Combat

Boss Strategies

Plans for the fights that end runs. Boss names are visible, but story context is blurred — click to reveal.

Universal boss checklist

  1. Inspect the boss (right-click → Examine). Read resistances, immunities, passives and — in Honour Mode — its Legendary Actions.
  2. Long rest and pre-buff: Aid, Longstrider, Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Heroes' Feast.
  3. Split the room. Kill or lure away adds before the boss joins, or use stealth to pick off guards one at a time.
  4. Win initiative. Alert, Gloom Stalker and initiative gear let your strongest attacks land first.
  5. Control effects like Hold Person/Monster, Command, Banishment and Hypnotic Pattern are often stronger than damage — but check legendary resistances first.
  6. Keep an escape plan: Dimension Door, invisibility potions, Misty Step.

Act 1 bosses

Auntie Ethel Riverside Teahouse
  • She turns invisible and creates illusory copies. Hitting a copy pops it; See Invisibility or Faerie Fire reveals the real one.
  • Fight from the doorway so you aren't surrounded, and kill the masked minions quickly — they're charmed villagers.
  • Below a threshold she offers to bargain. Refusing and finishing the fight saves Mayrina if you've freed her first; defeating Ethel also gives you her hair for a permanent +1 stat.
Goblin Camp leaders — Dror Ragzlin, Priestess Gut, Minthara Shattered Sanctum
  • Separate them. Each leader has their own room; fighting them all at once is the hardest version of Act 1.
  • Priestess Gut: talk to her privately in her quarters, then fight — or stealth-kill. Don't let her escape to raise the alarm.
  • Dror Ragzlin: his throne room is full of goblins. Use explosive barrels or Grease + fire, and target the bugbears first.
  • Minthara: the toughest — drow warriors and spellcasters with high ground. Silence her casters; consider non-lethal if you want to recruit her later.
  • Everything in the camp turns hostile once you start. Leave the camp via the Shattered Sanctum and rest before taking on the next leader.
Grym Adamantine Forge, Grymforge
  • Grym is almost immune to damage. The trick: lure him onto the forge's central plate and drop the giant hammer on him via the lever.
  • Each hammer hit deals massive damage and strips his defences. Stand someone on the target plate as bait so Grym walks into position.
  • Ranged characters on the edges pull the lever; melee keeps him occupied. Expect two or three hammer hits.
Inquisitor W'wargaz Crèche Y'llek
  • A powerful githyanki caster with guards. Approach in stealth and alpha-strike the Inquisitor.
  • Counterspell or Silence his big spells; the gith warriors hit hard but have modest HP.
  • Reward includes the Gloves of Belligerent Skies nearby — huge for radiant and thunder builds.

Act 2 bosses

Balthazar Gauntlet of Shar
  • A necromancer surrounded by a summoned flesh golem and undead. Kill the minions or he'll keep you outnumbered.
  • Radiant damage (Spirit Guardians, Sunbeam, Blood of Lathander) shreds the undead.
  • Ranged characters on high ground; frontline holds the doorway.
Yurgir Gauntlet of Shar
  • An orthon with high HP and teleports. You can avoid this fight entirely: with good Persuasion or Intimidation, you can convince him his contract is worthless, ending his deal with Raphael peacefully.
  • If you fight, kill his minions first and use crowd control; he is resistant to many effects.
Ketheric Thorm Moonrise Towers & the Colony
  • First fight (Moonrise rooftop): he is immortal until his source of power is removed. Resolve Nightsong's fate in the Gauntlet of Shar first, or you'll be fighting an unkillable foe.
  • Clear his guards and use the rooftop edges — shoves and Repelling Blast can send enemies flying.
  • Second fight (the Colony): he transforms into the Apostle of Myrkul with large undead summons. Destroy the summons fast and pour radiant damage into him.
  • Pre-cast Death Ward on your frontline and keep Revivify scrolls ready.

Act 3 bosses

Raphael House of Hope
  • The Soul Pillars in the arena empower him — destroy them early to reduce his healing and summons.
  • Bring fire resistance (Fire Shield, Potions, Helldusk pieces) — almost everything here deals fire damage.
  • Freeing Hope before the fight gives you an ally; the Orphic Hammer is stored in his vault.
  • Reward: Helldusk Armour, one of the best items in the game.
Orin the Red Temple of Bhaal
  • She shapeshifts and moves fast. Stay grouped so she can't isolate a single character.
  • Kill the Bhaalist cultists and keep Freedom of Movement active.
  • Outcomes for one companion depend on how you approach her quest; save before entering the temple.
Gortash Wyrm's Rock
  • Disable the Steel Watch first by dealing with the Steel Watch Foundry — otherwise the Steel Watch fight with him.
  • His throne room has hazards and traps; use them against his guards.
  • Focus Gortash himself — he uses misty-step-style escapes, so lock him down with Hold Person or Command.
Cazador Cazador's Palace
  • Astarion's arc climax. Kill or neutralise his vampire spawn and the sarcophagi first.
  • Radiant damage and Daylight are strong; Cazador has life-drain attacks.
  • At the end, Astarion makes a major choice — your approval with him shapes the outcome.
The Iron Throne Timed
  • Not a boss so much as a timed rescue. You have a limited number of rounds (fewer on Tactician/Honour) to rescue prisoners and escape on the submarine.
  • Dimension Door, Misty Step, Haste and Dash potions are invaluable. Send fast characters first; slower ones guard the exits.
  • Ignore enemies where you can — killing isn't required.
The Netherbrain (finale) Upper City
  • A long, multi-stage final battle. Allies you've helped across all three acts can be summoned — bring them in.
  • Prepare: level 12, full rests, stacked buffs, Speed and Healing potions, revive scrolls.
  • Speed matters more than safety here — protect key characters and focus objectives over enemies.

Honour Mode: legendary actions

What changes In Honour Mode about 30 boss fights gain Legendary Actions: extra moves they can take at the end of another creature's turn, often several times per round. Common effects include incapacitation, area damage and resisted crowd-control. Examine every boss before engaging — the tooltip lists its legendary actions.
  • Check saves and immunities: many bosses resist or are immune to common crowd control. Test with cheap spells (Command, Hold Person) before spending your big control effect.
  • Avoid clustering when bosses have AoE legendary actions.
  • Burst windows matter more. Plan the round where your Haste, Action Surge and smites all land together.