Are you having trouble beating Balthazar in Baldur’s Gate 3? Fighting Balthazar is one of the hardest challenges in Baldur’s Gate 3 because of the insane amount of enemies he spawns in the arena. To make matters worse, your party members are likely to get shoved into the abyss and instantly killed before they can even take their turn, which is incredibly frustrating. Since Balthazar can rely on such cheap tactics, so can you. Here’s how to cheese the Balthazar encounter to skip the hardest part of the battle entirely.
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How to Cheese the Balthazar Fight in Baldur’s Gate 3
There’s a comically easy way to beat Balthazar in Baldur’s Gate 3, but there’s no shame in using cheap tactics in a game based on Dungeons & Dragons. To cheese the fight, have one party member start the dialogue sequence with Balthazar before the fight but don’t choose anything. Then, switch to another party member, walk up to Balthazar, and use Shove to push him to his death.
You’ll need to have a high Strength stat in order to push Balthazar far enough — or at all — but there are some other ways to move him. For example, you can use Gale and cast Gust of Wind to knock Balthazar off of the platform.
The Sheep and Yeet
If you can’t push him to his death for whatever reason — maybe your party is too weak or the Shove roll never goes in your favor — then there is another way. This cheese strategy will eliminate Balthazar in a single turn and prevent the other enemies from spawning, effectively skipping the fight altogether. It’s a little tactic I like to call the “Sheep and Yeet.”
Learning Polymorph
To do this, you’ll need to bring someone that knows the Polymorph spell. It’s a Level 4 Transmutation spell that can be learned by Gale and Shadowheart at Level 7. If you’re playing as a Bard, Druid, or Sorcerer, you can also take this spell at Level 7. Be sure to check your inventory for any Scrolls of Polymorph too, provided you haven’t sold them for some quick cash.
Finding Your Strength
For the second part of the Sheep and Yeet strategy, you need someone with a high Strength stat like Karlach. If you have the Deluxe Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3, then you can drink an Elixir of Hill Giant Strength to raise your Strength score to 21 too.
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Executing the Sheep and Yeet Strategy
With those two key players in your party, approach Balthazar but do not jump down to the platform to start the pre-battle dialogue sequence. Make a quicksave with your party just out of range, overlooking Balthazar from a safe distance.
After making a quicksave, cast Polymorph on Balthazar to turn him into a helpless sheep. It has a low chance to hit, but that’s what the quicksave is for. Save scum and reload until it works. Once Balthazar becomes a sheep, take your strongest party member and use the Throw action to launch Balthazar into the abyss below.
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The game might tell you that the “Path is Interrupted” or that the location is “Invalid,” but that’s quitter talk. I promise, there are spots where it will let you throw Balthazar, and those spots will say “Death.” Just move your cursor around until you see the right spot and then let him fly. Balthazar will instantly perish from the fall and none of the annoying skeletal enemies will spawn.
Since Balthazar falls into the abyss, you won’t be able to loot him. You’ll miss out on three Scrolls of Speak with Dead plus a rare circlet called Circle of Bones that lets you cast Undead Ward and Animate Dead. With Balthazar dead, though, you will be able to talk to the Nightsong and continue the main story of Baldur’s Gate 3.
If you don’t have Shadowheart in your party, it might be a good idea to leave the Shadowfell and return to camp to bring her for some unique dialogue. Also, you should have the Spear of Night in your inventory for this encounter too, just in case you want to kill the Nightsong. If you missed it, head back to the Gauntlet of Shar and check the Silent Library near the Faith Leap Trial.
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