciting boss of all. Transforming into the dreaded Bhaalspawn amidst the chanting of her onlooking, murderous cult followers, you’ll have to stare down death and murder itself to save the city.
But it isn’t just the city you’re here to save. You’re here for your kidnapped ally - dead or (hopefully) alive. You’re here to avenge the needlessly murdered. You’re here to put Orin in her place. In this dangerous and epic fight, we’ll give you the tools you need to make that a reality.
Updated on Jul 05, 2025 by Alexis Campbell:Included new Patch 5 Honour Mode updates to Orin the Red’s fight such as new Legendary Action. Expanded old guide covering normal playthrough to now include fighting Orin the Red in the Dark Urge playthrough.
What Is Orin The Red’s Fight Gimmick?
Origin And Redeemed Dark Urge Only
Before you go fighting Orin the Red as Tav, an Origin character, or a turned-good Dark Urge, slow down andtake note of the various components of this circle.Without understanding each of them, you’ll needlessly expend key resources and time you need for success.
The first and most important part of her gimmick is thatshe has the trait: “Unstoppable.“Ifyou’ve fought Gislevbefore now, it should ring a bell:
Unstoppable (x): Reduce the next attack taken by the entity to 1 and consumes one charge of Unstoppable. Unstoppable creatures cannot be moved by external forces - mundane or magical.
She hasseven charges of Unstoppable in Normal mode,meaning she can take seven attacks for only a single point of damage.
There are 12 charges of Unstoppable in Honour Mode.
While this seems like a general but manageable nuisance at first, the true gimmick of this fight is that herUnstoppable feat refreshes at the end of every round of combat.
Additionally, Bhaal (who will always act at the end of every round of combat) willuse “Bhaal’s Edict"on a random party member in the field - especially at higher levels of difficulty. Whoever this is cast onmust kill or deal the final blow to someone within the circle or immediately dieat the end of the next round.
Orin the Red’s companions includeonly two active enemiesat the start of the fight.All other cultists will be chantingfor the ritual that restores Orin’s Unstoppable charges.
The chanting cultists areall protected bySanctuaryandcanonly be damaged by area-effect spellsthat graze them. This means that spells likeIce StormorFireballcan be effective against them.
Once Orin the Red is defeated,if there are any remaining cultists on the side, they will becomehostile, turn Invisible, and begin approaching to attack.If they attack, their Sanctuary will end.
The Cultists can also use spells that affect your movement and actions via various conditions (like Slow). For this reason,we recommend bringing someone withCounterspell.
If you do not defeat Orin the Red on Turn One or attempt to focus on the other cultists before her, she willmark them with “Let The Slaughter Begin.”
Killing any marked creature (or allowing your own marked party members to die) willadd to Orin’s AC.
Thus,focusing on these cultists before her would be a grave mistakethat can set you up for a disastrous encounter.
16
9m
Large/400kg (Monstrosity)
22 (+6)
14 (+2)
17 (+3)
16 (+3)
19 (+4)
Feats And Conditions
Orin can take the form of the Bhaalspawn.
Unstoppable
Reduce the next attack taken by the entity to 1 and consumes one charge of Unstoppable. Unstoppable creatures cannot be moved by external forces - mundane or magical.
Orin can see 12 in the dark.
Evasion
Orin takes half damage from area attacks that ask for Dexterity saving throws and no damage on a successful Dexterity saving throw.
Uncanny Dodge
Orin can use her reaction to halve the damage of an attack she can see.
Orin has an additional bonus action.
Immutable Form
Spells that alter her form have no effect, and Orin has a +5 bonus on Saving Throws that would remove Orin from this plane.
Advantage on Saving Throws against spells and magical effects.
Orin cannot be surprised.
Reliable Talent
When Orin rolls for an ability check in something she is proficient in, she cannot roll less than a 10.
Murderous Retort (Legendary Action; Honour Mode and Human Form Only)
Uses a Legendary Action to strike back at a creature after Orin is struck (melee only). Deals seven 3d10’s of Piercing damage (21-210 damage).
Add +10 to next Saving Throw against an incapacitating condition.
Bhaal’s Edict (Honour Mode Only)
Mark an enemy creature, forcing it to kill or be killed. If marked creature does not kill another creature by the end of the next round, the marked creature immediately dies. (Technically cast by Bhaal, not Orin)
Attacks
Piercing Growl
Deals 3d8 + 4 Piercing damage and both Bleeding and Fear conditions on opponents on a failed Constitution save. Targets still take half damage on a success.
Relentless Lunge
+10 to hit; 16m. Deals 2d6 + 6 Bludgeoning. It is a leap attack that knocks any creatures within the user’s landing zone Prone on a failed Strength save.
Let The Slaughter Begin
All nearby creatures are marked on a failed Constitution save. If they die, Orin becomes harder to kill (granting her a +1AC).
Multiattack
+10 to hit; 3m. Deals 4d4 Slashing damage over four attacks.
Sanguine Lash (Legendary Action; Honour Mode and Slayer Form Only)
Attack in a cone to deal 8d8 Slashing damage to all enemies inside, causing the Bleeding condition and knocking back creatures on a failed Dexterity Saving Throw.
While it is tempting to start straight out of the gate with a large area-attack spell like Fireball and eliminate the cultists, the cultists on the other end of the ritual will pose an issue.
Additionally,allowing Orin to live more than one or two rounds is a huge riskwith her power and abilities.
The best way to deal with Orin is tofocus on herwith the goal oftaking her out on Turn One.This is possible byselecting characters and spells that allow for multiple hits.
We found that themost effective methodof dealing with Orin is to have:
Magic Missile is by far the best methodof dealing with Orin’s Unstoppable feat. A Magic Missile spell castat the fifth levelwill remove all of Orin’s Unstoppable charges with little sacrifice for damage.
If you have a rogue or someone in the turn order moving before your spellcaster, the Magic Missile can be cast at a lower level.
Additionally, you’ll want to have cast Haste on your Wizard before battle if you’re playing on a difficulty like Honour Mode due to her increased number of Unstoppable charges, which require two high-level casts of Magic Missile to dismiss.
Once all charges of Unstoppable have been removed,use all your strongest feats, actions, and spells to eliminate Orin as fast as possible.Thankfully, once her Unstoppable charges are gone, her low AC and mediocre health pool make her a squishy target.
Turn 1: Rogue (or any other choice)
Rogue attacks with bow on turn one. (Unnecessary)
Turn “2”: Wizard
After Orin and follower move, Wizard attacks with level 4-5 Magic Missile and removes all Unstoppable charges.
If one of the cultists uses a Stun against your fighter or another key backup fighter, cast Magic Missile even higher and send the remaining charges to the cultist to disrupt their concentration.
Fighter attacks 3x, action surges, attacks 3x again. Kills Orin.
Turn “4”: Cleric (or any choice of Support)
Begins setting up to deal with other enemies. May finish Orin if Fighter was unlucky with damage rolls.
While you do not have to follow this strategy exactly, the Magic Missile use followed by a strong melee fighter method is an effective one with leeway of choice for your two other party members.Teaming up with a monkhere can be an even greater bonus.
How To Defeat Orin’s Supporters
Cultists Of Bhaal
With Orin out of the way, the next hurdle to overcome is her companion cultists. They’re not much of a risk to your health, but they are very annoying to fight.
Once Orin is gone, the ritual will stop, andall cultists will begin to swarm at you.However, they’ll do soafter using Shroud Self,turning themselves Invisible, to sneak up on you.
Ice StormandSpirit Guardiansare two highly effective methodsof simultaneously revealing and damaging these enemies while they’re still under the effects of Sanctuary (which will be until they make a direct attack against you).
For the fight, it’s recommended to havetwo of your tankiest characters sitting at the bottom of the stairswhile yourspellcaster and any other ranged helper can be at the top of the first set of stairs, lending support from above.
If you have a cleric withSpirit Guardians, place them at the base of the stairsto reveal any cultists that try to sneak past.
Revealing them with area attacks and then making melee attacks after their Sanctuary expiresis the name of the game here. It’s a long and tedious process in many cases.
As long as you’re patient andallow the cultists to come to you, you can walk away from the Temple of Bhaal in one piece. But remember tosearch for Orin’s loot.She has some nice treasures for you to take.
However, her death spot is a little tricky to find in the lighting. If you cannot find it, tohold L Alt on PC or click in on the L Joystick with a controllerto highlight her lootable ash pile.
To free your friend from the altar (if they’re still alive),take the key from her ash pile and interact with the altar.This will free them, allowing you to take your party member back to camp along with all the treasures and goodies Orin provided.
How To Defeat Orin The Red As The Bhaalspawn
Dark Urge Only; The Duel
If you decide to play as the Bhaalspawn, your fight against Orin will be entirely different mechanically from the section above (however, the stat block from above still applies with the alternate fight gimmicks removed). Rather than all the flashy gimmicks and cultists, it’s just you and Orin in a duel to the death.
The variance in what (or who) you fight will bedetermined by your past gameplay choices:
*If you tell Orin the truth about her past (pass a Deception or Religion check), she will always transform into the Slayer(allowing this to be a Slayer vs. Slayer fight). However, if you tell her the truth in a redeemed Dark Urge run, she will not only turn into the Slayer but become an enhanced version of it with small buffs to her attacks and health pool.
To tell Orin the truth, you must have questioned Sarevok at the Murder Tribunal as well as snuck into Orin’s room in the back of the temple to speak with her mother in the coffin using Speak with the Dead.
Either way,this will be a one-on-one duel.Youcannot use your partymates here,nor can Orin receive buffs from the other Bhaal cultists as she could in the above normal or redeemed fight.
Using any form of assistance during the fight from an outside party member will invite the cultists to become involved. This includes:
We do not recommend interfering in any way during the duel.Keep this fight a 1v1.
Although you cannot use your party mates during the fight, you canuse other members to give the Dark Urge buffs before speaking to Orin.Themost helpful spellsto cast for this fight include:
Additionally, werecommend using one of the following potions:
Bringing spells that conjure minionsof any kind is also highly useful during this fight to help soak up some of her immense damage.
Anything to increase your ability to prevent being knocked Prone and the Frightened condition is paramount here.
If you are a Paladin, however, you may have an innate immunity to the Frightened condition, which will free up some Concentration spells.
Depending on which version of this fight you have, yourstrategy should differ slightly but have common threads:
Orin (Humanoid)
This is a very straightforward fight, thanks to Orin’s decreased stats compared to the slayer form.
Orin (Slayer)
This can be a tricky Slayer vs. Slayer fight or Player vs. (Enhanced) Slayer, where you’ll need to manage your bonuses and prepare before the fight to have the best chance at victory. This is the more difficult fight of the two.
Fighting Orin is no easy task, especially in higher-level difficulties like Tactician and Honour Mode. She’ll beparticularly challenging for spellcasting classesdue to her access to Uncanny Dodge, enormous health, and brutal damage output.
If you’re having trouble with Orin,ask yourself these questions:
Potions and action economy management will make a big difference, so if you feel happy with your build but aren’t making progress with Orin, consider a different approach.
Example: Our poor, squishy Storm Sorcerer took a defensive approach at first and struggled setting up properly for Orin and suffered several defeats, hardly surviving a round even with 24AC + Shield. We changed our strategy to an offensive one, prioritizing damage, and saw success so great that we accidentally first-turned Orin with Witch Bolt.
Eventually, you’ll be able to put Orin in her place. Your reward will not only include her Netherstone and unique weapons and armour, but you’ll have theopportunity to receive Bhaal’s Chosen blessing.
Will you accept it? Or will you dare to shun the God of Murder in the flesh?
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.
