Summary
Act 3 isthe final actinBaldur’s Gate 3, making it quite understandable that it would feature some of the hardest fights in the game. By this point, players and their party should be at quite high levels, but it doesn’t stop some of these fights from posing significant challenges.
To tackle these particular battles, players will likely want to ensure they are leveled as much as possible and go into them after a long rest. It can also be worth making the most of any items, potions, and spell scrolls that players may have. After all, there’s nothing to save them for post-Act 3.
Updated July 31, 2025, by Nyah Payne:Baldur’s Gate 3 established itself in the video game hall of fame when it won 2023’s Game of the Year award, alongside many other accolades. Larian isn’t done yet, however, as they have continued to work on the game. They added new epilogue content and brought the game to Xbox Series X/S. They also implemented a new difficulty, Honour Mode, which challenges players to complete the game without getting a game over. This difficulty spike makes it more important than ever for players to get to know their enemies and determine the best and most reliable ways to defeat them. There are plenty of bosses to challenge players in Baldur’s Gate 3, but Act 3 features some of the hardest in the entire game.
11Orin The Red
Legendary Action Can Mark A Character For Instant Death
The fight against the Bhaalspawn shapeshifter, Orin, can be particularly hard for characters who don’t deal consistently high damage. This is particularly notable forDark Urge origin characters, who get dragged into a 1v1 with their sinister sibling. Players should be sure to buff them thoroughly before sending them into the fight.
Otherwise, it is worth noting the terrifying legendary action that Bhaal has if Orin is gracious enough to fight the whole party. If Orin isn’t baited into attacking a character with her legendary action, Bhaal can curse a character to instantly die if they don’t personally kill something on their next turn.
10Lorroakan
Myrmidon Allies From Each Element & Arcane Elemental Resistance
Fans of the Aasimar paladin, Dame Aylin, are likely to end up battling with this Act 3 boss. Lorroakan can be encountered in Sorcerous Sundries, the arcane tower in the center of Baldur’s Gate city proper. He wants players to hand Aylin over to him in order for him to leech off her immortality for himself.
The slimy wizard should be killed, especially for players who are looking to get Aylin, her girlfriend, Isobel, or the tiefling, Rolan, as allies. But Lorroakan’s use of conjured elementals as support makes for a tough arcane battle, not helped by the fact that they sometimes end up teleporting to quite inaccessible parts of the map.
9Ansur
“Stormheart Nova” Deals 18d10 Lightning Damage & Summons Five Additional Lightning Strikes
This awe-inspiring character can only be discovered by findingthe hidden trialsunder Wyrm’s Rock Prison and working through each of them. Ansur was the bronze dragon companion of the renowned hero, Balduran. He is now a pile of bones, but a pile of bones that isn’t to be underestimated.
Ansur despises the player’s connection with The Emperor and opts to fight the party to the death instead of joining it. His lightning breath attack is very strong, without taking into account his “hoard energy” state and eventual Stormheart Nova, which can kill characters who aren’t sheltering from it.
8The Absolute
A Multi-Phase Battle With Nautiloid Bombardment And Collapsing Environments
The whole narrative ofBaldur’s Gate 3builds towards the player’s battle with the Absolute, the elder brain, and the whole mindflayer grand design. It makes sense that this pays off with some tough final battles. The final fights can be split into three different battles: the initial ground battle, the grueling climb up a tower under bombardment, and the fight on top of the elder brain.
Each can be highly challenging, pitting players against some of the toughest enemies. Those struggling during this section of the game should highly consider making liberal use ofthe special ally summonsavailable to them. In the final part, players should focus all of their energy on getting their core fighters, mindflayer ally included, to the front of the elder brain, as it is what players will need to be attacking to put a stop to the Absolute once and for all.
7Auntie Ethel
Healing Mushrooms, Harmful AOE Spells, Powerful Support, And Non-Lethal Damage Recommended To Kill
The green hag, Auntie Ethel, is likely to have been a thorn in the player’s side in Act 1 of the game. Unfortunately, even if players manage to kill her in Act 1, she comes back with a vengeance in Act 3. If players aren’t leveled enough, this fight with Auntie Ethel in the basement of The Blushing Mermaid can be a lethal one.
Her “mask” supporters are surprisingly powerful, her ability to make duplicates that are just as strong as she can be frustrating, and her liberal use of harmful AoE spells, such as “Insect Plague,” can quickly become infuriating. On top of this, she has three mushrooms that players will need to destroy, or they will keep healing the hag. Players who want to save the child that she has eaten, Vanra, will also have to take Ethel out with non-lethal damage, further adding to an already complex confrontation.
6Sarevok
High Health And Armor Class, Alongside Allies Who Cast Sanctuary, Haste, And Slow
The battle against Sarevok and his Bhaalist murder tribunal can be an infuriating one, whether it’s in the first room or the sacrificial chamber with Valeria. It would be bad enough just taking into account Sarevok’s huge pool of health and terrifyingly high armor class, but he is also supported by magic users who can give him sanctuary, hasten him, and slow down the party.
In the initial room, the armored sentries are very powerful and irritating with their “Compelled Duel” spell, and the sacrificial room has tribunal ghosts that can quickly overwhelm a party. To give players the best shot possible, it can be beneficial to take out the armored sentries before progressing into Sarevok’s room. A rest before challenging him and his supporters can also go a long way.
5The Iron Throne
Limited Turns To Rescue All The Prisoners
While it isn’t necessarily hard for players to survive this unique fight, it is an extreme challenge to do it as successfully as possible. Gortash’s underwater prison, The Iron Throne, has many captives.
Players attempting to liberate them will have to contend with Gortash flooding the place. They will then have to fight off sahuagin as they attempt to free all the prisoners within six turns. Players should look to make the most of teleportation spellsand ranged attackson the levers if they hope to free all the prisoners and escape the prison in one piece.
4Gortash
Can “Invoke The Black Hand” To Gain 150 Temporary Hit Points And A Host Of New Moves
Speaking of Gortash, his boss fight can be terrifying if players don’t tackle it with caution. Destroying his army of Steel Watch machines can even the odds a little, but gamers would be wise to try and take him down as quickly as possible.
Left alive for more than a few turns, Gortash will channel the power of his evil deity, Bane, making him a force to be reckoned with. From his room full of explosives to the magical fists that he can summon and his huge pool of health, woe be tothose who underestimate Gortash.
3Cazador
Vampire Spawn Provide Buffs To This Powerful Antagonist
TheAct 3 companion questscan culminate in some very tough fights, and Cazador is a great example of this. The former vampire master of Astarion, Cazador’s ritual sets the stage for a demanding boss fight. Players are likely to undertake this fight with Astarion in their party, and Cazador will target him, downing him and putting him into the ritual.
Luckily, players canrepeatedly “help” Astarionout of this state to rejoin the fight, although he is likely to remain low on health for the whole battle. Summons help a great deal in this fight, as having an ally placed near one of Cazador’s vampire spawn ritual components will halt their power.
2Steel Watch Foundry
The Impossible Task Of Saving The Foundry Gondians Is Renowned Within The Community
The Steel Watch Foundry battles are similar to the Iron Throne challenge. Players are unlikely to struggle to stay alive in these fights. They will, however, find it practically impossible to do these fights while keeping the Gondian workers alive. TheBaldur’s Gatecommunity jokes about the Gondians having a bit of a death wish, as their AI seems uncharacteristically silly.
They will teleport into groups of enemies and run away from them, provoking opportunity attacks, only to head back to their original position and repeatedly fall victim to their spells. It doesn’t help that they have instant detonation collars, which players will have to pass skill checks to defuse to try and keep them alive. The machine monsters found in the foundry are a challenge in themselves, but much more challenging is the attempt to keep the Gondians alive through it all.
