Wondering how to beat the Balthazar boss in Baldur’s Gate 3? Given the horrifying appearance of this taboo necromancer, as opposed to the less taboo necromancers, it’s pretty clear that you’re going to be fighting him at some point. Of course, because this is Baldur’s Gate 3, where and when you fight him can vary, and to be honest, if you’re going all-in on being really shifty, you mate even make fast friends with the creep.
We’re not going to judge you for being evil in a game. Well, we are a little bit, but variety is the spice of life, and sometimes, in Baldur’s Gate 3, that means trying to take over the world and grow tentacles out of your face. If you do want to beat him, no matter what kind of playthrough you’re doing, it’s worth having a strategy in mind, because this dude is no slouch in a fight, and also never fights alone.
How to Beat Balthazar in BG3
The two main places you can fight Balthazar are both in Act 2. The first is when you meet him in his little room near Shar’s trials in the Mausoleum. This is before the trials themselves, and you’ll meet him if you follow the strange trio of skeletons who all speak with one voice. In this room, he’s flanked by some very powerful undead, so while you can fight him here, it can be a very tough fight unless you can take out his brother, Flesh.
If you do decide to fight him here, it’s worth trying to kite him and his goons through the doors to bottleneck them, and then use things like twisting vines, cloud of daggers, or any other AoE spells you can muster to cause them to take damage as they follow you. The more common combat ground is after Shar’s trials down by Nightsong. Here, you’ll have a chance to either let him transport Nightsong, or throwdown in the strange arena you find yourself in.
This fight is where he’ll summon the most minions, with around 20 boney friends appearing out of nowhere. Most of these are fairly weak, but it’s worth noting that due to sheer numbers, they can be a real challenge. You’ll want to make sure your fighters stay near the centre mass of the floating island here to avoid being knocked off, and if you happen to have Shadowheart on your team, then we highly recommend Turn Undead after running into the middle of them.
Radiant damage is always a good shout, but for beating Balthazar in either fight, you’re going to want to silence him as fast as possible, and then basically hit him with melee fighters a lot. He’s pretty weak when up close, and while his magical prowess may indeed be intimidating, he’s not half the threat when he can’t speak. You can also just kick him into the void if you fight him near Nightsong, but then you won’t get to loot him.
And that’s how to beat Balthazar in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re looking for more on the game, check out our guide to all the romance options in BG3.
