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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIf you want to prevent Balthazar from appearing beside the Nightsong in the Shadowfell, attack and defeat him in the Gauntlet of Shar after the Dark Justiciar encounter and before entering the Shadowfell. The Gauntlet route is a choice, not a universally easier fight: party level, composition, initiative, difficulty setting, and positioning all matter.
Choose where to confront Balthazar
Balthazar is Ketheric Thorm’s necromancer, sent to retrieve the Nightsong. You first encounter him in the Gauntlet of Shar, behind a locked door guarded by undead servants. You can resolve the conflict there or leave him alive and meet him later at the Nightsong in the Shadowfell. BG3 Wiki: Balthazar
| Route | Location and setup | Story and timing | Flesh’s bell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fight in the Gauntlet | After the Dark Justiciar encounter, you can attack Balthazar. His undead servants are part of the surrounding events; do not assume they are automatically hostile to your party. | Defeating him here prevents his later appearance at the Nightsong. | Flesh can help in the Gauntlet conflict, but sides with Balthazar if summoned during the later fight against him. |
| Wait for the Shadowfell | If Balthazar is alive when you cross into the Shadowfell, he appears at the Nightsong. You can fight him or assist him. | This puts the confrontation at the Nightsong’s prison and makes it part of the Shadowfell decision. | Flesh sides with Balthazar if summoned in this battle. |
The Gauntlet encounter begins with Dark Justiciar Avengers attacking Balthazar’s undead servants and your party. The servants may fight alongside you as neutrals against the Justiciars; after that encounter, you can speak with Balthazar and choose to attack him. BG3 Wiki: Gauntlet of Shar
How to approach the Gauntlet encounter
Get through the Dark Justiciar conflict
Expect the opening fight to involve the Justiciars, Balthazar’s servants, and your party rather than a clean one-on-one boss battle. Umbral Tremors were updated in Larian’s Patch 3 notes to join combat automatically when in sight range, so tactics based on them remaining outside initiative may no longer apply. Larian Studios: Patch 3
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Decide whether to use Flesh
In the Gauntlet dialogue, a DC 14 Persuasion check can persuade Balthazar to give you a bell that summons his golem “brother,” Flesh. The bell can be useful in the Gauntlet conflict. Do not summon Flesh in a later fight against Balthazar expecting him to help you: he sides with Balthazar there. BG3 Wiki: Gauntlet of Shar
Attack Balthazar before leaving the Gauntlet
After the Justiciar encounter, speak with Balthazar if you want, then initiate combat against him before crossing into the Shadowfell. This resolves his branch in the Gauntlet and avoids the later version at the Nightsong. The available evidence establishes the different encounter locations and setups, but not a universal difficulty ranking between them.
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Before entering the Shadowfell
Crossing into the Shadowfell is a point of no return for access to Act One locations. Unfinished quests can complete automatically, usually as failures, and significant Moonrise Towers content may also complete automatically if you have not visited first. Finish the exploration and quests you still want to do before proceeding. BG3 Wiki: Gauntlet of Shar
If Balthazar is still alive when you enter the Shadowfell, he appears at the Nightsong. You can fight him there or help him pursue his mission; that choice carries the consequences of the Shadowfell decision forward. BG3 Wiki: Balthazar
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