Last updated: 21 July 2026

Best Weapons in BG3 — Act by Act

Baldur's Gate 3 hides dozens of unique and legendary weapons behind fights, vaults and puzzles most players walk straight past. This runs through the standout pick for each stage of the game — from a weapon you can grab before the opening cutscene even ends, through Act 1 and 2 staples, to the Act 3 legendaries that define endgame builds — with what each one does and roughly where to find it.

01Prologue: Everburn Blade

Before you've even landed on the beach, the Nautiloid tutorial hides one of the best early melee weapons in the game. In the room with the ship's helm, you fight Commander Zhalk, a devil the game expects you to flee from — but if you win the fight (or use the Command spell to make him drop his weapon without a fight at all, by borrowing Shadowheart's spell list before combat starts), you get the Everburn Blade: a greatsword dealing bonus fire damage on every hit.

This is a one-time opportunity — once the Nautiloid crashes, the ship is gone for good, so it's now or never. Command (available to any Cleric or Fiend-patron Warlock, or by temporarily swapping Shadowheart's known spells before the fight) is the safest route: it costs one spell slot and skips the fight risk entirely.

02Act 1: Gandrel's Aspiration, Mourning Frost and More

Act 1 has several strong unique weapons well before you reach the Underdark or Grymforge:

• Gandrel's Aspiration (Heavy Crossbow) — dropped by the monster hunter Gandrel when you fight him near Auntie Ethel's lair. Grants Advantage against Monstrosity-type enemies and can infuse bolts to turn undead as a bonus action — strong for a ranged-focused party member early on.
• Mourning Frost (Quarterstaff) — built by collecting three components carried by Drow mages in the Underdark, dealing bonus Cold damage in melee or through spells with a chance to Chill the target. One of the best early staves for a Cold-damage caster.
• Knife of the Undermountain King (Shortsword) — sold or stolen from A'jak'nir Jeera at Creche Y'llek, with a +2 enchantment and Advantage against obscured or invisible targets, plus an expanded crit range.
• Susur Dagger — crafted at the Blighted Village forge using Sussur bark found in the Underdark; silences whatever it hits, which is excellent against enemy spellcasters.
• Loviatar's Scourge (Mace) — obtained from Abdirak at the Shattered Sanctum, mixing bludgeoning and necrotic damage.

None of these require finishing the main story path through Act 1 — most are available the moment you're willing to explore the Underdark or take a fight against their current owner.

03Act 2: Blood of Lathander

The standout Act 2 weapon is the Blood of Lathander, a relic classified as a Mace hidden in the secret chamber of Rosymorn Monastery (reached via the Mountain Pass). Getting it safely means solving the monastery's ceremonial-weapon puzzle — one ceremonial weapon is already mounted, and you track down and place the three missing ones on their matching stands to reveal the Dawnmaster's Crest, which opens the chamber without a fight. Skipping the puzzle and destroying the four energy beacons directly also works, but only within a tight turn limit.

Once equipped, it grants Lathander's Blessing (once per Long Rest, revive with 2d6 HP the instant you'd hit 0, healing nearby allies too) and Lathander's Light (a blinding radius against fiends and undead), plus a once-per-long-rest cast of Sunbeam. It's widely considered the best one-handed weapon obtainable before Act 3, and stays relevant on a Paladin or Cleric well into the endgame.

04Act 3: Markoheshkir — Best Staff for Casters

Markoheshkir, found in the vault beneath Ramazith's Tower in the Lower City (accessed through Sorcerous Sundries), is generally rated the best staff in the game for any pure spellcaster. It adds +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls, includes an Arcane Battery that refunds your next spell slot once per long rest, and Kereska's Favour, which lets you pick an elemental damage type to apply across your spells.

Reaching it requires some environmental puzzle-solving — falling to a lower level of the tower safely, finding an invisible floor plate (needs a way to see invisible objects or creatures), and getting past an arcane shield guarding the vault.

05Act 3: Nyrulna — Best Thrown Weapon

Nyrulna is a legendary trident found at the Circus of the Last Days in Rivington, and it's the single best pick for any thrown-weapon build (especially Tavern Brawler Throwzerker builds). Thrown, it returns to your hand automatically and detonates for bonus thunder damage in an area on impact; held, it also grants extra movement and jump distance plus immunity to fall damage.

Getting it involves the circus's genie, Akabi — either pickpocket a ring off him that teleports you to a hidden jungle area containing the weapon, or have a Bard in your party distract him instead of resorting to theft.

06Act 3: More Endgame Legendaries

• Bloodthirst (Dagger) — a legendary dagger with an expanded crit range, Piercing Vulnerability inflicted on hit, and a bonus-action True Strike cantrip with a riposte follow-up, making it a strong off-hand pick for Rogues and finesse fighters looking to land crits.
• Balduran's Giantslayer (Greatsword) — earned by defeating Ansur after completing the Wyrmway trials, doubling the bonus damage from your Strength modifier on hit. A strong finisher for pure Strength-based martial builds.
• Gontr Mael (Longbow) — an Act 3 legendary longbow rewarded for defeating the Steel Watcher Titan at the Steel Watch Foundry, with a chance to trigger a radiant Guiding Bolt on hit plus Celestial Haste — the standout ranged pick for the act.

Most Act 3 legendaries cluster around specific companion questlines or vaults, so it's worth checking a full walkthrough for your current act before committing a respec around one — some require choices earlier in the act to remain accessible.