Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (2024)

Longswords in Baldur's Gate 3 are versatile melee weapons, which means they can be used in one hand or two. Holding a Longsword in just one hand frees up room for a shield or staff, but players will miss out on some extra damage.

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Players will need Martial Weapon Proficiency to wield Longswords effectively, and they scale with the Strength stat to deal Slashing damage. While the best Longswords in BG3 have extra damage and their unique effects or Actions, they all come with three standard Actions. These are Lacerate, which causes enemies to bleed, Rush Attack, which charges forward, potentially knocking enemies off balance, and finally Pommel Strike, which can be used as a Bonus Action to daze foes.

Basic Actions Of All Longswords In Baldur's Gate 3

Pommel Strike: Make a non-lethal attack to possibly Daze the target. Afflicted enemies have Disadvantage on Wisdom Saving Throws, can't use Reactions, and lose the Dexterity bonus to their AC (Once per Short Rest and Bonus Action).
Lacerate: Slash at a target's vitals to make them Bleed. Afflicted enemies take 2 Slashing damage at the start of each turn and have Disadvantage on Constitution Saving Throws (Once per Short Rest).
Rush Attack: Charge forward and attack the first enemy in the way, possibly knocking them Off Balance. Afflicted enemies have Disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity Ability Checks and attacks against them have Advantage (Once per Short Rest).

Updated July 2, 2024, by Joe Grantham: As most of the best Longsword in BG3 can only be obtained in the latter stages of the game, this list has been updated to include more examples from Acts 1 and 2. This will give players more options throughout their journey if it is their wish to stick with these versatile weapons. The Enchantment stat for each sword has also been included as this is highly important with it affecting the success rate of attacks. After all, what good is a sword with high damage that rarely hits?

7 Adamantine Longsword

Base Damage: 2~11

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (2)

Damage	Ench.	Rarity	Weapon Skills
1d10 + 1 Slashing (Two-Handed)	+1	Rare	Diamondsbane: If an Adamantine weapon hits an object, the hit is always critical. Lethal Weapon: This weapon ignores Resistance to Slashing damage.

Location: Crafted in the Adamantine Forge, The Underdark, Act 1.

While the Adamantine Longsword doesn't have the best damage, it does have the huge advantage of ignoring any resistance to Slashing damage, a feature that no other Longsword can boast. It is also found incredibly early in the game compared with the other top weapons, raising its worth further.

This Longsword is one of many items that can be crafted at the Adamantine Forge in the Underdark during the last stages of Act 1. Players will need a Longsword Mould and Mithral Ore, both of which can be found nearby.

6 Phalar Aluve

Base Damage: 2~11

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (4)

Damage	Ench.	Rarity	Weapon Skills
1d10 + 1 Slashing (Two-Handed)	+1	Rare	Performance +1 Phalar Aluve: Melody: The sword hums in anticipation, ready to Sing or Shriek. The effect ends if Phalar Aluve is unequipped. Sing: All allies within 6 m / 20 ft of range have a 1d4 bonus to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws. Shriek: All enemies within Range: 6 m / 20 ft of range have a 1d4 penalty to all Saving Throws. Affected creatures receive an extra 1d4 Thunder damage when attacked.

Location: Found in a rock in the Underdark, Act 1.

While it doesn't have the most impressive damage, Phalar Aluve is nonetheless a great supportive weapon, and perfect as part of a Bard build. This is thanks to the two melodies the Longsword can perform; Sing and Shriek. With Sing, players will buff up their nearby allies to deal more damage and have better chances of succeeding Saving Throws. Shriek on the other hand will make enemies more likely to fail these throws, and when attacked, they will take bonus Thunder damage.

Just like the mystical sword of King Arthur, Excalibur, adventurers looking to lay claim to Phalar Aluve must prise it from a rock. There are many ways to achieve this, such as by passing a Strength check. The rock is found in the Underdark near the end of Act 1, to the northwest of the Selunite Outpost.

5 Sword Of The Emperor

Base Damage: 3~12

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (6)

Damage

Ench.

Rarity

Weapon Skills

1d10 + 2 Slashing (Two-Handed)

Rare

Shapeshifter Slayer: This weapon deals an additional 1d4 damage against Shapeshifters or Polymorphed creatures.
Magical Durability: The wielder has a +2 bonus to Saving Throws against spells.

Location: Knights of the Shield Hideout, Act 3.

Thanks to its Weapon Enchantment of +2, the Sword of the Emperor is always going to be a solid option as it not only deals an extra 2 damage but also has +2 added to every Attack Roll, meaning attacks are more likely to hit. The +2 to Saving Throws against spells is another nice bonus, although the extra damage against Shapeshifters is only occasionally useful.

To get their hands on the Sword of the Emperor, players will want to find the Knights of the Shield Hideout beneath the Elfsong Tavern in Act 3 of the game. Upon getting close to the location, players will have guidance from the Emperor himself.

4 Blackguard's Sword

Base Damage: 4~16

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (8)

Damage	Ench.	Rarity	Weapon Skills
1d10 + 2 Slashing + 1d4 Necrotic (Two-Handed)	+2	Rare	Dazing Smite: On a hit infused with a Smite, the target must succeed a Constitution Saving Throw or become Dazed.

Location: looted from a Death Knight in the Murder Tribunal, Act 3.

Against normal enemies, the Blackguard's Sword has the joint most base damage of all Longswords in BG3, thanks to the additional 1d4 Necrotic damage it deals. With a Weapon Enchantment +2, this weapon is also more likely to land attacks. It is also best in the hands of those with the ability to perform Smites, such as Paladins.

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The Blackguard's Sword is found in Act 3 of the game, inside the Murder Tribunal. More specifically, it is looted from a death knight known as That Which Guards.

3 Duke Ravengard's Longsword

Base Damage: 2~11

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (11)

Damage	Ench.	Rarity	Weapon Skills
1d10 + 1 Slashing	+1	Rare	Stirring Execution: When an enemy is killed, allies within 9 m gain temporary hit points equal to the wielder's Charisma Modifier (minimum 1). Commander's Strike: Direct an ally to strike a foe. The ally uses a Reaction on their next turn to make a weapon attack. Gain +2 Charisma (up to 24).

Location: Belongs to Duke Ravengard at Wyrm's Rock Fortress, Act 3.

For players who have a build centered around the Charisma stat, Duke Ravengard's Longsword is one of the best melee weapons available to them. While it only has a +1 Weapon Enchantment on top of the standard damage of all Longswords, it has some great passive effects and an Action that makes any wielder the perfect ally. With this sword in hand, players will be able to heal their friends and command them to perform extra attacks.

The only downside to this weapon is that to acquire it in Act 3 of BG3, players will have to either kill Duke Ulder Ravengard, or at least let things play out in a way where he dies. He can be found attending Lord Enver Gortash's coronation at Wyrm's Rock Fortress.

2 Blade Of Oppressed Souls

Base Damage: 3~15

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (13)

Damage	Ench.	Rarity	Weapon Skills
1d10 + 1 Slashing + 1d4 Psychic (Two-Handed)	+1	Rare	Crowning Strike: Unleash the wails of the dead, and possibly instill Crown of Madness in the target.

Location: The Mind Flayer Colony, Act 2.

Despite being found in Act 2 of the game, the Blade of Oppressed Souls is still on par with the other best Longswords in Baldur's Gate 3, at least in terms of raw damage. On top of its bonus Psychic damage, this sword also has a unique action that can instill Crown of Madness, an infliction of the mind, which causes its target to attack the nearest creature (apart from the caster).

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Two-Handed Weapons

For a heavier offense, here's which two-handed weapons are the strongest in Baldur's Gate 3.

The Blade of Oppressed Souls can be found within the area unlocked by completing the Necrotic Laboratory puzzle, in the Mind Flayer Colony at the end of Act 2.

1 Voss' Silver Sword

Base Damage: 4~16

Baldur's Gate 3: The Best Longswords, Ranked (16)

Damage	Ench.	Rarity	Weapon Skills
1d10 + 2 Slashing + 1d4 Psychic (Two-Handed)	+2	Very Rare	Interplanar Slayer: This weapon grants a +1d4 bonus to Damage and Attack Rolls against githyanki, aberrations, fiends, and elementals. Wrathful Smith (Lvl 1 Spell): Adds 1d6 Psychic damage to a weapon attack and possibly frightens targets.

Location: Found on Kith'rak Voss in Acts 1 and 3.

With its +2 Weapon Enchantment and an extra 1d4 Psychic damage, it is easy to see why Voss' Silver Sword is one of the best BG3 Longswords. However, this sword becomes even more powerful when wielded against githyanki, aberration, fiends, or elementals, as it is more likely to hit and will deal more damage. Access to the Wrathful Smite spell is also great for finishing off particularly dangerous enemies.

As its name suggests, Voss' Silver Sword belongs to Kith'rak Voss, a githyanki leader, and so players will need to either pickpocket or kill him in the later stages of Act 3, although technically he can be killed in Act 1.

Baldur's Gate 3

Platform(s): PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
Released: August 3, 2023
Developer(s): Larian Studios
Genre(s): RPG