Baldur's Gate 3 genius renders one of the D&D RPG's hardest bosses useless by handing them a flower

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All it took was a Sussur Bloom

Balthazar gestures at the screen in Baldur's Gate 3
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

One of Baldur's Gate 3's toughest Act 2 bosses has literally been disarmed and left helpless by an incredibly clever player.

If you've delved into the mausoleum area of Act 2 in Baldur's Gate 3, you've probably met Balthazar, Ketheric Thorm's personal aid and all-around evil piece of work. At the culmination of the mausoleum section, you can fight Balthazar when given the option, and the fight is a pretty damn tough one, with hordes of skeletal warriors joining the mage to batter you.

However, there's a way to completely disarm Balthazar, ages before the fight against him even begins. As the player below has discovered, if you're really good at stealth, you can catch Balthazar unaware in his personal chambers, back before the Gauntlet of Shar kicks off. Dropping a Sussur Bloom plant from the Underdark into his belongings when pickpocketing him effectively stops the villain from casting spells forever.

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Poor Balthazar couldn't do anything
 from r/BaldursGate3

This means that when it comes to the big fight with Balthazar, no matter how many hours later that might be, he's basically helpless because Sussur Bloom stops him from letting off spells. There's no way for the evil mage to alleviate himself of the Sussur Bloom, so his powerful arsenal of spells is just trapped in the back of his mind.

And boy, does it really make a difference. Balthazar has some really strong spells, including the area-of-effect Cloudkill spell, which deals significant poison damage over a vast area, and the Bone Chill Cantrip, which can deal up to 16 Necrotic damage in one blast. That's not even mentioning Ray of Sickness, which can obliterate a character with a 40-damage hit.

Balthazar is an absolute nightmare on his own, and that's not even considering the skeletal warriors he summons to fight you, which are positioned all around your party in an arena ready to ambush them from above. Even with Karlach tanking the fight and Gale unleashing lightning around the area, it was a seriously tough fight for me. Maybe I should've gone the sneaky route instead.

If you need a helping hand in combat, you can check out our Baldur's Gate 3 weapons guide for a look at some of the best items in the entire game. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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