Baldur‘s Gate 3 offers players an immersive RPG experience with deep character customization, expansive maps to explore, challenging battles, and legendary weapons that provide heroes with devastating power. Few items in the game offer more raw force than the mythic mace known as Blood of Lathander. This divine weapon‘s radiant magic and solar abilities make it highly sought-after by veteran players.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll provide everything you need to know to track down Blood of Lathander and add it to your arsenal early in your Baldur‘s Gate 3 adventure. You‘ll learn key details on the weapon‘s background, step-by-step instructions for acquiring it through exploration or combat, strategies for utilizing its impressive skills in battle, additional legendary items that complement its playstyle, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Whether playing as a Cleric, Paladin, or Warrior, Blood of Lathander allows even low-level adventurers to wield the brilliance of the sun itself against the game‘s most sinister foes. So gather your party and follow along as we uncover this legendary mace‘s secrets.
Overview of Blood of Lathander‘s Capabilities
Before storming Lathander‘s monastery in search of this mythic weapon, it helps to understand the mace‘s key attributes. This information will give context on why it‘s considered one of the best legendary weapons available early on.
Abilities
Blood of Lathander grants several powerful enchantments to its wielder:
- Cheat Death: Heals yourself and nearby allies for 25 hit points when you drop to 0 hit points
- Sun‘s Fury: Forces undead and fiends within 30 feet to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute
- Sunbeam: Cast the 6th level Sunbeam spell (100 foot line, 8d8 radiant damage, Constitution save) once per long rest
- Radiant Damage: Adds 1d4 (2-5) radiant damage on each attack
Stats
- Rarity: Legendary
- Damage: 2-10 slashing + 1d4 radiant
- Requires Attunement: Yes
Lore
According to Baldurian legend, Lathander the Morninglord gifted Blood of Lathander to his most devoted human champion, The Last Winnowed Knight, who quested to cleanse the realms of undead scourges. Tales tell of the mace bursting into dazzling rays of sunlight during the great Dawn Massacre of Gloomhallow Valley, where thousands of restless spirits were pacified by its luminous power.
Now the knight rests eternally with his precious mace buried alongside him. But creative adventures can attempt to claim its radiance for themselves.
I still fondly remember when I first unlocked the Blood of Lathander during my initial playthrough. I was struggling in a particular gnoll infested forest, with their pack tactics shredding my squishier spellcasters. Stumbling upon Lathander‘s gift felt like divine providence – the Sunbeam spell decimated the savage humanoids, while Blood‘s radiance continues empowering my party to this day.
Step-By-Step Walkthrough: Obtaining Blood of Lathander
Blood of Lathander rests hidden in the ancient Monastery of the Dawn‘s Light, nestled high in the secluded mountains east of the Grymforge ruins. Recovering it requires navigating precarious terrain, solving mystical puzzles, and overcoming well-armed protectors.
I‘ll provide navigational guidance and strategies for bypassing traps and guards at the monastery. Take it slow and steady to avoid alerting hordes of enemies at once.
Reach the Monastery (Level 4+)
From Grymforge‘s waypoint, travel east past the river crossing and continue upwards along the cliffs towards Silverymoon Pass. Ascend left when the path diverges towards Triboar Trail or Silverymoon Pass.
You‘ll know you‘re on the correct route when the mountain trail enters a cavern pass filled with bandits. I suggest dealing with them using ranged attacks and crowd control spells to limit reprisals. Exit the far side and proceed to Rosie Beestinger‘s camp. From there, locating the ancient monastery becomes clear.
Monastery Exterior Enemies
| Enemy | Level | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Armored Skeleton | 3 | Slam, immobilizing leap |
| Gith Warrior | 5 | Multiattack, psionic energy cone |
| Monodrone | 5 | Force ray, replicate ally buffs |
| Gith Assassin | 7 | Sneak Attack, invisibility, teleportation, stun dart |
Infiltrate the Monastery
Climb the vines and circle the backside of the ancient monastery. Enter through one of the open windows on the second floor, ideally into the empty barracks or storage rooms.
Enemies patrol both the interior halls and surrounding grounds. Move stealthily avoiding line of sight to prevent confronting too many foes at once. Search dining areas, studies, and other rooms on both levels connected to the large central chamber.
Tip: Disarm hunting traps using Thieve‘s Tools and destroy alarm crystals immediately to prevent swarms of reinforcements.
Locate Relic Weapons
Scattered around the monastery are three relic weapons belonging to Lathander paladins of the past – a war hammer Justicar‘s Gavel, battle axe Dawn Cleaver, and shield Aegis of the Risen Sun. Recovering clues to their locations is key to unlocking the Sun Lord‘s arsenal.
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The War Hammer sits on display in the eastern relic room just past the kitchen and pantry. Grab it quickly before the nearby guards spot you.
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The Battle Axe rests in a bedroom on the second floor. Climb the vine-covered wall outside to reach the balcony, sneak inside, and snatch it. Beware skeletal guardians lurking deeper within.
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The Knight‘s Shield lies buried in the cemetery just north of the main complex, identifiable by a single disturbed soil mound. Dig it up using a shovel from the garden shed.
Solve Sun Altar Puzzle
Once you‘ve gathered all three weapons, return to the giant chamber with sunlight pouring through the glass ceiling. Activate the central altar to reveal three weapon racks. Carefully place the matching pieces in their appropriate stands based on shape and icon – Justicar‘s Gavel on the hammer symbol, Dawn Cleaver on the axe, and Aegis of the Risen Sun on the tower shield crest.
This dispels the illusion and awards the Dawnlord‘s Crest item. Follow the newly revealed passage downstairs to just outside the gith crash site.
Disable Alarm & Unlock Final Door
The staircase leads into a room with a ringing crystal altar sounding an alarm. Destroy it quickly before reinforcements arrive!
Next, enter the armory to the north and rotate the statues in the sequence mirroring their position – east statue turned right, west statue turned left. This unlocks the door to the inner sanctum.
Defeat Protectors & Claim Prize
Pass through the portal to reveal a magical stellar wellspring – the resting place of Blood of Lathander! But a few final ghostly protectors stand watch over the relic. Fight them off however you see fit.
Once victorious, claim your hard-earned reward – the Blood of Lathander legendary mace, scintillating with divine energy. The souls of Lathander‘s noble champions can finally rest knowing Baldur‘s Gate has a new holy avenger.
With the sun-blessed mace in hand, escape the monastery through the front entrance and return to your adventure. Don‘t forget to attune it fast and revel in smiting evil with scintillating solar strikes!
Mastering Blood of Lathander in Battle
Simply equipping Blood of Lathander empowers any crusader against the swelling forces of evil. But thoughtfully activating the right enchantments at key moments in battle can devastate enemies, protect allies, and turn the tide dramatically in your favor.
Weaving Radiance Into Combos
The automatic extra 1d4 radiant damage increases the mace‘s base weapon strikes. I love combining it with other buffs like Barbarian Rage or the Paladin‘s Divine Smite to compound the effects even more.
Moreover, radiant damage handicaps regenerating monsters like vampires and trolls. So when facing those, I prioritize maximizing rays of light over raw damage numbers.
For example, before engaging a coven of blood drinkers, my Ranger would use Ensnaring Strike to restrain groups while my Cleric concentrated fire with the mace. We cut off their healing factor and won the day!
Leveraging Debilitating Saves
When engaging swarms of undead or hellish adversaries with lower Constitution saves, always open combats by invoking Sun‘s Fury to blind as many foes as possible with its DC 15 radiant blast.
Turning skeletal legions and impish shadows into helpless pincushions lets your party concentrate attacks on priority targets. I love chuckling proudly as the monastery‘s undead guardians pathetically swing at empty air while my companions freely blast them to dust.
Cheat Death‘s Lifesaving Burst
Blood‘s built-in cheat death ability activates automatically when your health drops to 0. No action required!
But do keep the 15 foot radius area buff in mind. I try positioning myself adjacent to weakened teammates before major battles when possible. That way if I go down, the healing burst resuscitates them too!
You can also intentionally allow the mace to trigger cheat death when one or more allies are bleeding out. Essentially "take the bullet" for them to redistribute much-needed hit points in a pinch. This lifesaving burst has prevented many Total Party Kills (TPKs) during my adventures!
Sunbeam‘s Strategic Smites
The Sunbeam spell calls down a massive 100 foot column of brilliant energy, dealing intense 8d8 radiant damage (36 average) and potentially incapacitating struck creatures.
Since you can only cast it once per long rest, be extremely judicious on when to unleash this ultimate attack. The most impactful times in my experience often include:
- Smashing clusters of weak underlings to clear them quickly
- Targeting a dangerous flanking adversary who isolates backline allies
- Striking down flying creatures or hostile spellcasters
- Finishing bosses or mini-bosses with just a sliver of health left
Proper Sunbeam timing can completely swing momentum during nail-biting battles. I save it exclusively for clutch moments worthy of Lathander‘s incandescent intervention. The beam manifests as a thundering pillar of stellar rays arcing from the heavens – a thematic taste of the Morninglord‘s full glory!
Supplementing With Complementary Legendaries
While Blood of Lathander‘s solar-charged strikes can tackle nearly any threat, pairing it with supplemental legendary weapons, armor, and items makes your hero virtually unstoppable against the dark forces besieging Baldur‘s Gate.
Protector +3 (Very Rare Longsword)
This angelic longsword offers similar bless effects to Blood of Lathander with extra attack and damage bonuses. Allowing another frontline fighter like your Ranger or Paladin to draw attacks wielding Protector while you pummel enemies with the mace proved extremely effective during my last adventure.
Protector‘s damage resistance and healing properties also stack with cheat death‘s burst, turning your whole party into regen tanks!
Mace of Terror (Rare Weapon)
Mace of Terror complements the radiant mace nicely when you need to disable groups of enemies for easy picks. On tougher solo missions, equipping it in the main hand with Blood in your off-hand combines stunning smites with frightening curses to totally debilitate foes.
Circlet of Blasting (Uncommon Hat)
For clerics or casters, wearing this enchanted crown amplifies fiery destruction without interfering with the weapon‘s attunement. Activate its scorching energy detonation in tandem with Sunbeam to immolate evildoers with a sorcerous solar tempest!
Other Notable Combinations
- A fighter dual-wielding Blood with the Frostbrand sword freezes then shatters packed enemies with alternating elemental strikes.
- A druid shifting between beast forms uses the mace‘s cheat death protection to safely enter melees they normally couldn‘t survive.
- A ranger consuming a Potion of Speed can zip around unleashing Sunbeam and cure bursts exactly when and where needed.
Mixing the right assortment of legendary boons enables you to unleash the full dazzling brilliance of Baldur‘s Gate 3‘s dawnlord himself! Do you have a favorite item or skill to pair with Blood of Lathander? Let me know in the comments!
FAQ: Unlocking The Mythic Mace
For newcomers, tracking down weapons like Blood of Lathander in an expansive open-world RPG like Baldur‘s Gate 3 proves daunting. Don‘t feel discouraged if you struggle at first!
Here are answers to common questions asked about unlocking this powerful prize:
Do I have to be a certain class to use it?
No, any class can attune and equip Blood of Lathander. But clerics, fighters, rangers, paladins, and battle mages benefit most from its melee-focused holy magic.
For example, a multiclassed cleric/ranger can exchange between casting Sacred Flame and making weapon strikes enhanced by Hunter‘s Mark. Or a strength paladin smites then uses the mace‘s cheat death to tank larger groups.
What level should I attempt getting it?
Because the monastery showcases several mid-tier enemies like Gith assassins, I‘d recommend entering around level 4 or 5. But skilled lower level groups could potentially clear it by luring isolated patrols using stealth.
Solo heroes should be at least 6 with good gear and build synergy with Blood‘s enchantments. Having an extra member or summon for the final armory fight helps immensely.
Is this walkthrough the only way to acquire it?
No. As an alternative method, you can directly fight the Dawn Master monks and loot the weapon from the boss‘ remains afterwards. But this ratchets up the overall difficulty substantially. Expect to burn through lots of potions and revives!
Can I return later if it‘s too hard now?
Absolutely! Mark the monastery entrance on your map. Then comeback once you‘ve gained a few more levels, recruited additional party allies, or equipped more radiant/undead damage boosting gear. The legendary mace remains ripe for the taking whenever you feel prepared to brave the journey.
Does Blood of Lathander respawn if I sell or lose it?
Unfortunately no. As a unique artifact, the mace does not respawn or return if sold or lost permanently. So hold onto it dearly once acquired! Item locker containers in your camp help secure treasures like this during your adventure.
I hope this complete guide to obtaining Baldur‘s Gate 3‘s most powerful early weapon provides everything you need to infuse your crusade with the brilliance of Lathander himself. May Blood of Lathander‘s radiance bless your heroic quest to drive back the darkness threatening Faerûn!
About the Author
Anton is a long-time Baldur‘s Gate fan who enjoys min/maxing daring character builds and scouring deep dungeons for legendary loot. His favorite class is Cleric – smiting evil with righteous fury! Connect with him @ClericCrusader on Twitter.