In the opening sequence of Baldur’s Gate 3, some moments might seem like obvious choices to be made. You must escape the Nautiloid on which you’re trapped, sure, but there are multiple ways to clear the path ahead. There are many weak enemies you fight in this opening area, but just as you get to the transponder and get a chance to escape, there’s one more fight. In front of you is Commander Zhalk, a deadly fiend fighting a Mind Flayer, who is your temporary ally of convenience. Here’s how you can defeat Commander Zhalk and get his weapon, the Everburn Blade, in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Kill Commander Zhalk and Get His Everburn Blade in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)
The easiest method is to assist the Mind Flayer and let it do the attacking. You’ll need to have recruited Us (extract the brain successfully in the early area) and Shadowheart, giving you as many allies as possible. Kill the surrounding weaker enemies, they’ll likely die after ~1-2 hits, then use Dash to close in on Zhalk. The sooner the better, as the Mind Flayer only has 85 base HP and will die quickly without aid.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 – All Origin Characters
With Us, focus on chipping away at Zhalk. Lae’zel can use main attacks, lacerate, pommel strike, and just go nuts. Shadowheart should attempt to heal the Mind Flayer, but be mindful of protecting it too much: once Zhalk dies, it quickly turns on you, so be ready to kill it if it isn’t already dead. This, combined with some old-fashioned RNG fun, will break Zhalk down in no time.
In previous builds, players have had hilarious successes lining up Nautiloid tanks and creating explosive chain reactions to kill Zhalk and the Mind Flayer. I personally managed to inflict Frightened using my Warlock to make subsequent attacks easier and found that the Mind Flayer went down quickly thereafter.
However, be ready to run. Cambions will come in behind you as the turn counter reaches ~8 turns left. Choose wisely whether you want to engage, but killing Zhalk for the Everburn Blade is the coolest achievement in the opening area of Baldur’s Gate 3.
