Baldur's Gate 3: 14 NPCs Worth Murdering For Their Loot (2024)

Equipment in Baldur's Gate 3 plays an important role in your build and power level. Certain items can give you a massive boost in power, and others might even be worth resetting your class and abilities for in order to maximize their potential.

While you find some of the best items in the game by finishing quests, killing bosses, and trading with merchants, there are great options that most players will probably miss, because the items can only be looted by killing certain NPCs. So consider these rewards the next time you meet these NPCs, and decide whether violence is the better, or at least the more profitable option.

Updated on April 10, 2024, by Alfredo Robelo: Players continue to murder-hobo their way through Baldur's Gate 3, finding new and effective ways to kill NPCs and gain their loot. We've updated this list with more targets for you to slay and loot, either because their items are unique or because they are easy to get away with.

14 Kagha

There's A Shadow Behind This Druid

Kagha is the temporal leader of the Druid's Grove, at least while Halsin, the real leader, is missing. If you manage to kill her, you can get her necklace, Broodmothers Revenge, a magic item that makes the wearer deal poison damage after being healed.

The best part about dealing with Kagha is that you can even get rewarded for it. If you follow the quest to investigate Kagha, you can out her as a Shadow Druid, letting you kill her without having the entire Grove after you. What's more, Zevlor will reward you with his unique gloves if you do so, which otherwise you can only get by killing him.

13 Abdirak

He Loves Pain A Bit Too Much

Abdirak is a priest of Loviatar that you can encounter in the goblin camp in the first act. As a follower of the goddess of pain and torture consultant to the goblins, he has some interesting dialogues and suggestive cutscenes if you decide to indulge in his specialty. You can even get a powerful buff if you endure his torture and appease his goddess.

More importantly, he carries a unique mace that can be quite powerful in the early game if you are willing to kill him before or even after interacting with him. Loviatar's Scourge is an uncommon mace that gives you resistance to necrotic damage, and has a unique action that lets you deal a small amount of necrotic damage to everyone around you, including yourself.

12 Gauntlet Yeva

She Didn't Start The Fire

You can meet Gauntlet Yeva at Waukeen's Rest, the burning tavern in Act One. They are one of the flaming fists trying to break the door and save those trapped in the burning building. If you feel particularly evil, you can attack the soldiers in the area instead of helping them and get some valuable loot.

Specifically, the greatsword on Gauntlet Yeva is an excellent early-game weapon if you missed the chance to defeat Commander Zhalk and get the Everburn Blade. Svartlebee's Woundseeker is a greatsword with a +1 enchantment and adds 1d4 to your attack rolls if your target is already damaged, essentially giving you the effect of the bless spell for free.

11 Corsair Greymon

Don't Kick Him If You Want The loot

When taking the boat to Grymforge in the Underdark, you will encounter a duergar vessel led by Corsair Greymon. You have a few options to avoid combat and follow him to your destination, but if you fail your charisma check or decide to initiate aggression yourself, you can loot two powerful weapons.

The first is Shining Staver-of-Skulls, a +1 light hammer that deals an extra 1d4 radiant damage with each attack. While not the most powerful weapon in the game, this weapon deals more than twice the damage of its non-magical counterparts. The more important piece is the Bow of the Banshee, a short bow that can frighten your targets and gives you 1d4 to your attack rolls against frightened creatures. Fear is one of the most powerful conditions in Baldur's Gate 3, and this weapon is a great option for your ranged characters.

10 Elder Brithvar

Killing Him Means Facing The Entire Camp

You meet Elder Brithvar in the duergar camp in the Underdark, and you can work with him to turn against true soul Nere and have him and his followers join you in the fight. If you decide to help Nere or take the murder-hobo approach from the beginning, he has a great one-handed weapon to loot.

Deep Delver is an uncommon warpick that deals an extra 1d4 damage after your first attack on a target. It's a great weapon for martial classes who haven't found a better option in the first act of the game, and the extra damage can add up against powerful enemies.

9 Bernard

Not Even Robots Are Safe

Bernard is a construct guarding the top floor of the Arcane Tower in the Underdark. If you have explored the tower thoroughly before you meet him, you get access to dialogue options to avoid a difficult fight. But if you manage to defeat him, the reward might be worth the trouble.

Light of Creation is a +1 glaive that you can loot from Bernard after defeating him. This weapon deals extra lightning damage, but it has a punishing drawback that might stun the wielder for one turn unless they are a construct. However, you can purchase Gloves of Automaton from a merchant in Last Light Inn, that will negate this drawback as well as give you advantage on all attack rolls for a short duration, making this weapon a powerful option with considerable extra damage.

8 Gandrel

The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

You can meet a monster hunter near Auntie Ethel's hut in Act One who is looking for a vampire spawn. His target is Astarion, our rogue companion, and while we can deceive our way out of a confrontation or even turn him in, we can also kill the hunter for a powerful weapon and the approval of our pale friend.

Gandrel's Aspiration is a fantastic crossbow and one of the best heavy crossbows that you can find from early to mid-game. It can inflict the turned condition on undead enemies and gives you advantage on attack rolls against monstrosity type enemies. The best part of this effect is that you don't even need to attack with the crossbow to gain the advantage. As long as it is equipped in your ranged weapon slot, you gain the advantage even with your melee attack, making this a valuable item for both melee and ranged characters.

7 Lump The Enlightened

Suspiciously Smart

One of the most interesting NPCs that you can meet in the Blighted Village is Lump the Enlightened. A smarter-than-usual ogre that can offer you help in your fight with the goblins if you manage to convince him. There are a few dialogue options that can lead to a fight, or you can start attacking even before talking. Either way, his loot is worth the effort.

Lump is wearing the Warped Headband of Intellect, an item that increases your intelligence score to 16. This explains his particular characteristics compared to other ogres we find in the game, but more importantly, this is a crucial item for certain hybrid builds. Eldritch Knights and Arcane Tricksters need high intelligence for their spellcasting, but it's difficult to allocate enough points to this score early on in the game. So, if you want to choose these subclasses or perhaps multiclass into a wizard, you will need this item to make the build as powerful as possible.

6 Kith'rak Voss

Kill Him Early For Great Rewards

Kith'rak Voss is an important NPC in Lae'zel's story, and we meet him multiple times during the game. His weapon, Voss' Silver Sword, is one of the best long swords in the game. It deals extra psychic damage, gets even more powerful against multiple enemy types, and gives access to the spell Wrathful Smite.

The easiest way to get this weapon is for Lae'zel to side with him and complete his questline in the final act of the game. But if you're confident in your abilities and are not above using some cheesy mechanics, you can defeat him at the end of the first act in a deadly fight.

5 Linsella

She's Too Friendly With Gnolls

Linsella is a true soul of the Absolute you can meet in Act 2, specifically near the kitchens of the Moonrise Towers. She's experimenting with Gnolls, using the mind powers the tadpole gives her to subdue their primitive minds, bending their will into serving her.

Killing Linsella offers a useful, although not unique, item: her tadpole. That alone is worth getting, but she's also easy to kill: simply cut her connection to the Gnolls, and they'll do the dirty work for you, and on top of that, you won't have to deal with them if you wish to storm the Towers later on.

4 Lyrthindor

Don't Be Fooled By His Rat Form

Lyrthindor might be a complete mystery for most players, but it's likely you saw him during the Gauntlet of Shar without noticing him. He made a deal with Raphael to avoid his death and became a swarm of rats. To kill him, you'll have to find all of them and complete his hidden quest.

Doing so not only rewards you with his unique scimitar, giving you a chance to blind enemies on hit, but it also lets you skip a difficult boss fight within the Gauntlet. Said boss is against Yurgir and his demonic squad, so if you had to choose between fighting a bunch of demons or a few rats, you would likely pick the latter.

3 Isobel

The Dark Urge's Target

Isobel is a cleric of Selune and the one protecting the Last Light Inn from being consumed by the shadow curse in the second act. If you are playing an evil playthrough or want to give in to the Dark Urge, you can kill her for some very powerful and unique clothing.

The Moon Devotion Robe is the best clothing option for wizards and sorcerers in Act 2. It gives you +1 to all saving throws and advantage on Constitution saving throws. It also gives you access to the mage armor spell for free and the cantrip Produce Flame. On top of that, whenever you save against a spell or effect while you have mage armor, you deal a small amount of radiant damage to the source. Killing Isobel will have major repercussions for the rest of the game, but the Moon Devotion Robe is a very tempting exchange.

2 Lucretious

They Run A Necromantic Circus

Lucretious is one of the most interesting NPCs on the outskirts of Baldur's Gate. They are a necromancer running the Circus of the Last Days in Rivington and offer a quest to search for Dribbles the Clown. But if you are a necromancer yourself, then killing Lucretious might be the better option, as their staff will be invaluable.

The Hollow's Staff gives you access to the Arms of Hadar spell and gives other creatures disadvantage on saving throws against your necromancy spells. There are some very powerful necromancy spells in the game, especially if your target fails their saving throw. So if you find yourself using these spells often, then consider this item the next time you find your way to the circus.

1 Strange Ox

There's Something Off About It

The Strange Ox is an NPC you can meet in all three acts of the game, and yes, you can kill it at any time. You should at least wait for Act 2 since there are only two useful items you can get from it, and one of them is unavailable in Act 1.

Those two items are a ring, the Shapeshifter's Boon, and the Hat of Fire Acuity. The ring gives a 1d4 to all ability checks as long as you are shapeshifted or disguising yourself, but the real reward is the hat, giving you a +1 to attack rolls when you deal fire damage, which is the best damage type in the game.