Highlights
- Buff Grenades like Haste Spore Flask turn the tide of battles with extra actions and benefit for characters.
- Arrows of Slaying are ideal for specific boss fights, doubling damage to favored enemy types like Beasts.
- Damage Grenades and Weapon Coatings provide AoE damage and surfaces for strategic play in different encounters.
Baldur's Gate 3 will stand the test of time as a turning point in what video games can be, look like, and feel like. With more than 17,000 permutations, every playthrough is promised to be unique and distinct (provided players make different choices each time). This, too, means that various combat strategies come into play regarding playstyles, character builds, and more.
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Enter: combat consumable items. Of course, the standard Healing Potion is a feature in the game, but there are so many other types of combat items in Baldur's Gate 3 that players can exploit. This doesn't refer to equipment such as jewelry, weapons, or armor. It also does not include story items, even if they are consumables like the Tadpole Elixir, Iron Flask, or Scrolls as they function as spells in combat as opposed to items with unique effects. Just what are the best combat items in Baldur's Gate 3?
This article contains spoilers for various aspects of the game Baldur's Gate 3 including late-game boss fights and character reveals.
1 Buff Grenades Like Haste Spore Flask
Turn The Tide Of A Few Battles
- Avoids Lethargic debuff of Potion of Speed
- Can affect anyone who steps into the spore cloud
This one sits at the bottom of the list for two main reasons: there aren't that many of this kind of item and the ones players do get or can craft aren't numerous either. There's really only one kind and it all comes back to the Myconids. Haste Spores provide the same benefits that the Potion of Speed does: a character can take extra actions in the same turn, gain increased movement speed, gain advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and gain +2 AC.
However, the cloud of spores provides doubled movement speed and players can avoid the Lethargic debuff entirely. If they stay in the spores or re-enter them, they regain the Haste status. Use the grenade or flask, but remember that the Grenade effects do not last as long as the Flasks.
Name | AoE Size | Effect |
Haste Spore Flask | 3 meters | Creates a permanent Haste Spore cloud that grants Haste for 1 turn. |
Haste Spore Grenade | 2 meters | Creates a Haste Spore cloud for 3 turns that grants Haste for 1 turn. |
2 Arrows Of Slaying
Great For Specific Enemies
- Available throughout the game, but not commonly sold or found
- Ideal for specific boss fights and enemies
Many players may not feel that the various "Arrows of X Slaying" are worth the trouble to use or gold to pick them up. But they can prove very useful at higher difficulties and against specific enemies. These arrows double damage done to whatever enemy type they favor such as Beast or Aberration.
For instance, the difficulty of the Ansur fight can be mitigated by using Arrows of Dragon Slaying. Fighting the Steel Watch gets a bit easier by using the Arrows of Construct Slaying. The game hands out different kinds throughout the campaign and players can buy them from merchants as well.
Type | Where to Buy |
Humanoid |
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Dragon |
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Aberration |
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Undead |
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Monstrosity |
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Fiend |
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Elemental |
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Construct |
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Beast |
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3 Damage Grenades
Deal AoE Damage Or Set Up A Spell Wombo Combo
- Great for setting up future turns or damaging large groups of foes
- Some can create surfaces that can damage the player's party, too
Dealing damage with consumable items like grenades is not a foreign concept to most gamers. But BG3 has the added effects of things like surfaces and how players can leverage their spells, weapon coatings, or enemy attacks with those surfaces. Grenades such as Alchemist's Fire or Holy Water both do damage and create surfaces.
That said, most players won't find themselves reaching for a grenade all too often as the damage output is not nearly as useful in the mid-to-late game. However, players who sell their blood to Araj Oblodra can purchase a powerful combat item called the Sanguine Explosive in the Lower City of Baldur's Gate (multiple times!).
Name | AoE Size | Effect |
Spiked Bulb | 4 meters | Causes affected entities to Bleed for 1 turn and deals 1 Piercing damage. |
Acid Vial | 2 meters | Creates a permanent Acid surface and deals 2d6Acid damage to affected entities. |
Achlemist's Fire | 3 meters | Creates a Fire surface and causes affected entities to burn for 2 turns. |
Noxious Spore Grenade | 2 meters | Creates an area of Noxious Fumes for 3 turns. |
Holy Water | 2 meters | Creates a permanent Water surface and deals 3d6Radiant damage to affected Undead and Fiends. |
Scrap and Shrapnel Grenade | 4 meters | Causes affected entities to Bleed for 1 turn and deals 1 Piercing damage. |
Smokepowder Bomb | 4 meters | Affected entities take 3d4+9Force damage. |
4 Utility Grenades
Effective For Fights With Lots Of Enemies
- Ideal for groups of spellcasters or ranged damage dealers
- Keeps enemies unable to attack or unlikely to land a hit
Leveraging negative status effects like movement speed reduction or confusion becomes increasingly important throughout BG3. One of the first fights where crowd control feels mandatory is when/if the player and party attack the Goblin Camp in Act I. The hoards of half-drunk gobbos running toward the player can be slowed easily with crowd control.
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There are plenty of spells for just this effect, but not everyone likes to rely on spellcasting or maintain spell slots for battle. Using crowd-control grenades like the easy-to-come-by Grease Bottle is a no-brainer in any battle. More specialized items such as the Hearthlight Bomb or Flashblinder come in handy against specific enemy types, as well. Keep some of these in character inventories just in case of an emergency.
Name | AoE Size | Effect |
Void Bulb | 6 meters | Pulls creatures into the point of impact and deals 1Force damage. |
Caustic Bulb | 3 meters | Creates a permanent Caustic Brine surface. |
Grease Bottle | 3 meters | Creates a Grease surface that can inflict Prone on entities susceptible to Difficult Terrain. |
Web Grenade | 3 meters | Creates a Web area for 10 turns. |
Oil Flask | 3 meters | Creates an Oil area that can be set on fire until a Long Rest. |
Flashblinder | 6 meters |
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Hearthlight Bomb | 9 meters | Creates a light source in an area for 10 turns. |
Fungal Bamboozler | 2 meters | Creates an area of Timmask Spores for 3 turns that can cause Befuddlement for 1 turn. |
5 Weapon Coatings
Especially Useful Early-Mid Game
- Best for melee fighters like dual-wielding Rogues and Fighters
- Come in lots of varieties to suit many battles
Though many enemies have high resistances in the late game of BG3, early to mid-game enemies can be thwarted quickly by exploiting various weapon coatings. Though the early items focus on poison, other options include things like Oil of Bane that can inflict Bane on a target when attacked with a weapon coated in the item.
Many veteran players opt to use the Purple Worm Toxin for the most effectiveness as others such as Thisobald's Brewed-Up Bellyglummer take rare resources to create. Karabasan's Poison, a powerful paralytic, is available all over Act III, so try it out in the next playthrough.
Name | Effect |
Basic Poison | Inflicts Poisoned for 3 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Simple Toxin | Inflicts Simple Toxin for 1 turn on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Drow Poison | Inflicts Sleeping and Poisoned for 10 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Serpent Fang Toxin | Inflicts Serpent Fang Toxin for 1 turn on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Wyvern Toxin | Inflicts Wyvern Toxin for 1 turn on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Purple Worm Toxin | Inflicts Purple Worm Toxin for 1 turn on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Thisobald's Brewed-Up Bellyglummer | Inflicts Brewed-Up Bellyglummer until a Long Rest on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Diluted Oil of Sharpness |
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Oil of Diminution | Inflicts poison for 3 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Oil of Accuracy | Inflicts Reduced for 2 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Wizardsbane Oil | Inflicts Wizardsbane Oil for 2 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Crawler Mucus | Inflicts Paralyzed and Poisoned until a Long Rest on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Malice | Inflicts Stricken with Malice until a Long Rest on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Karabasan's Poison | Inflicts Paralyzed and Poisoned until a Long Rest on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Oil of Bane | Inflicts Bane for 2 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Oil of Freezing | Inflicts Encrusted with Frost for 2 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Oil of Combustion | Inflicts Oil of Combustion for 2 turns on a target attacked with the coated weapon. |
Arsonist's Oil | Turns a target's Fire resistance to Fire weakness for 2 turns. |
6 Arrows That Do Something Special/Specific
A Game Changer For Many Areas And Fights
- Function like a "cheat code" in certain instances
- Extremely helpful for ranged healing, quick movement, and Concentration interruption
Who else didn't enjoy the Temple of Bhaal entrance fight? Here's a new strategy to try: just have every character use Arrows of Transposition to bypass most of the fighting and get to the exit instead. The Arrow of Salving also lets players heal other characters without having to touch them, as the case usually is with many healing spells.
But the Arrow of Arcane Interference comes especially in handy as players get into the late game of BG3. They can use it to break the Concentration of an enemy whether they are targeting the player's party or buffing an enemy character instead.
Name | Effect |
Arrow of Salving |
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Arrow of Transposition |
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Arrow of Arcane Interference |
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7 Utility Potions That Provide Or Enhance Abilities
Gotta Go Fast...And Fly...And...Sleep?
- Vast applications across the game to add different variables to battles
- Many are readily available at various merchants and/or can be crafted
Sleeping during combat sounds like the worst idea imaginable, but the Potions of Angelic Reprieve and Slumber provide the effects of a Short Rest and Long Rest, respectively. For spell slot-hungry casters like Gale, these potions can be total game changers. The Potion of Speed provides Haste, which is highly exploitable in late-game fights, too. But not all of these potion types are created equally.
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For instance, the Remedial Potion and Basilisk Oil both remove negative status effects, but they aren't as useful in combat as something like a Potion of Flying. The table below ranks the potions based on their inherent combat usefulness.
Name | Effect |
Potion of Mind Reading | Allows the target to cast Detect Thoughts at will while talking to certain creatures until a Long Rest. |
Potion of Animal Speaking | Allows the target to converse with animals until a Long Rest. |
Potion of Gaseous Form |
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Potion of Sleep | Inflicts Sleep for 3 turns and can be thrown at enemies. |
Potion of Invisibility |
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Basilisk Oil | Cures petrification. |
Potion of Feather Fall | Slows the rate of falling, granting the target immunity to fall damage for 10 turns. |
Potion of Glorious Vaulting | Triples the target's jump distance for 10 turns. |
Antidote | Cures any poison. |
Potion of Vitality | Cures any Disease or Poison. |
Remedial Potion | Removes the negative statuses Silence, Poisoned, Blinded, and Paralyzed. |
Potion of Angelic Reprieve | After 2 full turns of uninterrupted sleeping, the target gains the benefit of a Short Rest, regaining all Level 1 and 2 spell slots. |
Potion of Angelic Slumber | After 2 full turns of uninterrupted sleeping, the target gains the benefit of a Long Rest. |
Potion of Flying | Grants the target Flight for 10 turns. |
Potion of Speed | Grants the target Haste for 3 turns, followed by 1 turn of Lethargic. |
8 Multi-Enemy Or Elemental Damage Arrows
Beware Of Friendly Fires And Enemy Resistances
- Best for ranged non-magical damage dealers, but also great for anyone with a bow
- Can be used in tandem with spells to proc effects such as Encrusted with Frost
Any player opting for a ranged, non-spellcasting build will want to keep elemental damage arrows in stock. Not only do these add elemental damage to normal weapon attacks, but they often create surfaces as well or do area-of-effect damage. The best part is that, technically, anyone can use them -- even on extra attacks as with Rogues, Warriors, some Bard builds, and Barbarians.
It's extremely easy to come by elemental damage arrows as loot from enemies or the surroundings and, of course, from merchants throughout the game. Just keep in mind that using an elemental damage arrow on an enemy that has resistance to that element may not work out as well as with other enemies.
Name | Effect |
Barbed Arrow | Deals 1d4 Piercing + Weapon Damage when moving for 5 turns. |
Arrow of Fire | 2d4 Fire+Weapon Damage and creates a fire surface for 2 turns. |
Arrow of Cold | 2d4 Cold+Weapon Damage and creates an ice surface for 2 turns. |
Arrow of Roaring Thunder | Deals Weapon Damage and knocks targets back by up to 5 meters. |
Arrow of Lightning | 2d4 Lightning+Weapon Damage |
Arrow of Acid | 2d4 Acid+Weapon Damage and creates a permanent Acid surface. |
Arrow of Darkness | Deals Weapon Damage and creates a cloud of Darkness that can inflict Blind for 3 turns. |
Arrow of Piercing | Deals Weapon Damage+half that damage to any creatures behind the original target. |
Smokepowder Arrow | Deals 4d6 Fire+4d6 Force+Weapon Damage and knocks targets back. |
Arrow of Ilmater | Deals 1d4 Necrotic+Weapon Damage and target cannot regain Hit Points for 1 turn. |
Arrow of Many Targets | Deals Weapon Damage+half that damage to original target and three other targets in range. |
9 Elixirs Of Resistance
Invest Early And Exploit Late Game
- Players can leverage these late game to mitigate damage from high-level enemies
- Readily available from many merchants and/or can be crafted
Especially in higher difficulties of combat, resistances to certain damage types such as Necrotic and Psychic become paramount. Elixirs of Resistance do exactly what their name suggests: provide boosted damage resistance against a specific damage type. All but the Universal Resistance Elixir lasts until the player takes a Long Rest, but this item is still very much worth having in the inventory.
Players can craft or buy the Elixir of Universal Resistance, too (which they should) even though it only lasts for 10 turns in battle. Think of the late-game fights where characters can take three or more types of elemental damage in a single turn. Every action counts and so does every Hit Point.
Name | Effect |
Elixir of Acid Resistance | Grants target resistance to Acid damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Poison Resistance | Grants target resistance to Poison damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Cold Resistance | Grants target resistance to Cold damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Fire Resistance | Grants target resistance to Fire damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Force Resistance | Grants target resistance to Force damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Radiant Resistance | Grants target resistance to Radiant damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Lightning Resistance | Grants target resistance to Lightning damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Thunder Resistance | Grants target resistance to Thunder damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Psychic Resistance | Grants target resistance to Psychic damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Necrotic Resistance | Grants target resistance to Necrotic damage until a Long Rest |
Elixir of Universal Resistance | Grants target resistance to all damage for 10 rounds of combat |
10 Healing Potions
The Old Standard No One Should Overlook
- Just buy all of them every time they're available
- Distribute them among the party as needed
Not much needs to be said about Healing Potions other than hoard all of them. Unlike Divinity Original Sin 2, players cannot merge smaller potions into bigger potions. They'll just have to use up the lesser potions outside of combat when the amount healed is less important.
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When it comes to battle, be sure to provide characters with the types of Healing Potion that best suits them. Lae'zel or Karlach might need the Supreme Healing Potions since they probably have more health than someone like Astarion or Gale. In the base difficulty of the game, merchants regularly restock with Healing Potions, too, so players should not have issues keeping them around.
Name | Effect |
Potion of Healing |
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Potion of Greater Healing |
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Potion of Superior Healing |
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Potion of Supreme Healing |
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11 Utility Elixirs That Buff Character Stats
Use An Elixir, Save A Spell Slot!
- Some are best to be used before players start their day's journey but others are strictly for combat
- Can further empower specific character builds to be even more powerful
These combat items all provide a buff or boost to some aspect of a character. If someone wants to avoid being surprised in the quest to save Oskar Fevras in Baldur's Gate, they might use an Elixir of See Invisibility. In the fight against Ketheric Thorm, someone standing in his necrotic aura might drink an Elixir of Heroism beforehand.
The real benefit of these Elixirs is that they don't cost spell slots to impart the buffs to characters. If someone wants to do a playthrough with little to no Long Rests, then Elixirs will be their new best friends.
Name | Effect |
Elixir of Arcane Cultivation | Target gains another Level 1 spell slot. |
Greater Elixir of Arcane Cultivation | Target gains another Level 2 spell slot. |
Superior Elixir of Arcane Cultivation | Target gains another Level 3 spell slot. |
Supreme Elixir of Arcane Cultivation | Target gains another Level 4 spell slot. |
Elixir of Barkskin | Target has their AC raised to 16. |
Elixir of Heroism | Target gains Bless and 10 temporary Hits Points. |
Elixir of Bloodlust | Once per turn, when the target kills a foe, they gain 5 temporary Hit Points and an additional Action. |
Elixir of Vigilance | Target cannot be surprised and gains a +5 bonus to Initiative |
Elixir of Battlemage's Power | Target gains Arcane Acuity for a maximum of 3 turns, providing +1 to spell save DC and spell Attack rolls. |
Elixir of Guileful Movement | Target gains Freedom of Movement, providing immunity to Difficult Terrain and movement speed reducing magical effects or spell, and the player cannot be restrained or paralyzed. |
Elixir of Viciousness | Target has the number needed to land a Critical Hit reduced by 1. |
Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength | Target has their Strength increased to 27. |
Elixir of the Colossus | Targets gains the Enlarged status, providing increased size, advantage on Strength checks, and +1d4 damage to weapon attacks. |
Elixir of Darkvision | Target gains Darkvision and can see to the range of 12 - 24 meters. |
Elixir of See Invisibility | Targets gain the ability to see any creature with Invisibility. |
Elixir of Peerless Focus |
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Baldur's Gate 3
- Platform(s)
- PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
