Summary
- Polearms in Baldur's Gate 3 have more reach than other melee weapons, making them great for hitting enemies 3m away. They work well with feats like Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master.
- Some intriguing polearm options in the game include Sorrow, a +1 glaive that lets you cast the Thorn Whip cantrip, and Light of Creation, a +1 glaive with secondary lightning damage.
- The Halberd of Vigilance is the best choice for a Polearm-Sentinel combo, giving a +2 halberd with extra force damage, advantage on reactions, and bonuses to initiative and perception.
So, you want to combine the Polearm Master and Sentinel feats, eh? Regardless of your reasons, Baldur's Gate 3 has many ways to create a powerhouse of a character with all the classes, races, feats, and, our focus for now, weapons. Among these weapons are the polearms.
RelatedBaldur's Gate 3: 15 Best Feats For A Fighter
If your character is a fighter in BG3, you'll want to use these feats.
Posts By Lucas OlahThey are not as strong as greatswords, but they compensate by having more reach than other melee options, allowing you to hit people 3m away from you. They also work well with the aforementioned feats, as well as Great Weapon Master, which highly increases your damage, as they are still two-handed weapons, after all.
Updated on September 27, 2024, by Lucas Olah: While we have no updates with new weapons and such, the game is so vast that it's worth looking back at all the options and see if there's anything else worth mentioning. Along with that, we also thought it would be better for you to have a more straightforward explanation of each weapon's effects and where you can find them, making your job of equipping yourself properly easier. Gear yourself up for the Mind Flayer invasion and have fun.
There are no legendary polearms, sadly, but some intriguing options remain.
9 Returning Pike
They're Polearms, Too
Act
Act 1
Attack And Damage Bonus
1 plus your strength bonus.
Where To Find
Sold by Grat the Trader at the Goblin Camp.
Other Effects
It returns to your hand when thrown.
Pikes are usually ignored in D&D because Polearm Master doesn't work on them for whatever reason. Luckily, Baldur's Gate 3 lets their Polearm Master work on pikes, which makes them an option. That said, we have the Returning Pike, which does as the name implies.
This +1 pike has a simple yet effective perk: If you throw it, it comes back to you. That gives your melee character a functional ranged option that doesn't rely on ammo. You can buy it from the goblin Grat the Trader in their camp.
8 Sorrow
Bring Enemies Closer To You
Act
Act 1
Attack And Damage Bonus
1 plus your strength bonus.
Where To Find
In the Hidden Vault from the Druid Grove.
Other Effects
It lets you cast Thorn Whip as a bonus action.
Starting with a weapon you can get quite early, Sorrow is a +1 glaive, meaning it has a bonus on both your attack and damage rolls of one. What makes it stand out is the ability to cast the Thorn Whip cantrip as a bonus action, giving you a slightly greater range with this melee weapon and potentially dragging enemies close enough for further attacks.
This one is hidden in the Druids' vault from the Emerald Grove. How you'll get there is up to you, so you can be either naughty or nice and still get this weapon at your disposal.
7 Light Of Creation
Stunning
Act
Act 1
Attack And Damage Bonus
- 1 plus your strength bonus.
- 1d6 lightning damage.
Where To Find
By looting Bernard in the Arcane Tower.
Other Effects
It has a small chance of stunning the wielder every time it's used, unless the wielder is a construct.
Light of Creation is a complicated weapon, but it's worth mentioning due to how early you can get it — you can replace it for a better polearm later. It's another +1 glaive, but it has secondary damage, causing an extra d6 lightning damage per attack, meaning it'll hurt a bit more.
What makes it complicated is that every time you attack, there's a chance of stunning yourself with the weapon, and only constructs are immune to this penalty. The chance is low, though, especially if you have an excellent constitution ability score. You can get this weapon by destroying Bernard in the Arcane Tower.
In Act 2, you'll find the Gloves of Automaton with Barcus at the Last Light Inn. Along with other effects, you're considered a construct when you wear these gloves, stopping the stunning effect mentioned above.
6 The Skinburster
Blow Them Up
Act
Act 2
Attack And Damage Bonus
1 plus your strength bonus.
Where To Find
The Githyanki Crèche, in the Inquisitor's room.
Other Effects
Triggers a unique condition, Force Conduit, when you deal damage.
You can get a small boost in offense and defense here. This is a +1 halberd that will give you a unique condition every time you land a hit called Force Conduit. When activated, every damage you receive from a piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing source will decrease by one, and if you receive damage after accumulating five turns with this condition, you'll cause a d4 force damage in a 6m area around you.
RelatedBaldur's Gate 3: Best Builds For Lae'zel
Lae'zel is Baldur's Gate 3's tough-as-nails Githyanki Fighter and she makes for a fantastic companion.
Posts By Ryan Thompson-BamseyThis weapon is a bit hidden, but you can find it at the Githyanki Crèche in the Inquisitor's Chamber.
5 The Dancing Breeze
Choose Your Ability Score
Act
Act 3
Attack And Damage Bonus
2 plus your strength or your dexterity bonus (whichever is higher).
Where to Find
Sold by Exxvikyap in Rivington.
Other Effects
Special attack that targets all nearby enemies (one use per short rest).
This glaive is also an interesting example, not because it is the most powerful in raw numbers but because of how unorthodox it is. At first, this weapon is nothing more than a +2 glaive. What makes it unique is that it has the Finesse property, meaning you can use your dexterity for attacks instead of your Strength.
That gives you a heavy-hitting weapon with a good reach while still playing a dexterity-based character, giving you different build opportunities. You can buy it from the cheerful Exxvikyap in Rivington.
4 Halberd Of Vigilance
No One Will Escape You
Act
Act 2
Attack And Damage Bonus
- 2 plus your strength bonus.
- 1d4 force damage.
Where to Find
Sold by Laan Tarv in Moonrise Towers.
Other Effects
- +1 to initiative rolls.
- Advantage on Perception rolls.
- Advantage on attacks made with your reaction, such as opportunity attacks.
The Halberd of Vigilance is probably the best choice for the Polearm-Sentinel combo, or at least if you intend to have the Sentinel feat with the character. First, you have a +2 halberd that gives an extra d4 force damage. Not many creatures resist force damage, so it is already a good thing to have by itself.
It also gives you a +1 on your initiative and an advantage on Perception rolls, but the best feature here is an advantage on any attack you make using your reaction — which is why the Sentinel feat will help a lot, along with things such as the Riposte maneuver. You can get this halberd by buying it from Lann Tarv in Moonrise Towers.
3 Drakethroat Glaive
For The Dragonborns
Act
Act 2
Attack And Damage Bonus
2 plus your strength bonus.
Where To Find
Sold by Roah Moonglow in Moonrise Towers.
Other Effects
- Dacronic Element Weapon spell, that adds 1d4 damage of an element you choose when casting.
- Enemies have disadvantage against your dragonborn's Breath Weapon attack.
Another great option is the Drakethroat Glaive, as it gives you a more versatile weapon in terms of damage type. It's a +2 glaive that lets you cast Draconic Elemental Weapon, a feature that gives your attack an extra d4 damage, and it lets you choose the damage type between these options: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, and Thunder.
RelatedBaldur's Gate 3: All Legendary Weapons, Ranked
While these weapons are all legendary, only one can be the best. Which legendary weapon should you wield?
Posts By Lucas OlahIt also makes enemies roll at a disadvantage against your breath attack, making it a nice combo for Dragonborn characters — and a pretty helpful combo since the breath weapon isn't that good. This feature makes it more consistent, at least. You can also buy this glaive in Moonrise Towers from Roah Moonglow.
2 Harmonium Halberd
Intelligence Is For The Weak
Act
Act 2
Attack And Damage Bonus
1 plus your strength bonus (technically a +2 since it'll also increase your strength bonus by one).
Where to Find
Sold by Dammon at the Last Light Inn.
Other Effects
+2 to your strength score, but with a -1 penalty to your intelligence and wisdom.
Intelligence and wisdom are for the weaklings who can't hit their enemies hard enough. This is a +1 halberd that gives you a +2 on your strength score when equipped — at the cost of giving you a -1 to your ntelligence and wisdom.
The +2 on your strength can reach a maximum of 23, and having it on the 22-23 mark will give a +6 bonus to anything related to strength. Plus, if your intelligence or wisdom values are in an odd number, the -1 won't change any bonuses. You can buy this weapon from Dammon at the Last Light Inn.
1 Moonlight Glaive
Light The Way
Act
Act 2
Attack And Damage Bonus
- 2 plus your strength bonus.
- 1d4 radiant damage.
Where To Find
Spare the Nightsong.
Other Effects
- Permanent light effect.
- Special attacks that deals extra psychic damage and gives you advantage against the target.
If you want to be evil, well, too bad for you. To get this weapon, you'll have to free the Nightsong near the end of Act 2. Your reward is a +2 glaive that also causes an additional d4 radiant damage, a damage type rarely resisted by enemies.
Along with basic weapon moves, it also has a special attack called Moonlight Butterflies, which causes additional psychic damage and an illusion that will give you an advantage against said target. The target will also receive damage if they back away from the illusion.
5.0/5 Baldur's Gate 3 Like Follow Followed RPG Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 96/100 Critics Rec: 97% Released August 3, 2023 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Engine Divinity 4.0 Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op Cross-Platform Play Full cross-platform play.WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITAL
