Baldur's Gate 3: Ansur the Dragon Location & Boss Guide (2024)

The Legend of Ansur is more than just a fancyful fairytale in Baldur's Gate 3 – the Dragon Ansur, Balduran's once-ally, really resides beneath the city, awaiting a true hero's return. To claim Ansur's aid in the fight against the Absolute, and to continue Wyll's personal questline, players must prove their valor in the Wyrmway.

Only then is the truth revealed – that Ansur isn't waiting for a hero, he's already dead. After a very revealing conversation with the resurrected corpse of Ansur and The Emperor, the fight begins. As one of the most difficult boss fights in Baldur's Gate 3 (with some amazing rewards), it's recommended to bring a balanced, maximum-level party to the Wyrmway, but even that doesn't guarantee victory.

How To Get To Ansur in the Dragon's Sanctum

As the Legend of Ansur describes, the Dragon is located beneath Wyrm's Rock Fortress, specifically somewhere beneath its Prison. But it's not a matter of just finding it, players must locate the secret entrance to the Wyrmway, and pass a series of Trials.

To find the entrance, head into the Prison, and defeat Flaming Fist members on the way if Duke Ravenguard has been rescued or players have otherwise betrayed Gortash. After entering the Wyrm's Rock Prison sub-area, look for a dead end with two Draconic torches facing each other on the wall to the south. Cast a Lightning-damage spell or shoot a Lightning Arrow at each of these two torches to turn them blue, and reveal the illusory door that leads to the Wyrmway.

Once here, players must pass four trials – the Chamber of Courage, the Chamber of Strategy, the Chamber of Justice, and the Chamber of Insight – to gain access to the Dragon's Sanctum. Once the player has proven themselves a true hero, they journey beyond the door to the Dragon Sanctum to discover that Ansur has already been slain – but now, Ansur rises again.

Ansur Phase 1 Tips & Strategies

Prepare Arrows of Dragon-Slaying, Lightning Resistance Potions, Haste Spells

Three of the most important things players can do to prepare for the fight against Ansur are to bring Arrows of Dragon-Slaying, acquire Lightning Resistance in some way, and have a source for Haste in the second phase.

Arrows of Dragon-Slaying are an expensive, Very Rare arrow that can be purchased from vendors in Acts 2 and 3. They deal double damage to Dragons, which is quite a lot in the hands of a skilled Ranger or Ranged damage-dealer.

Elixirs of Lightning Resistance are the best source for Lightning Resistance, as they can be purchased from a variety of vendors throughout the game and looted from a variety of enemies. But a few spells can also provide this buffer against Ansur's primary damage type. Protection from Energy, a Level 3 spell, can provide Resistance to Lightning damage, for example.

Haste is important for the second phase of the Ansur boss fight because it makes it easier for characters to move out of the way of the constant barrage of AoE lightning strikes. But because the Haste spell itself is a Concentration spell, it's actually better to bring Potions of Speed. These are relatively rare items in Baldur's Gate 3, so be sure to purchase them from every vendor that sells them throughout the game for use in the final act's difficult boss fights.

Focus Ansur, Ignore The Minions (For Once)

In most boss fights in Baldur's Gate 3 that feature additional enemies, it's best for the party to focus on the adds over the main boss. However, in the fight against Ansur, it's actually better for players to focus down the Dragon instead of getting rid of the trash first.

When Ansur casts Stormheart Nova, its iconic, devastating AoE attack, it will deal damage to enemies and Ansur's allies alike. As such, unless a character can kill an add in one turn (like by Shoving them off the cliff), it's better for that character to spend their turn bringing Ansur down to half health as fast as possible. This triggers the dragon to start charging its Stormheart Nova, which will usually outright kill the enemy Myrmidons. The ones that survive can be finished off with AoE attacks or Ansur's own lightning AoE strikes.

Get Behind Cover When Ansur Charges Stormheart Nova

After Ansur gets down to around half HP, or the fight enters its fourth round, the Dragon will begin to charge Stormheart Nova. The Stormheart Nova attack sees Ansur explode for an incredible amount of damage over practically the entire battlefield.

There are two ways to avoid this attack: by using the Globe of Invulnerability spell, or by hiding behind one of the nearby icy pillars. Ansur charges this attack for one round, so the party should have enough time to make it behind a pillar. Use the Dash action to double movement speed for a character, and stop 3.1m short of your destination to Jump for a little bit of extra distance. If this won't allow a character to get behind a pillar, use Misty Step, Dimension Door, or similar teleporting abilities to get them out of there.

The other method involves the arguably overpowered BG3 spell Globe of Invulnerability. A Level 6 spell, Globe of Invulnerability protects all characters within a small area from all sources of damage or negative effects. This includes Stormheart Nova's main blast and the lightning AoE strikes that come after. The one downside of using Globe of Invulnerability is that it can't be moved, so it can be difficult to set up optimally so party members can damage Ansur without taking damage themselves. Ansur will travel around the stage, but if the Globe of Invulnerability is in the middle of the boss arena, it should remain a useful bastion against Ansur's attacks.

Ansur Phase 2 Tips & Strategies

Cast Haste or use Potion of Speed During Stormheart Nova

After Ansur casts Stormheart Nova, the boss fight will enter phase two, when Ansur becomes surrounded by lightning bolts that strike in a huge area. Party members will have to make sure to get out of the damage area of these lightning bolts while somehow dealing damage to Ansur at the same time.

This is where the Haste spells and Potions of Speed come in handy. Both provide an extra Standard Action as well as boosted Movement Distance, and are invaluable in navigating the battlefield absolutely pocked by Lightning Bolts. The boosted movement speed is often enough to get out of a tough position, and double the number of Actions means Dash can be used alongside a regular attack to go even further.

Be sure to only cast Haste if the caster is in a position where they won't immediately have their concentration interrupted. Only cast Haste when the party is gathered behind an ice pillar before Stormheart Nova lands, or while they are all huddled in a Globe of Invulerability. If the caster's concentration on Haste is interrupted, the target will become Lethargic and unable to take any actions on its following turn. In a fight as devastating as this, right before Stormheart Nova and phase two's Lightning AoE, a turn out of combat can be a death sentence.

Keep The Party Separated, With Casters Barely In Range

If the party is too close together, every party member will be struck by Ansur's wide attacks and other AoE spells. Instead, keep every party member far from one another, to keep them spread apart far enough that only one character will be damaged by Ansur's melee attacks.

Surrounding Ansur is the best solution here, with characters on the North, West, South, and East sides of the Dragon. Because Ansur deals extra damage to enemies that are immediately next to it, and can take Attacks of Opportunity, don't move squishy characters too close to the Dragon. Keep them just within casting range, while beefier melee party members keep it distracted up close. It's not a bad idea to summon Elementals, or use abilities like Planar Ally, to give Ansur even more targets to choose from – just remember to keep the party spread out.

Use Misty Step & Teleporting Abilities To Keep Out Of AoE

Though Haste and Potions of speed are very useful for keeping up with (and damaging) Ansur as it moves around the battlefield, it's sometimes not quite enough. There are a few platforms that Ansur can fly to, and players must Jump to them to reach the Dragon once more – which consumes a Bonus Action.

To virtually guarantee that party members can escape AoE and get back to dealing damage to Ansur, bring along spells like Misty Step, especially Dimension Door and Arcane Gate. Dimension Door and Arcane Gate let more than one party member teleport to a new location in the same turn, leaving Actions free for other characters to deal damage to, and hopefully kill, Ansur.

Baldur's Gate 3 is available for PC and PlayStation 5. A version for Xbox Series X|S is currently in development.