Player finds a way to skip one of the toughest fights in Baldur’s Gate 3 and still get the weapon

There are always some clever tricks or unexpected ways to get through intense encounters in Baldur’s Gate 3, like with Auntie Ethel, for example. But there’s something especially satisfying about completely breaking the game in some weird way, skipping the fight, and still walking away with the loot. I’ll never forget how brutal the Ansur fight was, and the moment I finally claimed that weapon. It stayed with me till the end of the game. But what if I told you there’s another way to get it?

Maybe we could just let him sleep a little longer

Ansur is an optional boss in Act 3 of BG3, and there are a few different NPCs who can give you the book that leads you to the dragon. The quest is most closely tied to Wyll and his father, the Grand Duke. I’m not entirely sure if you can unlock the quest without rescuing the Duke, but you can try looting Cordula Eltan or Counsellor Florrick for the Legend of Ansur, the book that contains clues on how to find the dragon.

But let’s skip straight to the interesting part: the fight, or rather, how to avoid it entirely.

Source: Baldur's Gate 3; Developer: Larian Studios

Wolfaxth shared on Reddit a trick where they managed to grab Balduran’s Giantslayer without even waking up Ansur. All we need to do is start a fight with anyone else in the area. Once we’re in combat, we can loot the dragon without triggering the cutscene or dialogue that normally starts the boss fight.

Source: Baldur's Gate 3; Developer: Larian Studios

Several methods can allow you to start a fight nearby. Wolfaxth used a barrel with a kobold inside (picked up from Rosymorn Monastery back in Act 1). Throwing it breaks the barrel and releases the kobold, starting combat. But we can also use the Iron Flask (it releases a Spectator), or summoned Mayrina’s husband using the Bitter Divorce wand. There are quite a few creative options in the comments.

That said, I still recommend fighting the dragon. If you skip it, you’ll miss out on the drama between The Emperor and Ansur, and trust me, it’s absolutely worth it. It’s a great piece of lore, and you definitely won’t regret watching the cutscene.

Source: Baldur's Gate 3; Developer: Larian Studios

On a side note, I recently looked up which trophy is the rarest in Baldur’s Gate 3, and it turns out it’s not the one for finishing the game in Honor Mode. But can you imagine only 12.9% of players have unlocked the Mind Blown achievement? Unbelievable. Although I guess getting the platinum trophy in this game must be insanely tough, it probably takes thousands of hours. There’s even a discussion about how hard it is to stop playing BG3 because it’s just so addictive.

Baldur's Gate 3

August 3, 2023

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• Wizards of the Coast
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• Larian Studios
• Baldur's Gate (franchise)