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Of all the interesting creatures and monsters inBaldur’s Gate 3, the Spectator might just be among the most unique and intimidating-looking ones. A cousin of the iconic Beholder monster from D&D, the Spectator is a grotesque and powerful one-eyed aberration.
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There are a couple of instances where you’re able to find this magnificent monster in the game—one of which being a challenging miniboss fight in the Underdark where not only the Spectator but also the surrounding environment works against you. All of these factors can make for a challenging fight, so this guide will walk you through how to defeat the fearsome Spectator.
There are currentlytwo placeswhere you can find a Spectator:
Spectator In “Find The Missing Shipment” Quest
You’ll find a hostile Spectator during the “Find the Missing Shipment” questline.You can find more information about how to fight this one inour guide about the Iron Flask—do be warned that it containsspoilersabout the quest and storyline of Act One!
Spectator In The Underdark
This Spectator, however, can be consideredmuch more of a boss fightthan the other, as it comes with itsown mechanics and environmental effects.
There aretons of ways to get into the Underdark, but the closest entrance to the Spectator is theone in the Shattered Sanctumthat leads into theSelûniteTemple.
It can be found to the immediate west of theUnderdark: Selûnite Outpost (X:179, Y:-234).
To get to the Spectator, walk out of the open window on the western side of the Selûnite Outpost, thenclimb down the nearby Knotted Rootsto an area filled withglowing purple crystalsand stone ‘statues’ of drow elves.
Continue east past several statues totrigger a cutscenewhere the Spectator will emerge from the ground and attack.
There are lots of Noxious Fumes in the vicinity.Block the vents to get ridof these pesky, explosive clouds of hazardous gas!
How To Beat The Spectator
In this guide, we’ll be focusing onthe Spectator that can be found in the Underdark.
The Spectator you fight here islevel 5. Similarly,you should be around level 5when fighting this Spectator (or traversing the Underdark in general).
The Spectator in the Underdark will alwaysstart the fight with a free round, as it will surprise any characters that trigger the cutscene of its appearance. You can circumvent this somewhat bykeeping your party members further awayand having them join the fight after the Spectator spawns.
With its first turn, the Spectator willfree Dhourn—a drow evoker—from petrificationand use its subsequent turns tofree more of the petrified drow.
These drow will becharmed, meaning they will fight for the Spectator. You canbreak the charmed effectby hitting the charmed drow once, after which they will fight on your side.
Continuing to damage the unpetrified drow after this willturn them hostileagain, so make sure touse the least-damaging, one-time damaging spells or attacks on them!
The Spectator is a powerhouse ofmulti-attacks, crowd control, and tankiness. Itsparalyzing raycan incapacitate essential party members, tipping the odds even more in its favor.
That being said, it hasno immunities or resistances to any damage typesand has a relativelylow AC of only 14. It also hasno proficiencies in saving throwsand asurprisingly low array of ability scores.
As such, any balanced party of equal level should be able to take it down withgood positioningand byturning the unpetrified drow back against the Spectator.
Key Takeaways
In all, a summary of things to look out for in this fight is as follows:
What To Do With The Petrified Drow
After defeating the Spectator, if he survives, Dhourn will speak to you, introducing himself and revealing that he is trying to hunt down apowerful forge called the Adamantine Forge.
Naturally, in true drow fashion, he will eventually decide that you’re a rival and threat to his progress and will attempt to kill you.
Any surviving unpetrified drow will alsojoin him in his fightagainst you.
Killing Dhourn andlooting the Memory Shard from his bodywill give you progress towardfinding the Adamantine Forge, an area in Grymforge that holds many secrets and boons.
