Your Baldur’s Gate 3 weapons ranked list probably looks a bit different than mine, since the best BG3 weapons do more than just smack a goblin real hard. They augment your character builds, make new attack options possible, and even debuff enemies or blast them into the abyss. It’s pretty much a given that any legendary weapon is worth your time, so we only included our favorites. A handful of other very rare or even just rare weapons made the cut as well, though, thanks to their unique modifiers and additional actions.
Don’t underestimate the power of a good punch. Unarmed attacks – particularly Monk attacks – do a lot of damage once you reach higher levels. They count as bonus actions, and you can even bundle them with additional damage types to deal two double-digit hits each round. I played my Karlach as a Barbarian and level three Monk, and the extra damage from these made her nearly unstoppable. If you’re not playing as a Monk, which is understandable considering it’s not the best BG3 class, it’s worth multiclassing as one to experiment.
No, it’s not your cat. It’s a fun sword for Rogues and anyone who likes a good sneak attack. Unseen Menace is invisible. What does that mean? Well, BG3 doesn’t actually tell you, but it means your attacks all have Advantage until you miss one, which is a pretty big deal. You also get a critical hit if you roll 19 or higher. It pairs nicely with the Luck of the Far Realms reaction, since you can reroll if you don’t get the number you wanted.
You can buy Unseen Menace from the merchant at the Creche in Act 1.
Blood of Lathander is a brilliant (ha) weapon, and not just in Acts 1 and 2. It’s a decent enough mace in its own right, but the perks are where you find the real utility. Blood of Lathander restores your health if your HP drops to zero and even replenishes some for your nearby allies. It emits light, which saves you from A Certain Problem in Act 2, and it even grants you a powerful level six spell to use once per long rest.
Getting it takes a bit of effort in Rosymorn Monastery and a detour into the Githyanki Creche there.
Duellist’s Prerogative comes with a handy little support option. It deals Necrotic damage alongside piercing damage, and you can score a critical hit more easily if your off-hand is empty. It grants you the Challenge to Duel action, which inflicts bleed and makes an enemy target you – handy if you need to distract a foe from someone else. If you’re not dual-wielding, you can also make a second attack with this weapon.
You get Duellist’s Prerogative if you rescue Vanra in Act 3.
Surprise, surprise, another excellent legendary weapon. Water is wet etc etc, but this bow genuinely is exceptional. It deals a lot of damage outright, and it also has a chance of applying the Guiding Bolt effect on your target, without you having to cast the spell.
You can add this bow to your collection if you defeat the Steel Watch Titan at the foundry in Act 3.
It’s worth getting proficiency with Tridents just for this weapon. Nyrulna always comes back to you when you throw it, and it creates a Thunder explosion that affects nearby enemies. You move and jump further, and you can’t take falling damage while you have this weapon equipped. The downside is you only get it in Act 3, but it’s worth the wait.
Akabi the Djinni at the circus in Rivington is your ticket to Nyrulna. You can steal it from him or, if you’re a bard, make him so angry that he transports you to another location where the trident is.
This aptly named staff does, indeed, rain misery down on your enemies. It gives you a bonus to spell attack and saving rolls, and if any enemy afflicted by your spells fails a saving throw, you restore some health. It also teaches you Blight as an action, which saves you having to assign it a spell slot.
Woe comes from Cazador’s Palace during Astarion’s quest in Act 3. It may come late in the game, but it’s a big help in the final battles.
Spell Power also gives you a boost to spell attack throws and saving throws, like Woe, and it also gives you a free spell cast without using a slot. You’ll have to enter the House of Hope to get it in Act 3, though.
My Gale had this for almost the entire playthrough. It’s that good, and it helps that Baldur’s Gate 3 has so many cold spells – even more if you use BG3 mods. Mourning Frost lets you deal slightly more Cold damage, and it has a high chance of inflicting Chill, which makes enemies take even more Cold damage.
Mourning Frost takes some elbow grease to get. You have to find and assemble the parts in the Underdark.
This fun little maul ignores Bludgeoning resistance, which means every strike deals more damage than any other maul. That, more than anything, makes it worth your while, even if it doesn’t knock foes back like some other mauls.
You’ll find Foebreaker in the Sorcerous Vault in Sorcerous Sundries.
This one is, admittedly, pretty broad, but the different levels of Githyanki greatsword all do the same thing. If a Gith wields them, you deal extra Psychic damage and get a boost on Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws. You can’t be charmed either and have resistance to Psychic damage. Sources of Psychic damage are pretty tough to come by for a while unless you’re a bard, so it’s a nice little boost early on. The Soulbreaker and Astral Plane swords do the same thing, but deal more slashing damage.
You can get the Soulbreaker sword from the Act 1 Creche, and Voss may give you the Astral Plane sword in Act 3.
Getting a Deva Mace involves some criminal activity and a tough fight. The tabernacle in Act 3 has a basement, and if you pick the lock and enter it without angering the vicar – and disarm the Holy Fire traps inside – you can steal from the offering chests. That’s a bad thing, and the offending character, understandably, gets a curse. If you heal or rest, or even try to remove the curse with a spell, a Deva pops out.
These avenging angels are exceptionally tough enemies, but if you manage to defeat them, you can either loot their bodies and get a mace or pick up their body as an inventory item and get it that way.
Landing hits is tough already in Baldur’s Gate 3, but you know what’s even tougher? Landing them without being able to see. The Justiciar’s Scimitar, which you can pick up in Shar’s Gauntlet, blinds enemies if you attack with Advantage. There’s all manner of ways to make sure you attack with Advantage, especially if you’re a Rogue, so this is a pretty handy weapon to get before leaving Act 2.
Sword of Clutching Umbra adds your proficiency to the attack roll, and if you land the hit, you deal Psychic damage as well. Best of all for the sneaky among you is that it won’t break cover. Slap this on a Rogue, stay in the shadows, and you’re good to go.
You can buy this from Dammon at the Last Light Inn in Act 2.
Okay, so this isn’t really a great weapon from a practical “hit things real hard” perspective, but it is a great weapon. The Clown Hammer makes you and your foe do a Wisdom roll, and failure throws the loser into a fit of laughter. It’s ridiculous, and I love it.
You can grab the Clown Hammer from Dribbles (well, sort of. IYKYK) in Rivington at the Circus of the Last Days during the start of Act 3.
If you’re looking for more Baldur’s Gate 3 opinions, check out our totally subjective but completely correct rankings of the Baldur’s Gate 3 romances.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF