Commander Zhalk is an optional boss fight and one of the very first truly fearsome enemies players will encounter in Baldur's Gate 3. However, despite his apparent strength, he can be defeated by the players if they play it smart and employ thoughtful strategies to handle him and obtain an extremely broken two-handed weapon.
Commander Zhalk's weapon, the Everburn Blade, is one of the most powerful weapons in the entirety of Act 1, and players will be hard-pressed to find a better alternative for their front-lining battle masters. Paladins, Fighters, Rangers, Barbarians, and and even Pact of the Blade Warlocks will benefit immensely by having access to this flaming sword.
Updated by Hamza Haq on August 26, 2023: We've added new links to the article to match the most current information on Baldur’s Gate 3.
Defeating Commander Zhalk
To have the best chance at defeating Commander Zhalk, recruit every possible companion you can get at this point in the game (Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Intellect Devourer (Brain), Main Character) and bring the full party to bear. There are different strategies you can use to defeat him, as BG3 offers a lot of options for players to mess around with. Here are some strategies we found useful when dealing with this boss encounter.
Buffing The Mind Flayer
Boost the Mind Flayer (the tentacle monster who captured you) with buffing spells like Bless to increase his AC and damage. You can also heal the Mind Flayer using Shadowheart's Cleric spells, but at level 1, these low level spells and cantrips are not that effective at healing effectively. You're better off buffing other aspects.
The Mind Flayer delivers powerful attacks, and so does Zhalk. Both of them will chip away at each other's HP regardless of your intervention. Your goal is to help the Mind Flayer just enough that he brings Zhalk low but not so much that he has full health at the end of the fight.
Once the Mind Flayer defeats Commander Zhalk, he will turn on the players and will attempt to kill you. You can either defeat him to loot his body or escape the fight by activating the transponder console. There is no benefit to killing the Mind Flayer beyond getting some XP.
Using Shadowheart's 'Command' Spell
When you recruit Shadowheart and get the option to select her spells, choose "Bless" and "Command." Bless is a powerful buffing spell that can help the Mind Flayer, and Command allows you to force a character to either flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground, or drop their weapon. In this case, you want Commander Zhalk to drop his weapon.
This will initiate a WIS saving throw for Zhalk. You might not succeed on the first try, so try again either by save scumming or waiting for the next turn. When successful, Zhalk will drop his weapon and only perform unarmed attacks from then on.
These attacks are easy to handle as they only deal around 7-8 damage per hit. You will have the option to pick up the fallen sword and run away, forgoing the fight entirely if you so desire.
General Tips
Here are some additional tips to come out on top in this battle.
- Quicksave (F5) before every single attack, especially whenever the Mind Flayer attempts an attack roll. The Mind Flayer is going to be over 80% of the damage no matter what you do. If he misses even once, Commander Zhalk will likely emerge victorious. Reload every time the Mind Flayer misses.
- Use Lae'zel to spam Lacerate on Zhalk. The goal should be to keep him debuffed as long as possible.
- Use the Potion of Speed to increase your actions per turn to land more hits on Commander Zhalk.
- Healing/Buffing spells are crucial for the fight; take a short rest before the fight to be ready.
- At the start of the fight, have at least one ranged character standing near the transponder console the Mind Flayer commands you to activate. Interacting with this console will end this sequence and trigger a cutscene. Make sure you have obtained all the loot from the dead bodies before interacting with the console, as you will not be able to return to this area afterward.
The Speed Potion is not a guaranteed drop from the lootable dead bodies in the pod ship, but there is a high chance you'll find one on the Incinerated Mind Flayer.
Getting The Everburn Blade
Once you defeat Commander Zhalk, you can loot his body to find the Everburn Blade inside. If you opt for the Command spell route, you can obtain this weapon without killing Commander Zhalk with your own hands. Keep in mind, however, that landing the killing blow is the only way to get credited with killing the commander and gaining experience (75 XP).
The Everburn Blade is a two-handed greatsword that does an additional 1D4 Fire Damage. It can be wielded by party members who have the necessary proficiencies. Frontliners like Lae'zel will appreciate having this blade in their arsenal.