Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Build Discussion Best build at lv1 to defeat Cdr Zhalk

After trying out all classes , i find this below is the optimal class bear cdr zhalk easily :

- start as War Domain Cleric , that will give you extra attack per turn for 3 turn , STR and WIS and CON primary stats
- set Bane as prepared spell for your cleric , command and bless for Shart
- before entering the final room Bless party using Shart and then click the blue energizer thing to recharge spell slot
- enter the room , dash Shart forward to command zhalk to drop weapon
- Shart take the dropped weapon and to your cleric.
- use your cleric's bane on zhalk
- move forward and you can demolish zhalk with 2 melee hit per turn for 3 turns

OPTIONAL
- Pick empty chests (total 3) to block the passage way to zhalk's room so cambions cant enter room
- pick purple canisters and drop them around zhalk and flayer , explode them all and then hit the survivor with your sword

Any class and build works.
Use Command to make Zhalk drop weapon, F8 to make the Illithid NOT miss, once Zhalk is 30HP or so blow up four Illithid Liquid Containers. Job's a good'un ...

1) On tactician difficulty, the commander has 195HP, and the time window for the player party to deal with him is limited to 6 turns (realistically), up to 15 turns (bottom line).
2) Shadowheart has 55% success rate to command him to drop his weapon and can do that twice for a total success rate slightly over 80%.

At least on Tactician difficulty, the best outcome, in my opinion, is this:
1) ensure everyone (2 temporary companions + Us) is alive in the end,
2) get the weapon,
3) ensure it is the player party that deals the killing blow to the mind flayer,
4) have the main character activate the "helm".
This way, nothing is stressful, the player will end up at level 2 as soon as gameplay control is returned to them again.

the silver sword is much better for a gith and you don't need to count turns for that... killing the commander boils down to save scumming or not and the real goal is level 2

Level 2 is kinda pointless as well. The amount of xp you need to level there is pretty small, and if you kill all the small fry, free Shadowheart (which you'd do for Zhalk anyway), you'll be level 2 the moment you find Shadowheart on the beach. So it mostly boils down to doing it once for the achievement, which can be done without being on tactician.

True, but ... at the beginning every little bit of XP helps. Killing Zhalk and the Illithid puts you 25% towards lvl 3.
Also cool sword. Not to mention armour which is better than Shadowhearts, but also free of the Kill On Sight logo of the Church of Shar in the cleavage ...

Lower difficulty to minimal to make it easier ... make Shadowheart cast Command: Drop up to twice to get the sword, if it fails both times, reload ... rest as already described.

The sword is very nice and lasted me quite a long time in every game I've started.

If you didn't killed Zhalk you'll level up when you reach Shart. You know. Like 10 meters from where you fell.

For the record even on normal I have died in this battle.

If Shadowheart fails both Command and you keep rolling really low on your attacks and the Mindflayer keeps messing up the Mind Blast, well the adds will do quite short work of you.

Yup its Really anoying this Battle theres no easy way its like a RNG god stuff bro..
if the Squid Miss a Lot and yu Miss the 2 Spell slots from Shadow.. things will go off the rail pretty fast..
if yu get Lucky the battle will go your way and yu will get it.
(and if yu are playing as Melee this sword will carry yu till Cresch or act 2.. depending on your choices yu will find a better one early or not.)