10 Toughest Legendary Actions To Face In Baldur's Gate 3 (2024)

Baldur's Gate 3's Honour Mode introduced a swath of changes to make its unique premise more challenging. One of these was giving some bosses in the game Legendary Actions, similar to bosses in Dungeons & Dragons. Of course, this has made several already difficult boss encounters much tougher now, as each has a special move that makes thinking tactically even more important.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]

BG3's Honour Mode forces players to only have one save file, so each decision made carries more weight. Because of this, it is even more crucial to do some homework before taking on certain areas, as the wrong choice can lead to unexpected but instant death in BG3. However, for those confident in their skills and their party, here are some of the toughest Legendary Actions to keep an eye out for.

10 Balthazar: Spectral Aspect

Act 2, The Shadowfell

The fight with Balthazar in Act 2 of BG3 is already a tough one, with a precarious setting in the Shadowfell and plenty of minions to back him up. However, Balthazar's Legendary Action, Spectral Aspect, makes this even harder, adding to the undead necromancer's already formidable arsenal. Once per round after being hit with an attack, Balthazar takes on a ghostly form, making him resistant and immune to many forms of damage, as well as casting bone chill on the character who hit him for two turns.

9 Malus Thorm: Wail Of Loss

Act 2, House Of Healing

The head surgeon of the House of Healing, Malus Thorm is a fight many choose to avoid with clever dialogue and skill checks. However, for those unfortunate enough to battle him in Honour Mode, his Legendary Action, Wail of Loss, will cause his lovely nurse assistants to attack, dealing damage and potentially confusing the party. As he can do this once per round, it is best to focus on the assistants before dealing with Malus to limit the damage.

8 Raphael: Soul Ascension

Act 3, House Of Hope

As an Act 3 boss, Raphael’s fight is already one of the hardest boss fights in BG3 but his new Legendary Action, Soul Ascension, makes it even worse. In his Ascended Fiend form, Raphael can create a 60-foot/18-meter column that transforms any allied cambions into Hellfire cambions who deal a unique form of fire damage that bypasses usual resistances or immunities. This massive area will wreck some parties as it deals a whopping amount of necrotic damage to non-fiends caught in it, making positioning key in this battle.

7 Auntie Ethel: Weird Magic Surge

Act 1, Riverside Teahouse

The fight with Auntie Ethel can be particularly tricky if entered into unprepared. The hag will create several duplicates of herself that sap resources and actions as the party attempts to find the real Ethel. In Honour Mode, her Legendary Action, Weird Magic Surge, creates even more duplicates once per turn when a spell is cast at or close to the hag. Obviously, more Ethels means more trouble, and the best way to deal with this is to attempt to silence her with either spells or the Sussur Masterwork weapons.

6 Phase Spider Matriarch: Gossamer Tomb

Act 1, Whispering Depths

Perhaps one of Act 1's best hidden bosses, the Phase Spider Matriarch, can prove a tough challenge for low-level parties. However, in Honour Mode, that fight now has an extra level of difficulty with her Legendary Action, Gossamer Tomb. The matriarch wraps a target in silk, reducing their movement to zero and preventing them from taking actions. The cocoon does minor damage too, and if not removed with acid or fire, deals 8d10 poison damage as it explodes.

5 Orin (Slayer Form): Sanguine Lash

Act 3, Bhaal Temple

The first of Orin's two impressive Legendary Actions is used when she is in her powerful Slayer form and can be used as a reaction once per turn. Orin will sweep at a character, knocking them back six-feet and dealing 8d8 damage if they fail a Dexterity saving throw. For the next three turns, that character will be bleeding, which means they will be taking damage and suffering from disadvantage to all Constitution saving throws.

4 Sarevok Anchev: Deathbringer Assault

Act 3, Murder Tribunal

The previous antagonist of Baldur's Gate games, Sarevok Anchev is no push over and in combat is aided by echoes that boost his abilities. However, in Honour Mode, Sarevok can unleash a terrifying new attack after he has built up enough stacks of Murderous Strikes. His Deathbringer Assault hits a target four times for up to 50 damage each, meaning he is capable of dealing out 200 points of damage in a single turn, making taking him down quickly a necessity.

3 Viconia DeVir: Heartwrench

Act 3, Cloister Of Sombre Embrace

The fight beneath the House of Grief with the Sharran's and their leader, Viconia DeVir, is a challenge on any difficulty, with numbers often working against the party. However, in Honour Mode there is an extra twist, as Viconia has a devastating Legendary Action that, while it can only affect one target in the group, deals massive damage. Dealing 10d12 psychic damage each time she or an ally is hit, Viconia's Heartwrench ability can easily take down an unprepared character very quickly.

2 Orin: Deathbringer Assault

Act 3, Bhaal Temple

The second of Orin's Legendary Actions is one she will only use when fighting in her humanoid form, and while this Legendary Action has the same name as her grandfather's, Orin's Deathbringer Assault is far more lethal. As a reaction, Orin uses her Murderous Retort to strike a character seven times, dealing 3d10 for each attack for an eye-watering 210 max damage. This, combined with her other abilities and slayer form, easily makes Orin one of the most deadly foes to face in Honour Mode.

1 Cazador: Vampiric Swarm

Act 3, Cazador's Palace

The fight against Cazador is already one of the toughest in the game, as there are tons of minions to aid the master vampire, who can turn into mist and can no longer be shoved to his doom. However, with his Legendary Action, it can easily overwhelm the unprepared as Cazador conjures a swarm of bats, knocking them back and dealing 12d12 damage. But it gets even worse, as the bats will then swarm a target for two turns dealing additional damage, all while healing Cazador, making him even more difficult to take down in Baldur's Gate 3's Honour Mode.

Baldur's Gate 3

Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , Stadia , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence