Highlights

  • Baldur's Gate 3 features a variety of intimidating enemies, including powerful sorcerers, creepy necromancers, and grotesque creatures.
  • These enemies may not be the toughest to defeat, but their physical design and the forces behind them make them memorable and formidable foes.
  • Players can choose to befriend or destroy these enemies, but they should be prepared for challenging boss fights and the potential consequences that come with each encounter.

Virtually every video game has a series of boss fights to mark character and story progress. A detailed RPG with a few volumes of lore to back it up, like Baldur's Gate 3, has even more. Throughout the game, players will encounter a variety of memorable enemies that they can either befriend or destroy.

Enemies can be terrifying because of their power level, the forces that back them up, or their physical design. These particular foes might not be the toughest enemies to defeat in BG3, but they do present the most intimidating or gruesome forms.

8 Balthazar

A Necromancer Who Wants the Nightsong

Baldur's Gate 3, Necromancer Balthazar And Flesh Golem Brother
  • Location: The Gauntlet of Shar

If the adventuring party goes to Moonrise Towers first, they can find Balthazar's room. The room contains several useful items, but he's waiting in some improvised quarters in the Gauntlet of Shar. He's a creepy thing to look at. Although he likely started as a human, his yellow eyes, ritual scars, and purple skin hint at something else like a lich.

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Baldur's Gate 3: 9 Areas You Might Have Missed In Act 1

These locations in Baldur's Gate 3's first act are so well hidden that they're easy to miss.

Not only is he a powerful sorcerer by himself, but he's flanked by several undead minions, including a golem and several bony warriors. Fighting him is one of the most difficult challenges in Act 2, which is another thing that makes him a fighting villain.

7 Thisobald Thorm

Sympathetic Yet Hideously Disgusting

Baldur’s Gate 3: Thisobald Thorm
  • Location: The Waning Moon, Reithwin Town

Despite Kethric Thorms's "happy family" narrative, his siblings seem to have some unresolved trauma. One that elicits the most sympathy is Thisobald, a rough but good-natured barkeep and brewer who likes dramatic stories and a strong drink.

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Many players wonder whether it is worth drinking with Thisobald Thorm in Baldur's Gate 3, so here's the answer.

Despite the tubes, stitches, and what must be an impressive stench, Thisobald is a needy man-child who looks up to his older siblings too much. If the player fails one of their rolls while regaling him with adventure stories, and he gets angry and attacks. Succeed in all the rolls, however, and he kills himself, an option that exists with the other Thorms as well. Either way, watch for the flying acidic goo.

6 Glut

A Walking Fungal Infection

Baldur's Gate 3 Glut Asking Player To Come Along
  • Location: The Myconid Colony, The Underdark

It's not so much how disgusting Glut is to behold that's terrifying. Rather, it's the knowledge of what he would do with the protagonist's body if he did manage to slay them. After seeing a few mindless husks that wander through the Myconid Colony, if Shadowheart is in the party, she requests that her body be destroyed if she dies in the Underdark to avoid the same fate.

Taking Glut along to help attack and kill the Druegar makes sense. He's terrifying to behold, and can raise bodies using spores to fight as his equally fearsome minions. If the player takes his side to kill Sovereign Spaw, they don't have to take that chance.

5 The Apostle of Myrkul

An Earthly Incarnation Of The Lord Of Bones

Baldurs Gate 3 Apostle of Myrkul Boss Ketheric Thorm Guide
  • Location: Moonrise Towers, The Underdark

This isn't the actual god, as the narrative makes clear. Rather, it's a form that Kethric Form adopts in his final fight with the protagonist. This is referred to as The Apostle of Myrkul because the player obviously can't be killing actual gods at this level, but it's still a frightful visage.

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Baldur's Gate 3: Ketheric Thorm Boss Guide

Ketheric Thorm, the invulnerable General of the Absolute's armies, is the final boss of Act Two, and he's no pushover – especially in Phase Two.

What makes this fight even more terrifying is the minions that help The Apostle, who are in elevated positions that are difficult to reach. Luckily, Dame Aylin is available to help in this fight if one of the party members can get an assist to her.

4 Viconia DeVir

A Powerful Character From The Old Games

Viconia DeVir Baldur's Gate 3 Shar Shadowheart
  • Location: The House of Grief

Players who are familiar with the earlier games in the Baldur's Gate franchise will recognize Viconia. She was a possible Companion, provided the player saved her from being burned at the stake for being Drow. Like so many others of her species, Viconia is easy to look at, but she's a powerful Cleric surrounded by loyal, even fanatical, minions. Fighting the lot of them is a difficult challenge.

Viconia is intimidating because of her power and influence, as opposed to her appearance. She also has some impressive gear that could belong to the party should they defeat her.

3 Auntie Ethel

The Wicked Witch Of The Swamp

Baldur's Gate 3 Auntie Ethel Taking Cure Collage
  • Locations: The Druid Grove and the Teahouse in the Sunlit Swamp

It's not just her natural form that's terrifying, it's her magical talents. Auntie Ethel isn't just a talented alchemist. She's a Hag, and her ancient power is strong enough to put an illusion spell over the whole Sunlit Swamp.

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Baldur's Gate 3: Avenge the Hag Survivors Quest Guide

Players have more hag business to deal with as they arrive in Baldur's Gate itself.

It's up to the player whether they want to make an enemy out of Auntie Ethel, and it's possible to make a deal with her to attempt to remove the Illithid parasite. This gives the player a Hag's Eye, which grants a +1 to Intimidation rolls but a penalty to Perception rolls. Maybe it's better to join them than beat them, in this case.

2 Sarevok

A Child Of Bhaal

Sarevok Anchev in Baldur’s Gate 3
  • Location: The Murder Tribunal

Sarevok is another character from the old games. This one appeared as the prime antagonist for a whole story arc, but it was also possible to recruit him as a companion at certain points. He's been resurrected again, but somehow, he is also a hollow shell that serves only Bhaal. Although it's never explained, that doesn't make it any less scary.

Part of Sarevok's intimidation factor is the minions that back him up, and his multi-attack powers that can destroy a character before they even take a turn. Once he's beaten, however, the player can take his intimidated plate armor and spiky helm for themselves.

1 The Slayer

The Incarnation Of Bhaal

the slayer vs cleric baldur's gate 3
  • Location: The Temple of Bhaal

The Slayer is an incarnation of the god of murder, Bhaal, much like the Avatar of Myrkul. It appeared in the previous games as part of the main storyline. In Baldur's Gate 3, a smaller version of the same story is integrated as part of the resolution in Act 3.

Depending on the choices the player makes regarding the Murder Tribunal or the Dark Urge storyline, they can take on the power of the Slayer or resist and fight it. This monster was scary in the previous games, and it's even worse now, in all of its cut-scene and 3D glory.

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Baldur's Gate 3

Franchise
Baldur's Gate
Platform(s)
PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
Released
August 3, 2023
Developer(s)
Larian Studios