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Should You Kill or Help Balthazar in BG3
Baldur's Gate 3

Should You Kill or Help Balthazar in BG3

Decide whether to kill or help Balthazar in Baldur's Gate 3. Learn the consequences, rewards, and best strategies for this crucial Shadowlands encounter.

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Decide whether to kill or help Balthazar in Baldur's Gate 3. Learn the consequences, rewards, and best strategies for this crucial Shadowlands encounter.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Find Balthazar: Enter the Gauntlet of Shar, navigate to a room with multiple Dark Justiciars, typically on a floor below the main Shar trials area.
  2. 2
    Prepare for Battle: Ensure your party is around level 5-6. The room contains Umbral Tremors that spawn additional enemies each round; prioritize destroying these to avoid being overwhelmed.
  3. 3
    Encounter Balthazar: After defeating the initial enemies, a door will open, and Balthazar will appear. Speak with him.
  4. 4
    Make Your Choice: You will have the option to attack Balthazar or agree to help him find a relic.

Helping Balthazar:

  • Consequences: If you agree to help, you can persuade him to give you a bell to summon Flesh, an ally for future battles. However, bringing Balthazar to Nightsong will cause Shadowheart to become hostile and succumb to the shadow curse, hindering her questline.
  • Rewards: The bell to summon Flesh.

Killing Balthazar:

  • Consequences: You can obtain a Moonlantern (if you don't have one from Kar'niss) which protects against the Shadowlands curse. You can potentially help Balthazar to claim rewards and then fight him, but this encounter is difficult. Balthazar will still turn on you after you give him Nightsong, even if you initially helped him.
  • Rewards: A Moonlantern, useful accessory, and Necromancy items like the Circle of Bones.
  • Recommended Strategy: Bring Shadowheart to your party. Spells like Turn Undead are effective for crowd control against his undead guards and potentially Balthazar himself.

Overall Recommendation: The guide strongly suggests killing Balthazar. This provides better XP, is crucial for the Nightsong storyline, and leads to a more satisfying conclusion to Chapter 2, regardless of how the Nightsong's fate is ultimately decided.

Tips
  • Focus on destroying Umbral Tremors quickly during the initial fight.
  • Consider bringing Shadowheart for the fight against Balthazar.
  • Spells like Turn Undead can be very effective for crowd control.
  • If you haven't obtained a Moonlantern, killing Balthazar is a good opportunity.

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