Baldur’s Gate 3 – How to Kill Commander Zhalk and Win an Achievement?

Looking to complete ‘The Devil’s in the Details’ Achievement? Read on to see how to kill Commander Zhalk in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has a great prologue that introduces you to the game and the main storyline. During your escape from the Nautiloid, you will engage a Fiend called Commander Zhalk, right before the end. He’s too powerful to beat, but, there is an Achievement for you if you somehow manage to do it. Let’s show you how to do just that. Continue reading to find out how to kill Commander Zhalk and win an Achievement in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Where to Find Commander Zhalk in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Commander Zhalk is a Fiend located on the bridge of the Nautiloid. Near the end of your escape from Nautiloid and the whole Prologue, you will find Zhalk and a Mind Flayer locked in combat on the bridge of the ship. They will pay no attention to you until one of them is dead. The Mind Flayer instructs you to interact with the terminal on the other side, which will end the Prologue, so fighting Zhalk is completely unnecessary. But not without some benefits. ‘The Devil’s in the Details’ Achievement needs you to defeat Commander Zhalk to complete it. Additionally, Zhalk has a very powerful weapon that you can take. Let’s see how to do that.

How to Kill Commander Zhalk in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Commander Zhalk is locked in mortal combat with a Mind Flayer. If left alone, the Mind Flayer will be defeated eventually, and then Zhalk will turn his attention to you. The tricky thing is that Zhalk is resistant to all forms of non-magical weapon damage, and also to Fire, Lightning, Cold, and Poison. On top of it all, he rocks around 150 HP. So how to deal any meaningful damage to him? There are a couple of ways.

Command: Drop

First, you should rescue both Shadowheart and Lae’zel. Shadowheart is crucial for this one, and Lae’zel will provide the hitting power.

Your best bet is to make Commander Zhalk drop his magic sword, Everburn Blade, and then take it. This is the only thing, besides the Mind Flayer, that can deal some real damage to Zhalk. This is where Shadowheart comes into play. She has access to the Command Spell, which can force Zhalk to drop his sword. When the sword is dropped, have Lae’zel take it (or your main character, if you are proficient with Martial Weapons). Make sure Shadowheart has Command Spell prepared and hasn’t used up all of her Level 1 Spell Slots. Put Lae’zel in a position where she can get to Zhalk in one Move Action, cast Command (choose the Drop option) with Shadowheart (Zhalk has less than a 50% chance to resist it), and have Lae’zel (or anyone) make a beeline towards him and take the Everburn Blade from the ground. This will significantly reduce the damage Commander Zhalk makes and will give you the means to continually deal some real damage to him. 

Nautiloid Tanks

Throughout the interior of the Nautiloid, there are Nautiloid Tanks, which can explode when damaged by fire. In BG3, you can freely drop items in your turn, without spending Actions. So, before the battle, pick up as many of these Tanks as you can. Once Zhalk is dropped to around 30 HP, set these barrels around him and the Mind Flayer and disengage. From a safe distance have Shadowheart cast Firebolt on one of the Tanks and it will trigger a chain reaction, making every Tank there explode, dealing fire damage to everything nearby. Note that Zhalk has Fire Resistance, and can pass Dexterity Saves called for by the explosion to further decrease the damage taken, so this method can have quite random results.

Lastly, as the Mind Flayer is another reliable source of damage, so buffing and healing him up to a point is a valid tactic to beat Commander Zhalk.

Some players claim that you can get the Achievement only if you deal the killing blow on Zhalk, so maybe make sure that the Mind Flayer is defeated before you dispatch Zhalk.

Everburn Blade

Everburn Blade is a magic Greatsword, that deals an additional 1d4 Fire damage. The best feature for the Prologue is that this is a magical weapon, and therefore bypasses the weapon Resistances that Commander Zhalk has. 

For more on BG3, check out Where to Find Findal, All Soul Coin Locations, and What Are Boss Legendary Actions in Honor Mode.