Baldur’s Gate 3 brings D&D's tactical combat to the digital world. While its turn-based combat may already be hard enough for some players, others may want even more of a challenge. Honour Mode, introduced in Patch 5, is the perfect answer for those players. It makes sweeping changes to the game, such as limiting players to a single save file, and also makes boss fights more difficult through the use of Legendary Actions.

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Legendary Actions are powerful reactions unique to each boss. Some deal massive damage while others are designed to surprise players and prevent them from using well-known strategies that exploit their weaknesses. Players will have to stay on their toes and adapt to all sorts of new challenges that Honour Mode presents.

Updated April 12, 2024 by Matthew Weideman:As players go back to start new playthroughs and test their skills in the game now that it has been out for several months, they will find that Honour Mode continues to be the peak of challenging RPG gameplay.

Players interested in knowing about the toughest encounters in BG3's Honour Mode will find some useful tidbits in this updated article.

15 Phase Spider Matriarch

She Is Extra Protective Of Her Spawn

• Found In Act 1 Under The Blighted Village Well

The Phase Spider Matriarch is an unexpected encounter for most players venturing beneath the Blighted Village for the first time. If giant spiders weren't bad enough, the fact that they can teleport as well makes them even more intimidating.

The Phase Spider Matriarch is a difficult boss because the party is likely still at a low level when they encounter her. It is also an encounter where it is easy to be outnumbered by the enemies, which can make things tricky. In Honour Mode, she can entomb a target in webs that will eventually explode for up to 80 damage. Thankfully, players can destroy the webbing to prevent damage, so this needs to be the priority any time the matriarch uses Gossamer Tomb successfully.

Legendary Action

Gossamer Tomb - Entombs a creature that attacks a spider offspring. Will do 8d10 damage after 3 turns if not destroyed.

14 Bernard

The Arcane Tower Guardian Lashes Out With Lightning Damage

• Found in Act 1 at the top of the Arcane Tower in the Underdark

Players find Bernard the automaton at the top of the Arcane Tower in the Underdark. Combat with him can be avoided if players have managed to find all the pages of a play scattered throughout the tower. To resolve the encounter peacefully, players have to respond to Bernard's line with the corresponding couplet from the play. If they do not, Bernard attacks.

In Honour Mode, Bernard gains access to a new spell called Leaping Static, which can hit up to three party members with lightning damage. Keeping the party separated so that the lightning bolt cannot jump between them is a good way to mitigate the amount

Legendary Action

Leaping Static - Bernard strikes an attacker for 3d8 lightning damage. This attack spreads to up to three other nearby targets.

13 Thisobald Thorm

His Brew Gains Extra Potency

• Found in Act 2 in the Waning Moon tavern in Reithwin

Thisobald Thorm, like Ketheric's other children, can be defeated in combat or through successful checks during conversations. For this Thorm sibling, the player must pass checks related to drinking the vile brew that Thisobald pours and outdrink the cursed elf. After several drinks and successful checks, Thisobald explodes.

If the player fails a check or just outright attacks Thisobald, they must defeat him in combat instead. The fight against him is difficult both because he has help from the cursed bar workers and because he uses his brew to hit the party with area-of-effect attacks. In Honour Mode, Thisobald gains the extra ability to boost the damage done by his brew once per round.

Legendary Action

Overflowing Brew - When his brew type changes, Thisobald can cause it to overflow to deal an extra 3d6 damage of the brew's new type. He can use this once per round.

12 Gortash

He Retaliates With The Wrath Of Bane

• Found in Act 3 at the top of Wyrm Rock Fortress

Gortash is one of the Chosen of the Dead Three and serves as one of the final obstacles between the player and the Netherbrain. Players can forgo this battle by making a deal with him and following through on it after killing Orin. Otherwise, they are in for a tough fight.

Players should take out the Steel Watch by destroying the Foundry so that the mechanical soldiers are not an added hindrance. They should also equip a spell that can cure curses because that is how Gortash's Legendary Action can easily kill a companion with a single action. Tyrannical Branding places a curse on someone who attacked Gortash. If not removed, the curse deals its target up to 200 damage at the end of their next turn, making Gortash one of the strongest foes in the game.

Legendary Action

Tyrannical Branding - Gortash reacts to an attack by placing a curse on the attacker. At the end of the target's next turn, Bane's fist will fall on them to deal 20d10 force damage.

11 Ansur

The Undead Dragon Unleashes Lightning On His Attackers

• Found in Act 3 through the Wyrmway

Ansur is an undead dragon that players find in the Wyrmway. The quest is a misdirect of sorts since players find him while thinking that he will be a great ally in the fight against the Absolute. Instead, they discover that the Emperor killed him and that Ansur cannot be swayed from seeking to destroy the party.

Defeating Ansur is very difficult, especially in Honour Mode. He has a Legendary Action that allows him to hit an attacker with Lightning Breath for up to 72 damage as a reaction. In addition to the fact that he can fly and crash down on the party, the player is in for a tough match if they face this undead dragon.

Legendary Action

Draconic Wrath - Once per round, Ansur reacts to an attack by using his Lightning Breath on the target. This hits his attacker for 12d6 Lightning damage.

10 The Owlbear

Extra Help From Her Mate

• Found in Act 1 in the Owlbear Cave

Fighting the owlbear mother and her recruitable cub is tough since it's early in the game and players don't have access to the full range of their abilities yet.

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In Honour Mode, this fight is even tougher because the mother draws out the fight at a point when the party is already low on health and spell slots by summoning a second adult owlbear, her mate. Players have to deal with both, as the mate does not disappear if the mother dies, but she can summon him back to battle if he dies first.

Legendary Action

Call Consort - The mother summons another owlbear with 118 HP

9 Grym

Temporary HP, Extra Movement, And A Shockwave

• Found in Act 1 in Grymforge

Grym is a very defensive boss. It is invulnerable unless superheated by lava, and can target characters for a lot of damage. While dealing massive damage to it with the GrymForge’s hammer is still a viable strategy, extra lava pits in Honour Mode can become a problem in and of itself. Grym also has a defensive Legendary Action that grants it temporary health points and makes it move faster, weakening the strategy of kiting it around in the lava to prevent its damage.

Legendary Action

Adamantine Reverberation - Grym gains 10 temporary HP. As long as these HP remain, Grym has double its movement speed. When they are removed, it releases a shock wave that pushes enemies away and deals force damage.

8 Auntie Ethel

Every Time A Spell Is Cast, She Copies Herself Again

• Found in Act 1 under the Riverside Teahouse

The fight against Auntie Ethel is a memorable one. Mayrina sits in a burning cage over a bottomless chasm while Ethel spawns illusory copies of herself. Players have to figure out which hag is the real Ethel and whittle her HP down before she starts the loop over again. Honour Mode makes this more difficult by allowing her to create more illusions. Whenever the player casts a spell, Ethel spawns another copy and shuffles herself around to a new location. What's worse is that she makes more copies based on how high the spell level is.

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Legendary Action

Weird Magic Surge - Auntie Ethel creates more illusory copies of herself immediately after a spell is cast. The higher the spell level, the more copies she gets to make.

7 Inquisitor W'wargaz

Two Unique Summoned Weapons Aid Him

• Found in Act 2 in the Githyanki Créche

Inquisitor W'wargaz is the boss of the Githyanki Crèche, a site that can only be visited in Act 2. He fights alongside four other githyanki, all of whom can parry attacks and dole out damage. He has an extra attack each turn and can use Misty Step to close the distance to any potential target. He can also cast Mindsteal Link to increase his Armor Class. In Honour Mode, he gets more opportunities to use Mindsteal Link while also increasing his damage output by summoning unique psionic weapons.

Legendary Action

Mind-Claw of Tu'narath - Inquisitor W'wargaz can summon up to two psionic blades. When these blades deal damage, W'wargaz can cast Mindsteal Link as a reaction.

6 Balthazar

Extra Defenses For Himself And Revenge For Killing His Minions

• Found in Act 2 in the Shadowfell

Defeating Balthazar is no easy task. The area is small and crowded with undead, and Balthazar can easily overwhelm players with spells like Cloudkill if they don't disable it. He is one of the few bosses in the game with two Legendary Actions. One affects him directly and makes hurting him more difficult and even painful for the characters. The other has the necromancer use the death of his minions to his advantage.

Legendary Actions

Spectral Aspect - When hit the first time each round, Balthazar gains resistance or immunity to each type of elemental damage and can fly. Until the end of the round, anyone who strikes him is Bone Chilled.

The Dead Wastes - When the first creature dies each round, Balthazar creates a miasma that heals nearby undead and damages party members.

5 Cazador

Bats Swarm A Target While Healing Their Master

• Found in Act 3 underneath his palace

Cazador is one of the most powerful beings along the Sword Coast, and he has planned his ascension for centuries. Taking him down is no easy task, especially if Astarion is in the active party. Cazador locks him away before the fight and players are left to fight Cazador and his host of ghasts, werewolves, and bats with only three characters. If that weren’t enough, players need to rescue the would-be sacrifices (including Astarion) within three turns or all of Cazador’s plans come to fruition.

Legendary Action

Vampiric Swarm - Cazador summons a swarm of bats that deal massive damage and can cause the target to become Swarmed. While a character is swarmed, they take damage each turn and Cazador regains health.

4 Viconia

One-Hit Kill Attack And Sanctuary For Her Allies

• Found in Act 3 in the House of Grief

Delving into the House of Grief is the culmination of a quest that spans the very beginning of the game deep into Act 3. Players expect a climactic and tense battle and Viconia certainly delivers, particularly if Shadowheart turns her back on Shar at the end of Act 2. Viconia is a tough opponent considering she reflects radiant damage back at the party and has two Legendary Actions. Her followers will cast Bone Chill and Darkness, which can wreak havoc on ranged characters and doom those at low health.

Legendary Actions

Sanctuary of Loss - Viconia creates a cloud of darkness and grants protection to herself or an ally

Heartwrench - Deals up to 120 damage to a target with the Heartform Mapped condition

3 Sarevok

He Strikes Back At Attackers With Devastation

• Found in Act 3 under Candulhallow's Tombstones

Sarevok, Baldur's Gate 1's main enemy, is an intimidating foe. After a stint as an ally in Baldur's Gate 2, he is back to antagonizing players, especially those unwilling to align themselves with Bhaal. He can attack at least twice per turn, and his allies will often cast Sanctuary to protect him. The combination of dealing lots of damage and being shielded from all harm makes him very difficult to kill. His Legendary Action activates a devastating move called Deathbringer's Assault where he strikes four times in a row, dealing up to two hundred damage to a single target.

Legendary Action

Murderous Retort - Once per round, Sarevok immediately strikes back at an attacker. He uses Deathbringer's Assault instead of a standard attack if he has attacked four times.

2 Orin

More Powerful Than Her Grandfather, And With Extra Aid From The Temple

• Found in Act 3 in Bhaal's Temple

Many players are excited to face Orin after she spends time teasing them by shapeshifting into different NPCs and then kidnapping a companion. The climactic fight against ​​​​this murderous Chosen of the Absolute is one of the hardest encounters in the game, and not just because of Orin's vicious Slayer form. In Honour Mode, the very temple itself is granted a Legendary Action that kills the target outright unless they kill another creature during their next turn.

Legendary Action

Murderous Retort - Like Sarevok, Orin can use this after attacking four times. Her form is more powerful, however; she strikes seven times for up to thirty damage each.

Bhaal's Edict - The Temple itself targets a party member. The target dies unless it kills another creature before the end of its next turn.

1 Raphael

Multi-use Legendary Actions In Each Form

• Found in Act 3 in the House of Hope

Atmospheric music and the lavish interior of the House of Hope make the fight against Raphael truly iconic. It is also a highly thematic 666 HP — more than any other opponent in the game. In Honour Mode, this fight is even more unique. Not only does Raphael have two Legendary Actions, but also he can use them more often than any other boss (at least early on in the fight). In his base form, Raphael can charm attackers, preventing them from dealing damage to him. In his ascended form, he strengthens his allies while potentially dealing great damage to multiple party members. Players are in for the long haul when they face him in Honour Mode.

Legendary Actions

Beguiling Rebuke - While in Cambion form, he charms an attacker and their nearby allies. If successful, they cannot attack him for two turns. Soul Ascension - While in Ascended Fiend form, he creates an area that deals necrotic damage to the player's party and transforms Raphael's cambions into Hellfire Cambions. For each Soul Pillar remaining at the start of a round, Raphael can cast a Legendary Action once. There are four at the start of a battle.

Baldur's Gate 3

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG