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In Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3, players are thrust into the climax of intertwining personal tales—including that of Astarion, a vampire spawn enslaved for two centuries by the Vampire Lord Cazador. The opportunity will arise for you to help Astarion challenge his tormentor and prevent a catastrophic blood ritual involving seven thousand sacrifices.
Cazador's bid for god-like power poses a dire threat to Baldur's Gate, and the monumental challenge of defeating a Vampire Lord falls upon your shoulders. Nonetheless, with the right strategy, the tide can easily turn in your favor. This guide aims to explain Cazador's boss fight and share the tactics needed to help you ensure victory.
Updated March 20, 2024, by Sean Murray: BG3's Cazador fight is the culmination of Astarion's personal quest, and one that can be pretty hard to win. If you're looking for how to defeat Cazador, this guide has you covered, now with improved formatting and more links to other helpful Baldur's Gate 3 topics.
Approaching Cazador
With Astarion
Though it might be tempting to bring Astarion with you for a dramatic showdown with his former master, it is worth noting that if you have Astarion nearby when you approach Cazador, Astarion will lose control and attack Cazador regardless of what dialogue option you choose.
This will give Cazador the opportunity to lock Astarion into the ascension ritual, rendering him incapacitated while he is part of the ritual.
This also imposes a three-turn limit on the combat, after which Astarion and all seven thousand and six other vampire spawns will disintegrate.
Cazador will then become Vampire Ascendant, becoming significantly more powerful.
If Astarion becomes locked into the ritual, you will be able to free Astarion with the Help action to bring him back into combat or kill any of the spawn (Astarion included) to prevent Cazador from being able to ascend.
Due to his Alert feature, Cazador has a sizable +9 boost to initiative and cannot be surprised—though the monsters he has with him can be.
Without Astarion
If you speak to Cazador without Astarion with you, he will recognize you as someone who has been traveling with Astarion.
You can then make a tough Deception check to promise him to bring him Astarion, in which case, he will let you walk away. Otherwise, combat will automatically start at the end of this dialogue.
Cazador's Stats
Cazador's reputation as a fearsome and ruthless Vampire Lord is well-earned. He boasts tons of hard-hitting spells, features that skyrocket his survivability, as well as a massive 200+ HP health pool that rivals the Apostle of Myrkul from Act 2.
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Cazador Szarr |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Level 12 Vampire | Undead |
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AC: 21 |
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STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
|
18 |
18* |
18 |
17* |
15* |
18 |
*Has proficiency in these Saving Throws
|
Cazador's Resistances |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Slashing |
Piercing |
Bludgeoning |
Necrotic |
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|
|
|
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Cazador's Notable Features |
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|---|---|
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Alert |
You gain a +5 bonus to Initiative and can't be surprised. |
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Arcane Enchantment |
You gain a +1 bonus to Spell Save DC and spell attack rolls. |
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Arcane Vampirism |
When the creatures affected by your spells fail any associated Saving Throws, regain 1d4 hit points. |
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Improved Extra Attack |
You can make two additional attacks after attacking with your main-hand weapon. |
|
Sunlight Hypersensitivity |
This creature takes 20 Radiant Damage if it starts its turn in sunlight. While sunlit, it has Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. |
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Vampire Regeneration |
The vampire regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it isn't in sunlight, or has taken radiant damage or damage from holy water—in which case this trait doesn't function until the start of its next turn. |
|
Legendary Resistance |
This feature is only present if you're playing on Tactician mode. Provides a +10 bonus to the next Saving Throw made. |
Though not listed, Cazador can also cast high-level spells such as 
Call Lightning
and use Misty Escape—which will render him almost intangible and give him a great deal of temporary Hit Points.
If you're looking at this long list of features and starting to feel a little cowed, don't worry; there are several methods of using his own traits against him.
Baldur's Gate 3: The Best AOE Spells
There's never a wrong time to sling an AoE spell; your friends will be fine as long as they aren't in the way.
Cazador's Backup
Before we get into Cazador's weaknesses, let's look at the lackeys that will be supporting Cazador, as they can prove to be more dangerous than the Vampire Lord himself in certain circumstances.
These creatures will immediately join the fight when you engage in Cazador's boss battle.
Predator Werewolf
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Predator Werewolf |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Level 11 Werewolf | Humanoid |
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AC: 12 |
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STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
|
18 |
13 |
14 |
10 |
11 |
10 |
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Predator Werewolf's Resistances |
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|---|---|---|
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Slashing |
Piercing |
Bludgeoning |
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Predator Werewolf's Notable Features |
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|---|---|
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Multi-Attack: Wounded |
Can Multi-Attack if the target is Prone or if its hit points are at 60% or less. |
There are four of these werewolves, and they will immediately go into melee range to attack the most vulnerable target within reach. They hit very hard but have low AC, as well as low DEX, and WIS saves, meaning you can likely burst them down quickly.
They are completely immune to attacks from non-magical weapons, making it vital to equip your martial fighters with magic weapons before sending them after these creatures.
Fallen Gur Hunters
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Fallen Gur Hunter |
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Level 6 Ghast | Undead |
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AC: 13 |
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STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
|
18 |
16 |
10 |
11 |
10 |
8 |
|
Fallen Gur Hunter's Resistances |
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|---|---|
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Necrotic |
Poison |
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Fallen Gur Hunter's Notable Features |
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Sacred Defiance Aura |
Affected entity and nearby undead have Advantage against the effects of Turn Undead. |
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Ghastly Fume |
The affected entity's foul stench creates a pungent cloud that Nauseates all creatures around it. Nauseous: Can't take actions. |
These Ghasts will immediately attempt to swarm your party and activate their Ghastly Fume trait to poison them. Make sure your party is spread out enough to avoid being incapacitated. These are melee bruisers that hit hard but have relatively low AC, as well as low CON and WIS saves.
They have surprisingly high DEX, making spells such as Fireball less effective than alternative AOE spells like 
Sunbeam
and 
Cone of Cold
.
Bat
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Bat |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Level 1 Bat | Beast |
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AC: 16 |
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STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
|
2 |
18 |
8 |
2 |
12 |
4 |
These swarms of Bats serve as shock troops, with extremely low health and abysmal CON saves, though they have high AC and DEX saves. Target them with an area-of-effect CON or WIS saving throw spell and they should all die immediately.
Despite their low impact on the battle, they will still inflict Threatened on any ranged attackers in your party, making it beneficial to get rid of them quickly.
Chatterteeth
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Chatterteeth |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Level 12 Skeleton | Undead |
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AC: 12 |
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STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
|
10 |
8 |
8 |
19* |
8* |
5 |
*Has proficiency in these Saving Throws
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Chatterteeth's Resistances |
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|---|---|
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Bludgeoning |
Poison |
|
|
Chatterteeth is an interesting addition to this fight: a skeleton spellcaster who focuses on supporting Cazador with spells such as 
Eyebite
, which can incapacitate one of your party members with Asleep or Frightened conditions.
Though a formidable caster with a sizable health pool, it is a Skeleton vulnerable to bludgeoning damage. Any martial with a blunt weapon will likely make quick work of its low AC.
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Cazador Boss Fight: Recommended Tactics
Though there are countless ways of tackling this boss fight due to the overwhelming variety of build options in Baldur's Gate 3, here are some recommended tips and tricks to make your victory against the Vampire Lord a little easier.
Due to Cazador's resistance to non-magical physical damage, you should also be sure to equip your martials with magical weapons. Radiant damage is also essential, as it will stop Cazador's regeneration.
1. Rescue Astarion
If Astarion was with you when you approached Cazador, he will become locked into the ritual and incapacitated for three turns, after which he will disintegrate and Cazador will ascend.
In this case, your first priority should be to free him with the Help action, as you would otherwise be fighting an already tough boss battle with only three party members.
You will not be able to free the other six spawn in the room, and they will remain part of the ritual until Cazador is killed.
That said, if Astarion is freed or if any spawns die (Astarion included), the ritual will stop, and there will no longer be a three-turn limit.
2. Using Sunlight
You might notice when reading Cazador's Notable Features that there's one trait that stands out as a huge weakness: when a vampire such as Cazador is in the presence of sunlight, he will lose his vampiric regeneration, gain disadvantage on attacks and ability checks, as well as take 20 Radiant damage per turn.
This is a massive weakness that you can and should take advantage of.
Though Cazador's ritual grounds are too far underground for the sun to reach, you can recreate the effects of sunlight with spells such as 
Daylight
, which will immediately debilitate Cazador.
3. Area Of Effect Attacks
Besides Chatterteeth and Cazador himself, almost every creature on the platform will attempt to swarm the most vulnerable target available to them.
This means that a well-placed Fireball, 
Chain Lightning
, Sunbeam
or other area-of-effect spell can deal a devastating blow to every Ghast and Werewolf on the field, as well as obliterate all the Bats at once.
4. Turn Undead
In a similar vein as above, a cleric with the Turn Undead Channel Divinity feature (and a decent Wisdom score to bolster their Spell Save DC) can neutralize the Fallen Gur Hunters (Ghasts) with one action.
Though the Ghasts have advantage on the saving throw, they still only have 10 Wisdom, making it a worthwhile gamble to cast.
This can also work on Chatterteeth as a bonus effect, though it's more important to keep the Ghasts away from your party due to their area-of-effect incapacitation.
Though unlikely due to his high Wisdom save bonus, it is possible for Cazador himself to fail the Turn Undead save, which will also neutralize him for three turns and make the fight much easier.
If this happens, you should avoid hitting him, as doing so will end the Turn Undead effect. Instead, focus on ridding the platform of all the additional monsters.
5. Displacement And Knockback
The last (but certainly most fun) tip for fighting Cazador is that any creature you throw off the edge of his ritual grounds will die instantly.
Unfortunately, as of Patch 4, this no longer works on Cazador himself.
Features such as 
Telekinesis
and Repelling Blast can still be used to blast his allies off the cliff. A prime target for this is Chatterteeth, who has middling Strength saving throws and can incapacitate your party members with his supportive spells.
Though it might seem a little anti-climactic to defeat a millennia-old Vampire Lord by shoving his allies into the void... Well, he really should have picked a better spot to hold his ritual.
Finishing Cazador Off
In the Forgotten Realms, vampires automatically return to their coffins when close to death. This is also the case for Cazador, who will immediately retreat to his sarcophagus... which is conveniently in the middle of the ritual grounds.
Killing Cazador With Astarion
If you approach Cazador's sarcophagus with Astarion, he will yank open the sarcophagus and throw Cazador to the ground. After this, you will be faced with the moral dilemma of allowing Astarion to ascend into Vampire Ascendant—sacrificing thousands of spawn to gain incredible new powers—or convincing Astarion that he can be better than his former master.
Killing Cazador Without Astarion
If you approach Cazador's sarcophagus without Astarion, you will have the option of killing him as he slumbers or leaving him alone.
Having 
Detect Thoughts
will also let to peer into Cazador's mind and learn about his troubled past.
If you kill Cazador without Astarion being present at all, he will be frustrated that he did not get to do it himself. Depending on the dialogue option you choose, he may even choose to leave the party permanently.
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 is the long-awaited next chapter in the Dungeons & Dragons-based series of RPGs. Developed by Divinity creator Larian Studios, it puts you in the middle of a mind flayer invasion of Faerûn, over a century after the events of its predecessor.
- Platform(s)
- PC, macOS, PS5, Xbox Series X
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
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