Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Defeat The Phase Spider Matriarch

There are several different bosses in Baldur’s Gate III, including optional bosses like the Phase Spider Matriarch. Phase Spiders are monstrosities from Dungeons & Dragons that can phase through the ethereal and physical plane. These stealthy giant spiders can be trouble on their own, but being a matriarch makes it the worst of its kind to deal with.

Players will have to bring their party through the den of phase spiders to reach the matriarch in the first place, giving players a bit of practice. However, this also means that the party will need to try and survive the rest of the dark, dank den. Using a stealthy party and leading with a character that has darkvision or superior darkvision can help in this endeavor.

Prepping for Defeating the Phase Spider Matriarch in Baldur’s Gate III

Being under the proper level for this fight can be detrimental, however, it doesn’t make the fight impossible to win. Players should take a couple of things into consideration before heading out for this fight. Preparation is the key to winning.Before heading out, players should make sure that their party is fully stocked with healing and invisibility potions, poisons, throwable items, elemental arrows, and if possible fire-based scrolls. Fire-based items are especially useful in the case of fighting spiders as their webs are flammable. This also means that players will need to be mindful of what they are stepping through and have a flask or two of water on them to throw if need be.Having a cleric is essential to any fight with tough enemies, as having a heal-bot can make or break the team. For a stealthy but brutal team, bringing Shadowheart, Astarion, and either Wyll or Lae’zel along will be for the best. Beyond this, making sure that your team doesn’t blow through heals before reaching the den is the best for prepping.

Distracting and Defeating the Phase Spider Matriarch in Baldur’s Gate III

The largest part of fighting the matriarch is taking her by surprise and getting her away from her eggs. The team can deal some extra damage if the player strikes with Astarion’s or the player’s rogue character’s ranged sneak attack. Player’s should split their party and draw out the matriarch with one half while the other half stays closer in the shadows to destroy the eggs.There are three clutches of eggs in the den, all of which should be destroyed to prevent any spiderlings from joining in on the fight. This fight is all based on timing. As long as players do not get close to the eggs without sneaking or hiding, they shouldn’t hatch on their own accord. With this idea in mind, players should have the egg party be two stealthier weaker characters while the front group should be the main fighters. Unfortunately, depending on the party configuration, this may mean that the player won’t be able to get any sneak attack damage on their first attack to draw out the matriarch.If players have a weaker and stealthier character they will likely want Lae’zel and Shadowheart in the front drawing out the matriarch and dealing damage to her. In this case, players would have to have their player character and Astarion in the back. If the player wants to get their sneak attack damage though, having Astarion and Lae’zel in front could be done, which would leave the player’s character and Shadowheart in the back. Or in the case of having more of a fighter-type player character putting them in the place of the main fighter in the previous configurations.Once the party has split up and begun luring out the matriarch, they should strategically use the webs as traps for the spiders. Webs act as dangerous terrain for players, but it is safe for the spiders to cross. This can be a tricky thing to pull off, however, getting the spider on its web and then lighting it on fire can be extremely effective. Also, if Wyll is in the party, using Misty Step would be perfect for this encounter to jump across the map in a dangerous situation. Remember though that Phase Spiders can jump and phase through the map as well, so it is not as amazing of a dodge as it normally would be.Another effective weapon against the phase spiders and their matriarch is using illusions. Minor Illusion is a great distraction as well as Shadowheart’s ability to make a secondary version of herself. Mirror Image can be helpful as well, as it adds to the player’s armor class. Summons can be great for adding to the player’s numbers to overwhelm the matriarch. Summons can be found in scrolls, be a character’s familiar, Mage Hand, or even a ranger’s animal companion.The last thing to consider in this fight is the team’s collected throwable items. Alchemist’s Fire is especially useful if the party has no fire-based magic. Rocks and random loose objects are great for the Mage Hand to use. Lastly, players can use grease, although it is not guaranteed to knock the spiders over, it does still have a chance if they don’t phase through the terrain.

Baldur’s Gate III early access is now available on PC.

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