Highlights

  • Glaives in Baldur's Gate 3 offer extra reach and abilities depending on the player's proficiency and class.
  • Players can obtain special Glaives like Sorrow and Monster Slayer Glaive by pickpocketing, looting, or purchasing them.
  • The Drakethroat Glaive is perfect for Dragonborn players, while the Moonlight Glaive has illusionary butterflies that grant advantages in combat.

Baldur's Gate 3 has a variety of weaponry for a player to enjoy. Depending on the Class chosen by the player, they may or may not be proficient in the weapon they have chosen; if proficient, they can then do extra abilities with this weapon. Glaives are one of many melee options available to the player; although it can only be wielded with two hands, the weapon also has the extra reach quality, which allows the player to stand at a further distance from the enemy.

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Besides these basic qualities that are available on any Glaive used, players also have the chance to purchase or find other Glaives that are much better than the average version. While exploring Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3), players should consider getting their hands on these Glaives in particular.

Updated on January 12, 2024, by Megan Smith: In December 2023, the Xbox Series X/S version of Baldur's Gate 3 was finally dropped for players. This meant that the players of the Microsoft-created platform could finally play the Game of the Year. One of the greatest things about BG3 is its glaives. Players are likely to have missed some of the best weaponry during their adventures due to not knowing where to find it or being too attached to another weapon. This has left many players wondering what are the best glaives in BG3 that can be found across the three acts of the CRPG and why a player should be using them.

5 Sorrow

1d10+1 Of Slashing Damage

The Glaive Sorrow in Baldur’s Gate 3
  • 2-11 slashing damage
  • Weapon Enchantment: +1
  • Sorrowful Lash: 1d4 of piercing damage that pulls a target towards the player

Sorrow is likely the first Glaive a player will get their hands on in Baldur's Gate 3. It can be obtained in three different ways. The first is the quickest way, with the player pick-pocketing Rath inside the Emerald Grove to get the slab to unlock the Hidden Vault; players can also save Halsin and receive the slab as a reward or attack the Grove and loot it off his body. No matter what option the player takes, the Glaive shall be sitting on a table inside the vault.

Sorrow does the basic amount of damage to one d10 plus one but also comes with the ability called Sorrowful Lash. This is essentially the Thorn Whip Cantrip but automatically on a weapon. When used, it does one d4 of damage while also pulling a target closer, so the character can then hit them with a normal attack.

  • Where it can be found: Inside the hidden vault in the Emerald Grove.

4 Monster Slayer Glaive

1d10+1 Of Damage With Extra To Monstrosities

The Monster Slayer Glaive in Baldur’s Gate 3
  • 2-11 slashing damage
  • Weapon Enchantment: +1
  • Monster Slayer: The weapon deals an extra 1d4 of damage against monstrosity type enemies
  • Refined Vaulting: The player's jump distance is increased by 1.5m when equipped

While it usually does the basic amount of damage that a normal Glaive +1 does to an enemy, this Glaive will do an additional one d4 of damage if it's used to attack an enemy that is considered the monstrosity type. While this may not be useful all the time, it is still a decent weapon to hold onto.

Besides this, the Monster Slayer Glaive also has the Refined Vaulting feature, which increases the player's jump distance by 1.5 meters; this small increase could allow a player to get across the battlefield quicker or reach things they couldn't originally when exploring the three different acts of Baldur's Gate 3.

  • Where it can be found: Purchased off Roah Moonglow or looted from her body in the Shattered Sanctum, it can also be given as a reward for returning Rakath's Gold in act three.

3 Drakethroat Glaive

1d10+2 Slashing Damage With Added Benefits For Dragonborns

The Drakethroat Glaive in Baldur’s Gate 3
  • 3-12 slashing damage
  • Weapon Enchantment: +2
  • Vicious Dragon Breath: Enemies have disadvantage against the player's Dragonborn breath ability
  • Draconic Elemental Weapon: The weapon is imbued with the Dragonbor's elemental power, which has a +1 for attack rolls and an extra 1d4 of damage

The Drakethroat Glaive is excellent for any player who has decided to play the new race to Baldur's Gate 3, the Dragonborn. Besides doing its regular damage roll of one d10 plus one slashing damage –as well as the player's modifier– the weapon is also imbued with the power of the Dragonborn that wields it.

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Firstly, there's the feature known as Vicious Dragon Breath; when wielding this weapon, an opponent has disadvantage against the player's Dragonborn breath ability. Combined with this is Draconic Elemental Weapon; this feature imbues the weapon with an elemental power, which does an extra one d4 of that damage during a hit. However, a player may block themselves from purchasing this weapon if they killed Roah during the first act of the game, and therefore, as a Dragonborn, it's important to keep this Halfling alive.

  • Where it can be found: Sold by Roah Moonglow in Moonrise Towers, Act Two.

2 Moonlight Glaive

A Powerful Glaive With Additional Radiant Damage

The Moonlight Glaive in Baldur’s Gate 3
  • 4-16 damage total (3-12 slashing & 1-4 radiant)
  • Weapon Enchantment: +2
  • Moonlight Glaive: Glowing: The weapon glows in a 6m radius
  • Moonlight Butterflies: This weapon action conjures moon-pale butterflies during an attack, which grants advantage on attacks against the target and psychic damage when the target moves away from their opponent.

Gifted to Shadowheart by Nightsong, the Moonlight Glaive is an incredible weapon for her to wield with the unrelenting amount of damage it can deal. Besides doing one d10 plus two damage on hit, it also does an additional one d4 of Radiant damage too.

Additionally, the Moonlight Glaive also has the feature Moonlight Butterflies. Every hit has the chance to cause an illusion of butterflies; these butterflies grant advantage on hitting that foe. If they move away from the illusion, they also take a d6 of Psychic damage. Moonlight Glaive would be at the top of the list if it didn't need the player to choose a specific option in Shadowhearts companion story to earn it. Therefore, it may be one of the best Glaives available to players, but it can't be the greatest.

  • Where it can be found: Saving Nightsong in Act Two with Shadowheart.

1 The Dancing Breeze

A Simple Glaive With A Powerful Whirlwind Attack

The Dancing Breeze Glaive in Baldur’s Gate 3
  • 3-12 slashing damage
  • Weapon Enchantment: +2
  • Whirlwind Attack: Attack every foe that is surrounding the player character with each enemy needing to make a separate roll on whether they are hit or not.

If players didn't select the right options for Shadowheart, then the best Glaive a player can earn after this is The Dancing Breeze. Thankfully, players can simply purchase this two-handed melee weapon and don't need to worry about achieving a certain thing in a quest. Unlike the other Glaives, this graceful Glaive does one d10 plus two when it successfully hits an enemy, but it gets even better than this.

The Dancing Breeze has a feature that few other weapons have; this is called Whirlwind Attack. This is a great feature for any frontline attacker as the player can swing around attacking all foes around them. This feature can, however, only be used once per short rest, and therefore it should be used sparingly.

  • Where it can be found: it can be purchased from Exxvikyap in Rivington.
Baldur's Gate 3

Platform(s)
PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
Released
August 3, 2023
Developer(s)
Larian Studios
Genre(s)
RPG