Baldur’s Gate 3: Hardest Bosses In The Game

Baldur’s Gate 3 includes some truly terrifying foes for the players to test their mettle against. Combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 works similarly to how it does in its source material, Dungeons and Dragons, playing out as a turn-based strategy game of swords and sorcery. Each turn, players have an action, bonus action, and movement for a character that can be performed in any order.

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While players don’t need to focus on strategy too much, especially on the easier ‘Explorer’ difficulty, there are some threats that demand a little more care. For these foes, players should get a long rest in, stock up on some potions and items, and get their thinking caps on.

Updated April 20, 2024, by Nyah Payne: Baldur’s Gate 3 was the biggest gaming hit of 2023. Since its original release, Larian subsequently brought the game to Xbox Series X/S and added new content, such as Honour Mode.

Honour Mode challenges players to complete the game on the hardest difficulty without getting a “game over.” This new mode makes it more important than ever to know which bosses can be expected to put up a tough fight and require a ton of preparation (and maybe a handful of explosives). This list has been updated to include a few more of the hardest BG3 bosses.

15 True Soul Nere

Numerous Allies And Environmental Hazards To Deal With

• Act: 2
• Location: Grymforge
• Quest: Free True Soul Nere, Deliver Nere’s Head
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Psionic Visage: When attacked, Nere can use 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.

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, as Nere is an arrogant character who murders his deep gnome slaves in lava for the fun of it. Unfortunately, Nere’s arrogance seems to stem from the fact that he is a force to be reckoned with.

Despite Nere’s strength and aptitude for spellcasting, however, the real threats in this fight come from the overwhelming number of foes, as Nere has many duergar under his command and the lava that acts as a powerful environmental threat. The best way to get the upper hand in this fight is to broker a deal prior to the fight with some duergar who are plotting a mutiny. Just be sure to set your terms with them before freeing Nere from the rubble he’s trapped behind, as it will be too late by the time he is freed and the combat starts.

14 Ch’r’ai W’wargaz

Powerful Githyanki Fighting Force

• Act: 2
• Location: Creche Y’llek
• Quest: Discover the Artefact’s Secrets
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Mind-Claw of Tu’narath: Summon up to two psionic blades each round as a free reaction when he or his allies are attacked

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 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.

13 Apostle Of Myrkul

Prevents Melee Fighters From Healing

• Act: 2
• Location: Mind Flayer Colony
• Quest: Defeat Ketheric Thorm
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): N/A

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 prove treacherous. Things aren’t much better for distance fighters, who can be targeted by his Gaze of the Dead, damaging and frightening them.

12 Gortash

Avatar Of Tyranny Form Is Brutal

• Act: 3
• Location: Wyrm’s Rock
• Quest: Get Gortash’s Netherstone, Our Fiery Friend
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Tyrannical Branding: Can brand a target to be hit for 20d10 force damage by Bane’s gauntlet unless the curse is removed

Arguably, Gortash isn’t all that hard to kill. Plenty of players have found amusing ways to throw him off buildings and dispose of him instantly, and these do work in Honour Mode. However, Gortash shouldn’t be underestimated if taking him on in more noble combat.

If Gortash 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.

11 Orin The Red

Legendary Action Can Instantly Kill Characters

• Act: 3
• Location: Temple Of Bhaal
• Quest: Get Orin’s Netherstone, Rescue Orin’s Victim
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Sanguine Lash – Deals 8d8 slashing damage, bleeds the target, and sweeps them back; Bhaal’s Edict – If Orin doesn’t use her legendary action, Bhaal marks a target who must kill someone by the end of their turn or die instantly

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.

Perhaps her most terrifying addition is one of her legendary actions in Honour Mode, or rather lack of. If Orin doesn’t use her legendary action at any point during a round of combat, Bhaal’s Edict will be placed on a random character. This character needs to kill another creature on their turn, or they will instantly die.

10 Dror Ragzlin

Powerful Absolute Abilities And Lots Of Allies

• Act: 1
• Location: Shattered Sanctum
• Quest: Save The Refugees
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): N/A

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 challenging 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.

9 Malus Thorm

Deals Large Damage With Assistance From Nurses

• Act: 2
• Location: House Of Healing
• Quest: Wake Up Art Cullagh, Lift The Shadow Curse
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Wail Of Loss – After being attacked, can deal 4d6 psychic damage, possibly inflict ‘Confused,’ and push back the target, Grasping Appendage – Pull a target closer

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 Act Two. Of all of them, 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.

With the assistance of his twisted nurses, he can deal terrifying amounts of damage. Often ranged characters are the best at countering Malus. By taking advantage of the height in the House of Healing, they tend to be able to pick Malus and his nurses off from afar. It is also worth noting that, like all the extended Thorm family, Malus can be killed without engaging in the boss fight.

8 Grym

Nigh Impossible To Kill Without Luring Him Into The Central Hammer

• Act: 1
• Location: Grymforge
• Quest: The Adamantine Forge
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Adamantine Reverberation – When hit, gains 10 temp HP and doubles movement, releases a shockwave when the temp HP is depleted

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 all damage. It may seem unkillable at first, although 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.

7 Ansur

Stormheart Nova Ability Can Wipe Parties

• Act: 3
• Location: Dragon’s Sanctum
• Quest: N/A
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Draconic Wrath – Can use his lightning breath on an attacker

The fight against Ansur the undead dragon in act three can be a daunting one, and with good reason. As a dragon, even an undead one, it goes without saying that Ansur has a large amount of health and deals a large amount of damage, particularly from the lightning-breath attack. But the fight also utilizes some unique mechanics that players may not anticipate or counter.

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, since a recent patch, players can now successfully hide behind rocks to avoid taking damage from this.

6 Thisobald Thorm

Immune To Damage Before He Unleashes A Powerful Attack

• Act: 2
• Location: The Waning Moon
• Quest: Punish The Wicked
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Overflowing Brew – Deals 3d6 damage to surrounding enemies and empowers his allies

This bloated and grotesque barkeep is another member of the Thorm family. Initially amicable, Thisobald can quickly turn aggressive, and he can be a very tough fight. He spends most of the fight in a “numb” state, where he is immune to many damage types.

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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, eventually, Thorm will receive the ‘blacked out’ condition, making him easier to hit and vulnerable to the damage types he was once immune to.

5 Sarevok

Hard To Hit And Hits Really Hard!

• Act: 3
• Location: Bhaalist Crypt
• Quest: Investigate The Murders
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Murderous Retort – Instantly strike back against an attacker (also available to Orin)

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.

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.

4 Gerringothe Thorm

Deals Damage Based On A Character’s Wealth

• Act: 2
• Location: Reithwin Tollhouse
• Quest: N/A
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Sublimation – When a piece of her gold armor is destroyed, she can attempt to turn all nearby enemies into gold

The final and perhaps toughest of Act Two Thorm bosses, 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. Finally, players should pick off the Visages that join the fight, as each one increases her HP by 100.

3 Auntie Ethel

Uses Infuriating Area Of Effect Spells

• Act: 1, 3
• Location: Sunlit Wetlands/Putrid Bog, Blushing Mermaid Basement
• Quest: Save Mayrina, Avenge The Hag Survivors, Save Vanra
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Weird Magic Surge – When a spell is cast, she can create illusory duplicates, with more duplicates appearing the higher the triggering spell’s level

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 contending with her bewitched followers and her affinity for the infuriating area of effect spells.

2 Cazador

Has A Lot Of Allies And Does Serious Damage

• Act: 3
• Location: Cazador’s Palace
• Quest: The Pale Elf
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Vampiric Swarm – Swarm of bats deals 8d12 force damage, pushes back targets, and can make targets “Swarmed.”

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 focussing their efforts on Cazador himself. It is also worth noting since players are most likely to be doing this combat with Astarion in their party, Astarion can be helped out of the ritual condition that Cazador puts him in but is likely to be focused by Cazador and returned to that state repeatedly.

1 Raphael

Highest Health And Powerful Attacks

• Act: 3
• Location: House Of Hope
• Quest: Save Hope, Acquire The Gauntlets For Helsik, Escape The Deal, Free Orpheus
• Legendary Actions (Honour Mode): Beguiling Rebuke – Attempts to charm the attacker and nearby allies to prevent them from attacking Raphael, Soul Ascension – Deals 6d10 necrotic damage and turns Cambions into Hellfire Cambions

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, including the flair, Raphael’s musical number, and, of course, the difficulty. Raphael has the highest health in the game at a thematic 666, as well as some potential party-wiping moves.

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.