Raphael is an intriguing character visiting you at different turns during your BG3 playthrough. The Devil will offer you a deal to remove the Parasite inside your head in exchange for binding a contract with him that will only benefit Raphael himself.
However, when you decide to fight Raphael inside the House of Hope, you can also use different strategies and save two NPC characters, Hope and Yurgir, in the process. Each of these will have an important part to play and will aid you significantly in taking down Raphael in this boss fight.
This guide will discuss all the practical strategies you can devise to take down Raphael during this Boss fight in BG3.
Raphael’s location in BG3
If you have grown tired of Raphael and have decided to take him out, you can visit the House of Hope during Act 3. For that, you must enter a shop towards the north side of the Lower City Central wall portal in BG3. Inside that shop, you can steal the Ritual Pouch from the attendant Helsik there.
Proceed to the room above and avoid the trap outside the door. Inside, you will find a large pentagram drawn with blood. Use the Ritual pouch and place the various items on the pentagram to solve the puzzle. Soon enough, it will lead you directly to the House of Hope in Baldur’s Gate 3.
At his residence, embark on a quest to save Hope, who has been captured and imprisoned by Raphael. Once you try to escape with Hope, Raphael will appear and trigger a boss fight against you. You need to defeat Raphael in BG3 to exit House of Hope safely.
Prepare for Raphael’s boss fight
Raphael has some of the craziest stats for a boss in BG3. He has a whooping 666HP and is accompanied by two minor bosses and a lot of minions. He will take you out in an instant if you are not prepared aptly for this fight. In case any party member dies during the fight, this will put them at a disadvantage even if you revive them. This is hands down the most difficult boss fights in the game.
The first thing that you need to do is free Hope and make an alliance with Yurgir (DC30 check). This will make Yurgir your ally, and he will not fight against you anymore. Hope has a spell that can remove any low-level enemy from her house. You can use her spell twice, thus removing two cambions from the fight.
Don’t use Radiant damage against Raphael in BG3. This will be a disaster as he can stun-lock you with the counter. Brew potions with maximum health regeneration and resistance to all status ailments, especially fire. Have a brawler in your team to destroy all four Pillars of the Souls as fast as you can. And say your prayers, as this will be a bloodbath.
How to defeat Raphael in BG3
Raphael in BG3 is accompanied by Korilla, Yurgir (if you didn’t recruit him), and 6 cambions. This is not a fight that you wish to go blind without a proper strategy. You simply can’t brute force your way through it. The first thing that you need to do is to plan your order of attack. Below are some of the tips that you can follow to avoid the initial onslaught.
- Korrila is immune to poison damage. Assign someone who can hit her from a distance with a crossbow. As she has a very small HP, 24, you can take her out in one attack if you are using a good dual crossbow build.
- If you didn’t recruit Yurgir, well, this will be a pain. Assign Shadowheart to hit Yurgir with her most powerful magic attacks, including Light and Water spells.
- Use counterspell against Cambions’ Ray of Fire spell. You can always use Thunder or Necrotic spells against them in addition to weapons doused in poison. Make sure Hope removes two of the cambions as soon as possible.
- Send your brawler, Lae’zel, with her most powerful weapon to attack Pillars of Souls. These pillars not only strengthen Raphael in BG3 but also grant him a bonus for each of his rolls. If any of your party members dies, these pillars will trap their soul. Even if you revive them, they will get a disadvantage on their rolls. You will need a Revive Soul spell to free them from the influence of Pillars of Souls’ Severed Soul spell.
Once you have made up your mind completely on how to start the attack, now is the time to make your move properly.
Strategy to defeat Raphael
As you start the fight with Raphael, make sure you ignore him completely. Cast protection spells on your allies and start defeating the remaining enemies with the strategies mentioned above. The four Pillars of Souls are spread across the arena. Cast Haste on Lae’zel so she can take them out fast. Don’t put your party members in a line, as this will allow cambions to attack them simultaneously.
You must position Astarion in the center and then use Soul Perception, Archery, Weapon Enchantment, Assassination: Initiative, and Sharpshooter: All in. Use Action Surge and the weapon action Dread Ambusher to aim a powerful arrow shot at Rapheal. Use this action 3-4 times until you run out; you will bring down Raphael’s Health by 100-180HP.
During the fight, you must remember that Raphael has strong resistance against different elemental effects in BG3. These will include:
- Fire Damage
- Cold Damage
- Lightning Damage
- Poison Damage
Apart from these, you can use Melee-based attacks on Raphael instead, as these will work in your favor and bring down his health. There will come a point in the fight that he will transform to his Devil form in BG3.
He will become more ferocious and try to increase the gap between you by flying to the other side. Don’t lose track of him and keep attacking him until the Devil finally falls in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Another thing to note here is that if you didn’t complete Rapheal’s request and saved Yurgir instead, you can also use him in this fight. This can be done during the Astarion’s companion quest. His attack power, combined with his cloaking ability, will serve you well in bringing down Rapheal’s health.
After landing several Critical Hits on Raphael, you will eventually be able to kill the Devil in BG3. This way, you will also have completed this boss fight as well. You will rid the House of Hope of the Devil and replace Hope as the new owner.
Raphael rewards and loot
After defeating the Devil Raphael, you can salvage notable loot from his body in BG3. This will include items such as:
- Helldusk Armor (Heavy Armor)
- Raphael’s Diary (It will contain Chapters 1,2 and 3)
- Gold (x126)
- XP (x1400)
