Baldur’s Gate 3: PXP party 003 (Fire-Ice-Smash Party) – Builds and Walkthrough with Honour mode demo

• Beginner Party (with Astarion origin demo) – designed as a tutorial party that starts off simple, then increases in complexity as it gains level.
• Spike Growth Party (with Karlach origin demo) – thematic party that plays on Difficult Terrain mechanic with complete immunity to Spike Growth.
• (this guide) Fire-Ice-Smash Party (with Wyll origin demo) – designed primarily to elevate Bludgeoning damage in Act 3 to compete with Bhaalist Armour.
• (coming soon) Irresistible Party (with Shadowheart origin demo) – party that always get their way, with the enemies always failing saves against their spells.
• (coming soon) Opposites Party (with Gale origin demo) – thematic party of 3 full casters focused on utilizing opposing elements of Light/Darkness, Fire/Ice, and Silence/Thunder to shut down enemies.
• (coming soon) Astral Displacement Party (with Lae’zel origin demo) – thematic party focused on movement, both of their own mobility and of forcible displacement of their enemies.

If you’re on mobile, try to bring up the Section list. This guide is long so should be navigated by section. On PC screen it should be on the right.

Here are the Sections and what they’re about.

• Introduction – what we’re doing.
• Storyline Requirements – you should make your storyline match these few points if you want to have access to required items.
• Party Overview – the 4 members briefly summarized. Pros and Cons.
• 1st-4th Member – in detail, and their Level up guide.
• Act 1-3 – summarizes best equipment in-slot and overview of the fights for each Act.
• Level 3-12 – explains how your party changes at each level (and at each place), what they should look like, what they’re generally doing, discusses the strategies for potential fights at each level.
• Act 1-3 Fights – videos of fights demonstrated in each Act.

Now, please navigate this guide by section of interest to you..

This is a full party build example and general guide for party synergies.

• It is a party mainly designed to elevate the use Bludgeoning damage.
  • While a few Bludgeoning damage build archetypes are regarded highly, they pale in comparison to Piercing damage in later game, due to the availability of Bhaalist Armour that doubles Piercing damage.
  • This guide aims to level the playing field, by using party synergies to create vulnerability to Bludgeoning with status effects.
• They’re also not dependent on consumables or illithid power. The party’s supposed to be very playable without investing your time in farming consumables, and ‘keeping true’ to the spirit of the game – avoid becoming Mind Flayer.

If you’re on mobile, try to bring up the Section list. This guide is long so should be navigated by section. On PC screen it should be on the right.

Storyline affects which merchants and items are available.

• Convince Rolan to stay at the Grove at first time you reach it. (keeps Mattis alive)
• Choose Spellsparkler[bg3.wiki] staff as quest reward from saving Florick at Waukeen’s Rest.
• Keep Dammon alive by not causing the Druids to attack the Tieflings.
• Keep Dammon alive by saving the Grove, and do so before going to Mountain Pass or Grymforge.
• While not strictly necessary, getting Ethel’s hair is recommended and will be done in the demo.
• Keep Quartermaster Talli, Dammon and Last Light Inn alive, at least until you get all you need from them.
• Kill Hope after finishing Raphael fight with her surviving.

The full party comprises these 4 character concepts.

• Hellblaster (Human with any background or Half-Elf with Persuasion background)
  • Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 12
  • the party leader, Eldritch Blaster, Wall-of-Fire-r, and Water Elemental summoner powered by Warlock pact.
  • the Warlock whose main roles are to ensure constant supply of Water Elemental that can inflict Brittle on enemies, and to wear Amulet of Elemental Torment to inflict Burning on enemies with Eldritch Blast. (Burning duty is shared with Pyromaniac)
• Sanguine Monk
  • Tiger Heart Barbarian 3 / Way of the Open Hand Monk 9
  • 1-inch puncher (OH Monk) with a taste for blood.
  • Open Hand Monk that bleeds and wields Flail of Ages to also inflict Chilled/Burning as needed. Burning will combo with Water Elemental to make enemies Brittle. Chilled can combo with Create Water to make enemies Frozen. Bleeding is also necessary to force disadvantage on saving throw against Brittle each round.
• Pyromaniac
  • Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 10
  • the maniac mage that burns self and targets. Controller with Fire Acuity-powered Hold spells.
  • Markoheshkir-powered Fire Sorcerer that can also Conjure Elemental and Create Water, for inflicting Brittle and for flexibility of choice element. Also responsible for burning enemies by wearing Amulet of Elemental Torment. (Burning duty is shared with Hellblaster)
• Légerdemain-Thrower
  • Berserker Barbarian 8 / Thief Rogue 4
  • Dwarven thrower of hammers, and the party’s rogue. Nothing related to Arcane Trickster subclass. Légerdemain is simply a literal translation of Sleight of Hand.
  • basically a throwmancer who’s also responsible for Sleight of Hand duties.

Pros

• Meta-level raw power with 2 Tavern Brawlers and Fire Acuity controller.
• Exceed even meta-level power by utilizing Frozen and Brittle status effects.
• 2 Counterspellers.

Cons

• No Aid, Calm Emotion, or Heroes’ Feast, making the party less durable and susceptible to mind-affecting malus overall.
• Late power gain at earlier levels. Overall power level will lag by 1 character level compared to my first 2 guides (party 001 and party 002). Only at level 7 do they catch up.
  • Unless playing with free respec, gets extra attack at level 6 instead of 5. (the demo will play with limited respec, which would lead to this late power gain – early fights will be challenging)
  • Late acquisition of Sorcerer spells. (lag by 2 character levels since beginning)
• In practice Piercing damage is still better overall, due to
  • On-crit damage gears being of Piercing type. Crit-builds are powerful when built right. Bludgeon builds don’t have the same crit-gear support as Piercing.
  • Some important bosses are immune to Brittle. While this doesn’t make the concept of the build bad, it’s poorly suited for the campaign we’re given.
    • Steel Watchers (and by extension, the Steel Watcher Titan) and Raphael are immune to Burning, and thus can’t be made Brittle.
    • On the contrary Cazador and Gortash are probably the most susceptible to Brittle.

This member is strongly suggested to be either

• Human
• Half-Elf with Background that gives Persuasion

We’re after both the racial Shield Proficiency and the Persuasion Proficiency. You can get these from your class, but it’ll be late or otherwise compromises early game power.
Playing Dark Urge is explicitly not recommended, unless you know how to get Potent Robe while playing Dark Urge.

Role in party

• Party face
• Water Elemental
• Wall of Fire
• Eldritch Blast
• Counterspell

Class composition

• Fiend Warlock (Pact of the Tome) 12

Leveling
WWWWWWWWWWWW
Take 12 straight Warlock levels.

General Stats

• Ability Scores – 2 numbers are represented. They’re, in order, final ability score, and raw ability score
  • Str – 8 (8)
  • Dex – 14 (14)
  • Con – 16 (16)
  • Int – 8 (8)
  • Wis – 10 (10)
  • Cha – 22 (17) +2 from Mirror of Loss
• HP – 101
• AC – 19
• Raw Spellcasting DC – 21
• Initiative – +5
• Feats
  • ASI +2 Cha
  • Spell Sniper
  • Any 3rd Feat
  • (not feat) Auntie Ethel hair boosting Charisma

Choices on level up

• Skill Proficiency (assumes gaining Persuasion from Race or Background)
  • Proficiency in Deception
  • Proficiency in Intimidation
• Eldritch Invocations (assumes gaining Persuasion from Race or Background)
  • Level 2 – Agonizing Blast, Repelling Blast
  • Level 5 – Devil’s Sight
  • Level 9 – Minion of Chaos
• Warlock Spells
  • Hex – used in earlier levels (1-4)
  • Hunger of Hadar
  • Wall of Fire
  • Fireball
  • Cone of Cold

Equipments

• Main hand – Rhapsody[bg3.wiki]
• Off hand – Sentinel Shield[bg3.wiki] or Bloodthirst[bg3.wiki]
• Ranged – Dead Shot[bg3.wiki]
• Body – Potent Robe[bg3.wiki]
• Cloak – Cloak of the Weave[bg3.wiki]
• Gloves – Craterflesh Gloves[bg3.wiki] (the effect might not survive Patch 7)
• Boots – Boots of Stormy Clamour[bg3.wiki]
• Head – Birthright[bg3.wiki]
• Amulet – Amulet of the Devout[bg3.wiki] (or Amulet of Elemental Torment)
• Ring 1 – Coruscation Ring[bg3.wiki]
• Ring 2 – Ring of Protection[bg3.wiki]

• Level 1
  
• Level 2
  
• Level 3
  
• Level 4
  
• Level 5
  
• Level 6
  
• Level 7
  
• Level 8
  
• Level 9
  
• Level 10
• Level 11
• Level 12

Role in party

• Bleeding
• Burning
• Stun, Prone, Push, Stagger
• Damage Dealer

Class composition

• Tiger Heart (Wildheart) Barbarian 3
• Way of the Open Hand Monk 9

Leveling

• No Elixir path (considerably weaker at lower level)
  BMMMMMMBBMMM
  B for Barbarian and M for Monk. Take 1st level in Barbarian, then 6 in Monk, then the rest as written.
• Elixir path (much stronger defensively overall, and much stronger offensively until level 7)
  MMMMMM until level 6 before respeccing to match no Elixir path at level 7

General Stats

• Ability Scores (assumes no Elixir) – 3 numbers are represented. They’re, in order, final ability score, final raw ability score, and initial raw ability score before getting the Amulet of Greater Health. If you’d use Elixir feel free to allocate more points into Wisdom and Dexterity, perhaps more in Intelligence for the final fight.
  • Str – 22 (17 17)
  • Dex – 14 (14, 14)
  • Con – 23 (8, 16)
  • Int – 10 (10, 8)
  • Wis – 16 (16, 10) +2 from Mirror of Loss
  • Cha – 8 (8, 8)
• HP – 149
• AC – 20
• Initiative – +4
• Feats
  • Tavern Brawler
  • ASI +2 Strength
  • (not feat) Potion of Everlasting Vigour from Araj Oblodra

Choices on level up

• Athletics Proficiency
• Tiger Heart

Equipments

• Main hand – Flail of Ages[bg3.wiki] (use Elemental Age: Fire) (absolutely don’t use Elemental Age: Cold even if you get Fire damage from Helldusk Gloves. Even though the wiki doesn’t state it, Chilled and Burning are mutually exclusive, as I’ve tested for you.)
• Off hand – None
• Ranged – Vicious Shortbow[bg3.wiki]
• Body – Vest of Soul Rejuvenation[bg3.wiki]
• Cloak – Cloak of Displacement[bg3.wiki]
• Gloves – Helldusk Gloves[bg3.wiki] (preferred over Gloves of Soul Catching due to Bleeding)
• Boots – Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo[bg3.wiki]
• Head – Mask of Soul Perception[bg3.wiki]
• Amulet – Amulet of Greater Health[bg3.wiki]
• Ring 1 – Caustic Band[bg3.wiki] – this activates Acid condition on Flail of Ages
• Ring 2 –

• Level 1
  
• Level 2
  
• Level 3
  
• Level 4
  
• Level 5
  
• Level 6
  
• Level 7
  
• Level 8
  
• Level 9
  
• Level 10
• Level 11
• Level 12

Role in party

• Burning
• Water Elemental
• Counterspell
• Nuker
• Controller

Class composition

• Wizard 1
• Tempest Cleric 1
• Brass Draconic Sorcerer 10

Leveling
WCSSSSSSSSSS
W for Wizard, C for Cleric, and S for Sorcerer. Take 1st 2 levels in secondary classes, then finish with Sorcerer.

General Stats

• Ability Scores – 2 numbers are represented. They’re, in order, final ability score, and raw ability score.
  • Str – 8 (8)
  • Dex – 8 (8)
  • Con – 16 (16)
  • Int – 14 (14)
  • Wis – 12 (12)
  • Cha – 20 (16) +2 from Mirror of Loss
• HP – 97
• AC – 24
• Raw Spellcasting DC – 19
• Initiative – 7
• Feats
  • ASI +2 Cha
  • ASI +2 Cha

Choices on level up

• Sorcerer Spells
  • Shield
  • Mage Armour (cast on Hellblaster, who has other priorities for Eldritch Invocations, and can’t learn Armour of Shadows early)
  • Chromatic Orb (required only after obtaining Amulet of Elemental Torment)
  • Scorching Ray
  • Fireball
  • Counterspell
  • Wall of Fire
  • Hold Person
  • Hold Monster

Equipments

• Main hand – Markoheshkir[bg3.wiki]
• Off hand – Ketheric’s Shield[bg3.wiki]
• Ranged – Hellrider Longbow[bg3.wiki]
• Body – Helldusk Armour[bg3.wiki]
• Cloak – Cloak of Protection[bg3.wiki]
• Gloves – Gloves of Dexterity[bg3.wiki] – the point is we try to make Pyromaniac turn first in Act 3, so they can apply Burning
• Boots – Helldusk Boots[bg3.wiki]
• Head – Hat of Fire Acuity[bg3.wiki]
• Amulet – Amulet of Elemental Torment[bg3.wiki] (Amulet of the Devout[bg3.wiki])
• Ring 1 –
• Ring 2 –

• Level 1
  
• Level 2
  
• Level 3
  
• Level 4
  
• Level 5
  
• Level 6
  
• Level 7
  
• Level 8
  
• Level 9
  
• Level 10
• Level 11
• Level 12

This member, in Act 3, is required to be only either

• Dwarf
• Duergar

We’ll be using the racial weapon Dwarven Thrower.

Role in party

• Sleight of Hand (Party Rogue)
• Damage Dealer

Class composition

• Berserker Barbarian 6
• Thief Rogue 4
• Fighter 2

Leveling
BRBBBBRRRFFB
B for Barbarian and R for Rogue. Take Barbarian at 1st level, Rogue at 2nd level, then get Extra Attack, then the rest as written.

General Stats

• Ability Scores – 4 numbers are represented. They’re, in order, final ability score, final raw ability score with Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength, mid-game raw ability score with Gloves of Dexterity, and initial raw ability score before getting Gloves of Dexterity.
  • Str – 23 (8, 17, 16) +2 from Mirror of Loss
  • Dex – 16 (16, 8, 16)
  • Con – 18 (17, 16, 15)
  • Int – 10 (10, 10, 8)
  • Wis – 14 (14, 14, 10)
  • Cha – 8 (8, 8, 8)
• HP – 153
• AC – 23
• Initiative – +6
• Feats
  • Tavern Brawler
  • Tough

Choices on level up

• Expertise in Sleight of Hand at 1st Rogue level

Equipments

• Main hand – Dwarven Thrower[bg3.wiki] (Nyrulna[bg3.wiki])
• Off hand – Viconia’s Walking Fortress[bg3.wiki]
• Ranged – Gontr Mael[bg3.wiki]
• Body – Armour of Agility[bg3.wiki]
• Cloak –
• Gloves – Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength[bg3.wiki]
• Boots –
• Head – Helmet of Grit[bg3.wiki]
• Amulet – Fey Semblance Amulet[bg3.wiki]
• Ring 1 – Ring of Flinging[bg3.wiki]
• Ring 2 –

• Level 1
  
• Level 2
  
• Level 3
  
• Level 4
  
• Level 5
  
• Level 6
  
• Level 7
  
• Level 8
  
• Level 9
  
• Level 10
• Level 11
• Level 12

Generic comments about Act 1 fights

• Overall, Act 1 starts with your raw power level barely matching that of your enemies.
• Getting surprise round, hiding, using the environment is very important on harder difficulties.
• This becomes less so once you leave the Wilderness and Underdark for Grymforge and Crèche. It’ll become less crucial to get that surprise round.
• Act 2 fights will introduce special mechanics for most fights, but for Act 1, it’s about making up for enemies’ numbers and power with good approach. You don’t need to think much beyond increasing your raw power and making up for that when you lack it.

Party-specific comments

• Playing this party in Act 1 without Elixir is terribly gimping yourself.
  • Power gain by level will be awfully late. Only the Hellblaster has normal power-gain by level.
  • The demo will nonetheless be done without Elixir, to both explore and demonstrate the viability of the build on non-Elixir path.
• On Elixir path, the Sanguine Monk should carry Act 1 for the team after turning level 4.
  • But you might have to take measures to keep the Monk on their feet.

Recommended equipments

• Hellblaster
  • AC – 17
  • base spell DC –
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – Spellsparkler
  • Off hand – Shield
  • Ranged –
  • Body –
  • Cloak –
  • Gloves –
  • Boots –
  • Head –
  • Amulet –
  • Ring 1 –
  • Ring 2 –
• Sanguine Monk
  • AC – 19
  • base spell DC –
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – None (with Returning Pike for throwing)
  • Off hand – None
  • Ranged –
  • Body – Graceful Cloth
  • Cloak –
  • Gloves – Bracers of Defence
  • Boots –
  • Head – Haste Helm
  • Amulet –
  • Ring 1 –
  • Ring 2 –
• Pyromaniac
  • AC – 19
  • base spell DC –
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – Melf’s 1st Staff
  • Off hand – Shield
  • Ranged –
  • Body – 17 AC Heavy Armour
  • Cloak –
  • Gloves –
  • Boots –
  • Head –
  • Amulet –
  • Ring 1 –
  • Ring 2 –
• Légerdemain-Thrower
  • AC – 19
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – any
  • Off hand – Shield
  • Ranged –
  • Body – Luminous Armour
  • Cloak –
  • Gloves – Gloves of Dexterity
  • Boots –
  • Head – Holy Lance Helm
  • Amulet –
  • Ring 1 –
  • Ring 2 –

• Hellblaster gains Pact of the Tome pact boon.
• (if using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gains Way of the Open Hand subclass.
• Pyromaniac takes 1st level in their main class (Sorcerer)

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 3
• Barbarian 1 / Monk 2
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 1
• Barbarian 2 / Rogue 1

Most honour mode players employ the strategy of not fighting before level 4. This guide will advise the same for cautious players on honour mode. Casting Disguise Self with the party leader and going to the Gith patrol alone will lead to a single Deception check for a good amount of XP. That and a little exploration will take you to level 4 quick.

Non-honour mode players can attempt any fight or exploration they wish.

• Hellblaster gets ASI feat, boosting damage and hit chance with Eldritch Blast.
• (if using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gets Tavern Brawler feat, greatly boosting damage output and party power.
• (if not using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gets Way of the Open Hand subclass.
• Légerdemain-Thrower gets Berserker subclass, allowing more throw attacks when raging.

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 4
• Barbarian 1 / Open Hand Monk 3
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 2
• Berserker Barbarian 3 / Rogue 1

Recommended fights at level 4
On no-elixir path, even these are not simple. Because you still have offensive power equivalent to a normal level 3 party.

• Anders (Paladins hunting Karlach)
• Lump the Ogre
• Mud Mephits and Wood Woads in the swamp.
• Kagha and Shadow Druids (Kagha herself is optional)
• Goblin Camp exterior
• Priestess Gut – best done with baiting method, because your offense power is low on no-elixir path.
• Minthara
• Dror Ragzlin – is only somewhat doable because of the pushing capabilities of this party. It’s doable if you push him down the chasm.
• Minotaurs
• Ethel’s Red Caps
• Spider Matriarch

• Hellblaster gets
  • Level 3 spells
  • Extra beam for Eldritch Blast.
  • Devil’s Sight
  • Upgraded Pact boon with 3 useful extra spells per day.
• (if using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gets extra attack.
• (if not using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gets Tavern Brawler feat, greatly boosting damage and hit chance.
• Pyromaniac gains level 2 Sorcerer spells, most notably Scorching Ray and Darkness.
• Légerdemain-Thrower gets Tavern Brawler feat, greatly boosting damage and hit chance.

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 5
• Barbarian 1 / Open Hand Monk 4
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 3
• Berserker Barbarian 4 / Rogue 1

Recommended fights at level 5

• All of the Wilderness and Underdark
• Grymforge (excluding Grym)
  • Nere needs to be Hold Person-ed on honour mode. He has a retaliative Legendary Action.
• Rosymorn Monastery
• (only if playing with Elixirs) Death Shepherds and Crèche.
  Don’t attempt Death Shepherds or Crèche on honour mode without Elixir. I tested it and concluded it’s too risky. Wait for level 6 or use the Elixir path.

• (if using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gets Manifestations, once again greatly boosting damage, and combos well with Radverb gears.
• (if not using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gets extra attack.
• Pyromaniac gets their 1st ASI feat, boosting spell DC.
• Légerdemain-Thrower gets extra attack.

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 6
• Barbarian 1 / Open Hand Monk 5
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 4
• Berserker Barbarian 5 / Rogue 1

Recommended fights at level 6

• All of Act 1, including the remaining…
  • Inquisitor Ch’r’ai W’wargaz – if level 6 or if level 5 on Elixir path, you should have the power to overwhelm him. Darkness or Hunger of Hadar can help to isolate fights.
  • Kith’rak Therezzyn – should be surprised from behind. Since you have no need of Soulbreaker Sword, it is recommended to yeet her down with Eldritch Blast.
  • Death Shepherds – at this level Call Lightning the Hellblaster gets from Pact of the Tome is a good alternative to Eldritch Blast considering the crowded nature of the fight. You should also have the Blood of Lathander from the Crèche which would help.
• Act 2 – unless playing with Elixir path, focus on the easier ones that aren’t resistant to non-magical physical damage, which are the following list. Fighting in difficult fight against Shadow / Undead / Fiend enemies isn’t recommended on no consumable path, because Monk fist only turn magical at Monk level 6. At Monk level 5, they deal only half bludgeon damage to Shadows and the likes of Malus Thorm or Yurgir.
  • Marcus – even as no-Elixir path where your power level is equivalent to level 5 party, the 2 Tavern Brawlers should make up for it with their feats.
  • Kar’niss – same as Marcus. The Tavern Brawler power should be enough.
  • Gerringothe Thorm – Gerringothe is resistant to non-magical physical damage, but it is never recommended to damage her HP directly. The focus is on the skill so it’s doable. Aside from dealing damage based on gold you carry, has another dangerous ability on honour mode. She can turn enemies (you) near her into gold when one of her skulls is destroyed. This is why we’ll recommend going up with the lowest initiative character alone, while the other 3 hide away. That way you can sync you team’s initiatives.
  • Thisobald Thorm is immune to all physical damage, but deal some elemental for a few rounds and he becomes vulnerable for 1 round. His attacks are based on elemental damage dealt to him. Either Acid or Radiant/Fire are recommended. (Radiant also results in Fire attacks). Lightning is explicitly not recommended. Force damage from Eldritch Blasts can always damage him.

Demo of some fights done in Act 1.
Demo is played without consumable and illithid power. You can incorporate them to make the fights even easier. Demo is honour mode.

• Level 4
  • 0:00 – Mud Mephits
  • 11:09 – Kagha and Shadow Druids
  • 16:25 – Priestess Gut (including the baiting)
  • 23:57 – Lump (3 Ogres)
  • 29:52 – Minthara
  • 35:16 – Dror Ragzlin
  • 37:05 – Anders (fake Paladins hunting Karlach)
  • 41:37 – Phase Spider Matriarch
• Level 5
  • Wilderness & Underdark (online 2024-08-01)
    • 0:00 – Gekh Coal
    • 6:22 – Spectator
    • 9:32 – Bulette
    • 13:14 – Auntie Ethel

  • Crèche & Grymforge (online 2024-08-03)
    Don’t attempt Crèche or Death Shepherds at level 5 on honour mode without Elixir. I tested it and concluded it’s too risky. Wait for level 6 or use the Elixir path.
    • 0:00 – Crèche Inquisitor Ch’r’ai W’wargaz
    • 10:24 – Crèche Captain Kith’rak Therezzyn
    • 13:07 – Death Shepherds at Mountain Pass
    • 20:20 – Nere & Grymforge Duergars

Generic comments on Act 2 fights

• Overall, Act 2 fights are different from Act 1 in that
• while your party raw power now can exceed that of enemies.
• there are some special mechanics for most fights, which you have to approach correctly.
  • some boss are immune to physical damage until you deal elemental damage to him for a few rounds.
  • some boss throw really devastating bombs that can kill your whole party immediately.
  • some boss turn you to gold.
  • in some fights your enemies are not targeting you. You’re instead protecting their target.
  • etc.
• It’s now less about getting surprise round but more about dealing with these special mechanics.

Party-specific comments

• This is the Act where, for both Elixir and non-Elixir path, we exceed the power of Sharpshooter and other parties. The cut-off point is level 7. At level 7, this party is powerful.

Recommended equipments

• Hellblaster
  • AC –
  • base spell DC –
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – Spellsparkler
  • Off hand – Adamantine Shield
  • Ranged –
  • Body – Potent Robe
  • Cloak –
  • Gloves – Gloves of Belligerent Skies
  • Boots – Disintegrating Nightwalkers
  • Head – Fistbreaker Helm
  • Amulet – Spineshudder Amulet
  • Ring 1 – Coruscation Ring
  • Ring 2 –
• Sanguine Monk
  • AC –
  • base spell DC –
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – None
  • Off hand – None
  • Ranged –
  • Body – Enraging Heart Garb
  • Cloak – Cloak of Protection
  • Gloves – Bracers of Defence or Luminous Gloves
  • Boots – Evasive Shoes
  • Head – Haste Helm
  • Amulet – Amulet of the Harpers
  • Ring 1 – Ring of Protection
  • Ring 2 –
• Pyromaniac
  • AC –
  • base spell DC –
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – Melf’s 1st Staff
  • Off hand – Shield of Devotion
  • Ranged – Darkfire Shortbow
  • Body – Adamantine Splint Mail
  • Cloak –
  • Gloves –
  • Boots –
  • Head – Hat of Fire Acuity
  • Amulet –
  • Ring 1 –
  • Ring 2 –
• Légerdemain-Thrower
  • AC –
  • Initiative –
  • Main hand – Blood of Lathander
  • Off hand – Sentinel Shield
  • Ranged –
  • Body – Luminous Armour
  • Cloak –
  • Gloves – Gloves of Dexterity
  • Boots – Boots of Stormy Clamour
  • Head – Holy Lance Helm
  • Amulet –
  • Ring 1 – Ring of Flinging
  • Ring 2 – Callous Glow Ring

• This is the level where the ‘no Elixirs’ path catch up in power with the Elixirs path, and in general with my other parties. The Elixir path is of course still stronger due to higher Wisdom on Sanguine Monk.
• Hellblaster gets level 4 spells, most notably Wall of Fire, as well as another Eldritch Invocation.
• (if not using Elixirs) Sanguine Monk gets Manifestations, greatly boosting damage, combos well with Radverb gloves, as well as now dealing magical punches that can damage Act 2’s Shadows quickly.
• Pyromaniac gets level 3 spells, most notably Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Counterspell.

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 7
• Barbarian 1 / Open Hand Monk 6
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 5
• Berserker Barbarian 5 / Rogue 2

Recommended fights at level 7

• All of Act 1 and Act 2 before Shadowfell
  • Malus Thorm – they’re a melee group, so any area control spell is useful. Darkness is useful.
  • Halsin Portal should be attempt with Hunger of Hadar / Wall of Fire. Supplemented by power of Tavern Brawlers, our power is plenty. It won’t be as clean as Sleet Storm method, but you should be able to eliminate more enemies directly.
  • Oliver – on honour mode the 1st death of Oliver’s ally each round will create a necrotic Silence dome, taking more and more space away from you. Wall of Fire to ward off Oliver’s friends and wall up your space is recommended. As a party with Warlock, one of the perks is being able to use more high-level spells.
  • Shambling Mound – I barely remember this fight, but with the focus on Fire element, this party is well-equipped to fight it.
  • Yurgir – yeeting him down neutralizes his first turn. It is recommended to open with Eldritch Blast for that purpose.
  • Balthazar should be killed in his lab. You want to burst him down before he cast Cloudkill[bg3.wiki] on his 2nd turn. Spread out if you fail the burst. He can usually walk out of any Silence dome so don’t expect to rely on that.

• Hellblaster gets their 2nd feat and picks Spell Sniper for extra Eldritch Blast crit chance.
• Pyromaniac gets damage boost to Fire spells equal to their Charisma modifier (currently 4), most useful with Scorching Rays.
• Légerdemain-Thrower gets Thief subclass for another Enraged Throw per turn, greatly boosting their lethality.

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 8
• Barbarian 2 / Open Hand Monk 6
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 6
• Berserker Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 3

Recommended fights at level 8

• All of Act 2, including
  • Moonrise Assault after the Shadowfell
    • Assault in Moonrise main hall is, assuming no cheese to take them out before, best done with Wall of Fire. Combined with Ice surface from Jaheira, enemies might even slip and get stuck in the fire. The level 8 Thrower with 4 throws per turn should be dominating the fight. You don’t want Z’rell to do anything.
    • Ketheric on the rooftop – since Jaheira can cast Call Lightning, it is recommended to have Pyromaniac cast Create Water to set up for her. Dex-save is good to use against Ketheric due to his armour giving him disadvantage of saving throws.
  • Mind Flayer Colony
  • Finale against Ketheric and Myrkul – magical Bludgeon is the only physical damage Myrkul doesn’t resist against. He also doesn’t resist force, so this party is very well-equipped to down Myrkul more quickly than most. Once again, blind him with Fog or Darkness to neutralize his threats.

Demo of some fights done in Act 2.
Demo is played without consumable and illithid power. You can incorporate them to make the fights even easier. Demo is honour mode.

• Level 6 (online 2024-08-06)
  • 0:00 – Marcus
  • 7:52 – Kar’niss
  • 17:04 – Gerringothe Thorm
  • 25:51 – Thisobald Thorm

• Level 7 (online 2024-08-08)
  • 0:00 – Yurgir + Merregons
  • 14:01 – Balthazar
  • 19:07 – Malus Thorm
  • 26:01 – Halsin Portal (1st fight of 2nd day)
  • 40:40 – Oliver
  • 49:13 – Shambling Mound

• Level 8 (online 2024-08-11)
  • 0:00 – Moonrise Assault (no taking out guards before fight)
  • 16:07 – Ketheric Thorm on Rooftop of Moonrise
  • 22:40 – Necrotic Laboratory in Illithid Colony
  • 31:53 – Ketheric Thorm below in Illithid Colony
  • 42:54 – Myrkul

Act 3 is the final one. You should transition into your final set of gears. Personally, I beeline for the gears first ever since my 1st run, since I like fighting and want to enjoy my team’s full power for longer.

• Generic comments on Act 3 fights
  • Act 3 fights have all sorts of flavours, with one thing in common in contrast to earlier Acts;
    • The enemies are very strong offensively. In contrast to Act 2 finale Myrkul, who can barely damage you but is a marathon to take down, in Act 3 enemies will be pitting their offense against you.
      • Which is why ‘nova’ or burst damage is the generally preferred strategy. Without consumables and illithid power, the demo’s burst will be less powerful than with. At this point consumables are simply balance shattering, that’s why we do demo without them to still have something to think for.
      • It is possible to play with a composition without burst, but it’s much harder.
  • In Act 3, in some fights you’ll be on the back foot in raw power again, but only if you let the enemies release their full offensive capabilities. Ansur is the best example of this. Nothing survives their ‘attacks’ for long.
  • In others, there are special mechanics like most of Act 2, and some are real extreme. The main plot boss Orin the Red in particular, there’s 0% chance of beating them without dealing with their special mechanics with the right tools. Power won’t even come into play while that special mechanics last.
• Party-specific comments
  • This is the Act where end-game gears normally make Piercing damage the best damage type in the game, but this party will attempt to rectify that.
    • Inflict Brittle on enemies by using Water Elemental’s Winter Breath on Burning targets. The target must fail DC 15 Str saving throw.
    • Burning can be inflicted with no saving throw by Amulet of Elemental Torment.
    • Burning can also be inflicted by Flail of Ages with Fire damage. The target must fail DC 13 Con saving throw.
    • Bleeding can force Disadvantage on Con saving throw. It can be inflicted by Helldusk Gloves or Tiger Heart Barbarian’s Tiger Bloodlust.
    • Reverberation will give penalty to both Str and Con saving throw per charge. We can inflict that through Boots of Stormy Clamour, normally equipped to Hellblaster.
    • So, to remember, without Amulet of Elemental Torment, it’s Bleed -> Burn -> Brittle.
    • With Amulet of Elemental Torment, this can be simplified to Burn -> Brittle.
    • The demo will therefore aim to defeat Raphael ASAP, so the party’s signature combo comes online.
• Refer to individual member sections for final gears.

• Hellblaster gets
  • Level 5 spells including Hold Monster
  • Minion of Chaos Eldritch Invocation, allowing them to summon Water Elemental necessary for inflicting Brittle.
• Sanguine Monk gets Tiger Heart, allowing them to inflict on-demand Bleeding while Raging. This is necessary for Burning -> Brittle until you obtain Amulet of Elemental Torment.
• Pyromaniac gains level 4 Sorcerer spells including Wall of Fire.
• Légerdemain-Thrower gets Tough feat, which would allow them to utilize Helmet of Grit with more safety.
• The party’s necessary class features are all online.

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 9
• Tiger Heart Barbarian 3 / Open Hand Monk 6
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 7
• Berserker Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 4

Recommended fights at level 9

• Everything in the game.
  • At level 9, the party’s key class features are all online. They are now only limited by their gears. Gears define the party’s power level after level 9.
  • Recommended Act 3 fight order for items is
    • Cazador – gets Rhapsody to help with controlling Raphael
    • Raphael – Hope holds the key item that’ll provide on-demand, save-free Burning, necessary for the signature combo of this party. It can only be obtained by killing Hope after her surviving Raphael fight with you. Helldusk Armour is also the designated end-game armour of Pyromaniac.
  • Other Act 3 fights before the end game Netherbrain
    • Sarevok Anchev
    • Orin the Red
    • Auntie Ethel s easy if you know the mechanics. Her spells get more powerful the fewer mushrooms are left. If she’s killed before the mushrooms are gone, she revive. You don’t want her to cast any spell when all mushrooms are gone. Beyond that, increase your AC as the Ray of Sickness is attack roll.
    • Lorroakan – prone him to neutralize his Legendary Action.
    • House of Grief – use Wall(s) of Fire and Blast/Throw from above.
    • Steel Watcher Titan is immune to Burning, so can’t be afflicted with Brittle.
    • Gortash isn’t immune to Burning or Brittle, but will very likely succeed any of his first 3 saving throws on Tactician and Honour mode. Drain his Legendary Resistance by forcing any saving throws. His Legendary Resistance mechanics is similar to Inquisitor W’wargaz.
    • Ansur isn’t immune to Burning, but can practically only be afflicted with it by Amulet of Elemental Torment. If you can make him Brittle, you can practically “one-turn” him.
      • DC 15 Str saving throw for Brittle vs Ansur’s +7 will give you
        • 58% to inflict Brittle in 1 round with 2 Water Elementals
        • 70% if you can apply 2 Reverberation stacks to him, everything else equal
        • 80% if you can apply 4 Reverberation stacks.

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 10
• Tiger Heart Barbarian 3 / Open Hand Monk 7
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 8
• Berserker Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 4 / Fighter 1

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 11
• Tiger Heart Barbarian 3 / Open Hand Monk 8
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 9
• Berserker Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 4 / Fighter 2

Party is now

• Fiend (Pact of the Tome) Warlock 12
• Tiger Heart Barbarian 3 / Open Hand Monk 9
• Wizard 1 / Tempest Cleric 1 / Brass Draconic Sorcerer 10
• Berserker Barbarian 6 / Thief Rogue 4 / Fighter 2

Demo of some fights done in Act 3.
Demo is played without consumable and illithid power. You can incorporate them to make the fights even easier. Demo is honour mode.

• Level 9 Part 1 (1st Short Rest) (online 2024-08-14)
  • 0:00 – Sarevok Anchev
  • 8:09 – Cazador Szarr
  • 18:03 – Lorroakan
  • 20:27 – Auntie Ethel Act 3

• Level 9 Part 2 (2nd Short Rest) (online 2024-08-20)
  • 0:00 – Raphael
  • 11:36 – House of Grief
  • 22:16 – Steel Watch Foundry Lab
  • 31:35 – Steel Watcher Titan

• Larian Studios for creating this masterpiece of a game.
• bg3 wiki[bg3.wiki] for most of the latest information on game mechanics and data.
• fextralife[baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com] for most of the information in the early months of the game, where bg3.wiki was still incomplete.