SPOILERS AHEAD
Baldur's Gate 3 has proven to be nothing short of a landmark RPG release for developer Larian Studios, and the amount of options present in the game has been a major part of its appeal for many players. Across the game's three dense acts, the evolution of the protagonist and their companions is one of the most satisfying aspects of progressing through Baldur's Gate 3.
With a ton of equipment available throughout the game, there are various perspectives on which pieces of gear are truly the best of all. Many players have become familiar with the Flawed Helldusk Armor set that can be crafted by the Tiefling blacksmith Dammon, remarkable items that can last into the late game. While the visually pristine set of the flawed variation is relatively accessible, the real, more demonic version is far more of a challenge to acquire. Known simply as the Helldusk Armor, what could be considered the best reward in the entire game lies at the end of the devil Raphael’s questline.
The Ultimate Reward of the Treacherous House of Hope
Appearing earlier on in Baldur's Gate 3's Act 1, Raphael randomly shows up as a seemingly innocuous human NPC before revealing himself to be a powerful Devil of the Nine Hells. Propositioning the player in a fashion befitting his nature, Raphael will tempt players with an offer to remove the Illithid Parasite. Whatever players say, Raphael will rear his head throughout the rest of the game until this questline comes to a close.
All the way in Act 3’s city of Baldur’s Gate, players will have the chance to meet an NPC named Helsik at the store known as Devil’s Fee. After passing some skill checks related to the occult items around the store, players can end up persuading Helsik or paying her a large sum of Gold for the purpose of acquiring her ritual materials. After following the proper steps upstairs, a portal to Raphael’s lair, the House of Hope, will be opened. And while not every player will take this route, those who do are rewarded in more ways than one. A challenging dungeon located outside the typical Faerun, amazing loot and the player's soul contract can be found within before encountering Raphael himself.
The Helldusk Armor is Fit for a Devil
If the player manages to defeat Raphael’s Ascended form and survive his devastating spells, they will be rewarded with the incredibly powerful Helldusk Armor. It's a set of high AC heavy armor that inflicts burning upon any caster that the wearer passes a Saving Throw against via its Infernal Retribution, gives resistance to fire and immunity to burning, and even grants the ability to fly, but its signature trait is the fact it doesn’t even require proficiency to be worn. An absurd prospect, this means that the Helldusk Armor can be equipped by the party’s pure caster who has only been able to wear clothing for the entire game. Capable of being implemented in a nigh unstoppable build that can abuse its best aspect, this piece of armor makes Baldur's Gate 3's House of Hope more than worth the visit.
Helldusk Armor Stats
- 21 AC, No Bonus from Dex
- You are considered proficient while wearing this armor.
- When you succeed a saving throw, the caster receives 3 rounds of burning.
- You are resistant to fire and cannot be burned. You take 3 less damage from all sources.
- Fly
While the Helldusk Armor may push the balance of the game’s mechanics to its limit, it’s also worth noting that there’s a catch inherent to its location. Between the difficulty of the encounters in the dungeon, the lack of ability to rest there, and the obscurity associated with even discovering it in the first place, the House of Hope is nothing less than a very late-game undertaking. The Helldusk Armor may have the potential to essentially break combat, but Larian has also placed it so far into the game that several of Baldur’s Gate 3’s biggest foes such as Ketheric Thorm are already felled by the time it is reached.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now for PC and PS5 with Xbox Series X/S versions also in development.
