Baldur's Gate 3's toughest fight: Splitting the party
Baldur’s Gate 3’s toughest fight isn’t necessarily against the giant teleporting spider itself. It’s the hoard of its offspring that descend upon the party like locusts from the sky. There’s a method to my madness in splitting the party up before this tough fight, and it has everything to do with being a super genius.
Splitting the party before a tough fight is hardly a new concept in RPGs, but it gives you that oh-so-satisfying feeling of being a genius when it works out. It’s a bit like pushing a block in Super Mario 3D World over a pit and hoping it lands on the right spot. Sometimes it doesn’t, but other times you discover a hidden path or treasure chest that you never would have seen otherwise.
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers plenty of opportunities to split the party and discover new areas, but the Whispering Depths is probably one of the most rewarding spots to do so. Located in the Blighted Village near the Goblin Camp, this cavern is home to a horde of spiders, including a giant Phase Spider Matriarch and its brood.
If you’re playing the Enhanced Edition of the game, you’ll already be familiar with this area. However, if you’re returning to this spot later in the game, you might find that the spiders have spawned eggs all over the place. These eggs pose a problem because not only can the spiders themselves call into action upon detection, but the eggs can as well.
That’s where the power of shared inventory comes in. Splitting the party into four individuals allows you to think of numerous strategies, and in this instance, we can utilize the power of the shared inventory to our advantage.
Baldur’s Gate 3 boss fights can be frustratingly difficult if you’re not properly prepared, and grinding levels isn’t exactly easy. Finding alternative approaches to combat encounters is a necessity, and splitting the party in this instance is exactly that.
First, a character equipped with Spiderstep Boots can make their way silently across the web bridges in the cavern. These boots allow you to move over enemies and obstacles, so you can get to the eggs without alerting the spiders.
From there, you can use any number of methods to eliminate the eggs, from spells to arrows, but I prefer to use poison and fire, which carry the additional benefit of being able to damage multiple eggs at once.
With the smaller spiders eliminated, you can focus on the big spider and its minions. Since you’ve eliminated the eggs, the only spiders in play are the Matriarch and her brood. Dividing the party’s attention in four directions allows for an efficient takedown of all the spiders.
And just like that, you’ve pulled off what should have been a very difficult fight with a bit of ingenuity. Splitting the party is nothing new, but the flexibility in gameplay is what makes this RPG one of the best. That, and when it all comes together, you feel like a super genius.
If you’re looking for an alternative approach to other encounters in Baldur’s Gate 3, we have a few suggestions for you. Be sure to check out our guide to the best Baldur’s Gate 3 companions and how they affect your relationship with the companions in the game. You might also want to learn about all of the Baldur’s Gate 3 spells and how they can help you in your adventure.
