From Owl Bear to Casador, BG3 in Honor mode offers some truly punishing combat.
- Baldur's Gate 3's Honor Mode makes boss battles more challenging, with the addition of legendary action and limited save files.
- Bosses like Mother Owl Bear and Aunt Ethel become more difficult in honor mode because they have extra abilities and reinforcements.
- Players will have to adapt to new challenges, such as Grim's defense abilities and Casador's batswarm, in order to overcome the difficulty of Honor Mode.
Baldur's Gate 3 brings the tactical combat of D&D to the digital world. While its turn-based combat may be difficult enough for some players, there are others who want a little more of a challenge. Honor Mode, introduced in the fifth patch, is the perfect answer for these players. It makes sweeping changes to the game, such as limiting players to only one save file and increasing the difficulty of boss fights through the use of legendary moves.
Legendary moves are powerful reactions unique to each boss. Some are capable of inflicting massive damage, while others are designed to surprise players by preventing them from using well-known strategies that exploit their weaknesses. Players must remain vigilant and adapt to the new challenges that the Honor mode brings.
No.10 Owl Bear
Get extra help from its partner.
Fighting the owl bear mother and the cubs it can recruit is tough because it's the early stages of the game and the player hasn't yet gained the full abilities.
In honor mode, the battle is even tougher, as the mother summons a second adult owl bear, its companion, at some point in the fight. The player must deal with both at once, as its mate does not disappear if the mother dies, but if it dies first, the mother can recall it to the fight.
Legendary action
Summon Companion - Mother summons another owl bear with 118 health.
No.9 Grim
Temporary health, extra movement, and a shockwave.
Grim is a very defensive boss. It is invincible unless it is superheated by lava, and can deal a lot of damage to the character. While dealing massive damage to it with the hammer of the Grimm's Forge is still a viable strategy, the additional Lava Devil in Honor Mode can become an issue. Grim also has a defensive legendary move that grants it temporary health and doubles its movement speed, weakening the strategy of circling it around it with lava to prevent it from dealing damage.
Legendary action
Steel Echo - Grim gains 10 temporary health. As long as these health points are still there, Grim has double movement speed. When they are eliminated, it unleashes a shockwave that pushes enemies away and deals force field damage.
No.8 Aunt Ethel
Each time she cast a spell, she copied herself again.
The battle with Aunt IJssel was an unforgettable one. Mayrena is trapped in a burning cage with a bottomless abyss below, while Ethel produces an apparition of herself. The player must find out which witch is the real Ethel and cut her health before she starts the cycle again. Honor mode makes this even more difficult, as she can create more phantoms. Each time the player casts a spell, Ethel will spawn another apparition and move himself to a new location. To make matters worse, she creates more illusions depending on the level of the spell.
Legendary action
Strange Surge of Magic - Ethel creates more illusions immediately after casting a spell. The higher the spell level, the more illusions she can create.
No.7 Inquisitor Wawagaz
Two unique summoning weapons help him.
Inquisitor Vavagaz is the boss of the Kisyaki Hatchery, a location that can only be visited in Act II. He fights alongside four other Kisyaqi, all of whom can parry attacks and deal damage. He has additional attacks per turn, and can use the Mist Step to shorten the distance to any potential target. He can also cast Mindsteal Link to increase his armor level.
In honor mode, he has more opportunities to use mindsteal links while increasing his damage output by summoning unique psionic weapons.
Legendary action
Tunaras's Heart Claw - Vawagaz the Inquisitor can summon up to two psionic knives. When these knives deal damage, Vavagaz can cast a mindsteal link as a reaction.
No.6 Balthazar
Add extra defense and revenge for yourself and your minions.
It won't be easy to beat Balthazar. This area is small and packed with undead, and Balthazar can easily overwhelm the player with spells like Poison Cloud, if they don't ban it. He is one of the few bosses in the game to have two legendary moves. One affects himself, making it harder to hurt him and even causing pain to the character. The other lets this necromancer use the death of his minions to his advantage.
Legendary action
Ghost Face - When hit for the first time each turn, Balthazar gains resistance or immunity to each elemental damage and can fly. Until the end of the round, anyone who attacks him will be chilled by the bone.
Death Desolation - When the first mob dies each turn, Balthazar creates a miasma, healing nearby undead and injuring teammates.
No.5 Casador
A swarm of bats besieges a target while healing their owner.
Casador is one of the most powerful beings on the shores of the Sea of Blades, and he has been orchestrating his ascension for centuries. It won't be easy to defeat him, especially if Asdelon is in the active team. Casador locks him up before the battle, leaving the player with only three characters left to fight Casador and his horde of demons, werewolves, and bats. If that's not enough, the player also needs to rescue those who will be sacrificed (including Asdalen) in three turns, or Casador's plan will come true.
Legendary action
Vampire Bat Swarm - Casador summons a swarm of bats, dealing massive damage and turning the target into a besieged state. When a character is under siege, they take damage every turn, while Casador restores health.
No.4 Viconia
One-hit attacks and shelter for her allies.
Deep into the House of Sorrows is the culmination of a quest that runs through the game's opening through the third act. Players expect an imposing and tense battle, and Viconia certainly won't let them down, especially if Shadowheart betrays Sal at the end of Act II. Viconia is a formidable opponent, considering that she reflects radiant damage back to the team and has two legendary moves. Her followers cast Bone Chill and Darkness, which can cause chaos on ranged characters and doom those with low health to death.
Legendary action
Lost Refuge - Viconia creates a cloud of darkness and gives herself or an ally protection. Heartbreak - Deal up to 120 damage to a target with a heart mapping.
No.3 Saray Walker
He fights back against the attackers with destruction.
Saray Walker, the main enemy of Baldur's Gate 1, is a formidable enemy. After a stint as an ally in Baldur's Gate 2, he is back, especially for players who are reluctant to ally with Baal. He can attack at least twice per turn, and his allies will often cast shelter to protect him. The combination of dealing a lot of damage and being protected from all damage makes it difficult to kill.
His legendary move activates a devastating move called Deathbringer's Assault, in which he attacks four times in a row, dealing up to two hundred damage to a single target.
Legendary action
Kill Counterattack - Once per turn, Saray Walker immediately counterattacks an attacker. If he has already attacked four times, he uses Deathbringer's raid instead of the standard attack.
No.2 奥琳
Stronger than her grandfather, and also has the extra help of the temple.
Many players are looking forward to facing off against Orin, who teases them by transforming into different NPCs and kidnapping a companion. This climactic battle against the chosen people of this cruel Supreme God is one of the hardest encounters in the game, and not just because of Orin's murderous killer form. In honor mode, the temple itself is also given a legendary action that kills the target directly unless they kill another creature on the next turn.
Legendary action
Kill Counterattack - Orin, like Saray Walker, can use this move after four attacks. But her form is more powerful, and she attacks seven times in a row, dealing up to thirty damage each.
Baal's Decree - The temple itself targets a teammate. The target dies unless it kills another mob before the end of the next turn.
No.1 Raphael
Each form has a legendary action that can be used multiple times.
The beautiful music and gorgeous interior of the House of Hope make the battle with Raphael a true classic. He also has a very themed 666 HP, which is more than any other opponent in the game. In honor mode, this battle is even more unique. Not only does Raphael have two legendary moves, but he can also use them more often than any other boss (at least in the early stages of the fight). In his base form, Raphael can charm attackers and prevent them from inflicting damage on him. In his sublimated demon form, he strengthens his allies while potentially inflicting massive damage on multiple teammates. When the player faces him in honor mode, be prepared for a long battle.
Legendary action.
Bewitched Reproach - In his half-demon form, he charms an attacker and their nearby allies. If successful, they can't attack him for two turns. Soul Ascension - In his Sublimated Demon form, he creates an area that deals necromantic damage to the player's team and turns Raphael's half-demon into a Hellfire half-demon. At the beginning of each turn, Raphael can cast a Legendary Move based on the number of Soul Pillars remaining. At the beginning of the battle, there are four soul pillars.