There are perhaps no better-hidden items in Baldur’s Gate 3 than the Helm of Balduran and Balduran’s Giantslayer. Without a clue, you will never know these items exist since they are buried deep beneath the city of Baldur’s Gate in Act Three.
Fortunately for you, there are no real barriers to acquiring both of these pieces of gear. While their location is extremely well-hidden, you have nothing preventing you from looting them. Well, that excludes an ancient dragon that’s guarding both the helm and the sword.
To find out how to acquire the Helm of Balduran and Baldur’s Giantslayer, check out the guide below.
Helm of Balduran and Balduran’s Giantslayer location in BG3
Both of the Balduran gear pieces in BG3 are guarded by Ansur the Dragon, which is a Wyrm that has promised the city of Baldur’s Gate it would defend it against harm a single time. If you saved Duke Ulder Ravengard in Act Three of the game, then you likely already know about Ansur. The Duke tells you about the dragon right after you save him, and this puts a new quest in your journal.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to solve the Open Hand Temple Murders in BG3
If you didn’t save the Duke or haven’t had the chance yet, don’t worry; as far as I can tell, you don’t need to start Ansur’s quest to actually go and find it. Of course, whether you have the quest or not, you will need some help finding your way to the dragon’s location.
Follow our steps below to reach Ansur:
- Fast travel to Wyrm’s Rock Fortress (which will feature hostile enemies if you saved the Duke from the Iron Throne).
- Head down to the prison via the passageway right by the fast travel point.
- Go straight and then take the first left in the prison.
- Find the two dragon head torches and cast any lightning spell or scroll on them. This will turn the torches blue and open up a secret passage behind the wall.
- Follow the path until you reach a locked door. You need to pass four trials to get the door open. The trials are the Chamber of Justice, Courage, Strategy, and Insight.
- Once all four trials are done, head through the door to find Ansur.
- Upon finding Ansur, a cutscene will begin, which concludes with combat starting with the dragon.
- Defeat Ansur and you will be able to loot both the Helm of Balduran and Balduran’s Giantslayer.
When you defeat Ansur, you can loot its body to find Balduran’s Giantslayer, which is a two-handed greatsword and has the following attributes:
- Giantslayer: On a hit, double the damage from your Strength Modifier. This weapon grants you Advantage on Attack Rolls against Large, Huge, or Gargantuan creatures.
- Weapon Enchantment +3
- Giant Form (Class Action)
Once you pick that item up, you want to look north, past where Ansur was originally lying, and jump across the gap. Here, you will find the Helm of Balduran sitting on a table. You can grab it to reveal a secret entrance out of Ansur’s lair.
The Helm of Balduran has the following attributes:
- Balduran’s Vitality: The helmet heals you two hit points at the beginning of every turn.
- Balduran’s Favour: You have a + 1 bonus to Armor Class and Saving Throws.
- Stun Immunity: You can’t be Stunned.
- Attackers can’t land Critical Hits on the wearer.
I found these two items worked extremely well on my Oathbreaker Paladin, but they are also great additions to any strong melee character in BG3. Someone like Karlach or Lae’zel could benefit greatly from both the Helm of Balduran and Balduran’s Giantslayer.
