Baldur’s Gate 3 player finds brilliant way to avoid difficult Act 2 boss fight

A Baldur’s Gate 3 player has shared the creative way they avoided some difficult encounters in the Gauntlet of Shar – including the boss fight against Balthazar – using a couple of easily accessible spells.

Baldur’s Gate 3 encourages players to think creatively by allowing them to overcome (and even avoid) its challenges.

By using the game’s mechanics in innovative or unexpected ways, players have managed to avoid or simplify challenging encounters, such as puzzles and even boss fights.

Now, one player is sharing the simple and creative way they handle the meeting with Balthazar during Act 2’s Gauntlet of Shar, which allows players to essentially skip two difficult fights.

Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 player avoids Balthazar boss fight with the Knock spell

Normally, players have to defeat Dark Justiciars before the door to Balthazar’s room opens and they can meet with the necromancer. There’s also a good chance you’ll end up fighting Balthazar later on, even if you agree to help him.

Both of these encounters can be pretty challenging, but Reddit user livefoodONLY shared their brilliant strategy for avoiding both on the BG3 subreddit.

This involves using the second-level spell Knock on the door after triggering combat to unlock and open it. Once the door is open, Balthazar and his minions will join the fight, but they will be aggressive towards to Justiciars, not the party.

From there, the player and their companions can simply wait in the room and hide, allowing the NPCs to kill one another while keeping the party safe.

There are a couple of downsides to this method. For one, it means you won’t be able to complete certain quests related to Balthazar. It also takes quite a while for the Sharrans and Balthazar’s forces to kill each other, and you’ll be stuck in combat the entire time even if you use Arcane Lock to relock the door.

Still, this is a creative and easy-to-replicate strategy that allows players to circumvent two difficult, potentially deadly fights. The player also confirmed the method works in Honor Mode, and since survival is vastly more important than storytelling there, the Knock strategy is perfect for those trying to obtain that coveted golden d20.

If you liked this, be sure to check out the rest of our Baldur’s Gate 3 coverage, which includes the latest news, guides, and much more.