10 Best Weapons For Rogues In Baldur’s Gate 3

The Rogue is one of the 12 classes in Baldur’s Gate 3. Having a rogue character in your party is always useful, as their large bonuses on actions such as pickpocketing and lock-picking allow you to skip some tricky puzzles easily and have more access to loot. When it comes to combat, the Rogue’s selling feature is their sneak attack ability.

Rogues in BG3 are proficient in using one-handed weapons such as Short swords, Longswords, Daggers, Rapiers, and Hand Crossbows. Though daggers tend to do less damage by default, several throughout the game provide very useful passive effects. Only using one hand each means you can mix and match different weapons together - but which weapons are the best for your Rogue character?

10 Hellfire Hand Crossbow

Yurgir's Bow

The only ranged weapons that Rogues are proficient with without multi-classing are hand crossbows. There are not many of these in the game, but the best one available is the Hellfire hand crossbow, which can be looted from Yurgir in the Gauntlet of Shar. This is one of two +2 hand Crossbows, and the other doesn’t grant any unique perks. This bow comes with Scorching Ray as a third3rd-level spell and can inflict the burning condition onto enemies if the wielder is hiding or invisible - and rogues will often find themselves attacking from the shadows.

9 Shortsword Of First Blood

An Early Game Substitute For An Act 3 Weapon

Shortsword of First Blood Baldur's Gate 3

The Shortsword Of First Blood is found on a deceased deep gnome outside the Decrepit village in Act One’s Underdark. It deals an extra 1d8 damage to any enemies who haven’t been injured yet and still have all their hit points, which is more than double its base damage of 1d6. It pairs up well with the Assassin rogue subclass since the “Assassinate: Initiative” feature grants an advantage on attack rolls against enemies who have not yet taken a turn in combat - most of the time, this will mean you will still have all your health.

Advantage is what the Rogue’s sneak attack ability relies on. An assassin rouge holding this sword will be able to perform a powerful sneak attack at the start of a round. Though this is a good weapon in Act 1, it appears that Act 3 has a much better variant of it.

8 Ambusher

The Assassin Rogue's Best Friend

Even in name, Ambusher seems to be perfectly built for the Assassin rogue subclass. The shortsword is most effective at the start of combat, as the wielder will deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to enemies who have not had their turn yet. It also grants an extra +1 bonus to initiative, which makes it more likely that characters with this sword equipped will have their turn first.

Ambusher is sold by Exxvikyap in the Rivington General in Act 3.

As previously stated, assassin Rogues have advantage on attack rolls against creatures who have not performed any actions in combat. Paired with this sword, rogue characters will be almost guaranteed a powerful sneak attack at the start of the first round if you have high enough initiative and the extra necrotic damage granted from the Ambusher. The weapon also grants advantage on perception checks, making it less likely that you could be ambushed yourself.

7 Sussur Dagger

Silence Spellcasting Enemies

The Sussur Dagger will silence the target its wielder attacked, making it extremely effective against spellcasters. When paired with other items on this list, such as the Shortsword of First Blood or Ambusher, you can prevent magic-wielding enemies from ever performing powerful attacks. This +1 Dagger is one of the weapons that can be obtained by completing the “Finish the Masterwork Weapon” quest in the Underdark.

6 Rhapsody

Cazador's Dagger

Rhapsody is a very rare dagger that is held by Cazador. Very fittingly, it’s an excellent choice for rogue characters like Astarion. It has a base damage of 1d4+1 - but comes with the “Scarlet Remittance” effect, which grants a +1 to attack rolls, damage, and spell save DC for every enemy you kill and can be stacked up to three times. It also increases the chance of inflicting a target's bleeding effect if the wielder is hiding or invisible.

The Scarlet Remittance effect only counts enemies that were killed whilst it is equipped.

However, Scarlet Remittance doesn't deplete after battle. It lasts until a long rest - meaning that the majority of the time, this dagger has a similar damage capacity to a short sword. This makes it an excellent choice for dual-wielding with another weapon. The effect doesn’t only apply when using melee attacks - you also receive the bonus when it comes to attacking with a bow or another equipped weapon.

Scarlet Feast Bonus Action	Effect
Scarlet Saturation	Use up your scarlet remittance to turn your next attack into a critical hit
Scarlet Stupor	Use up your scarlet remittance for hostile creatures to have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells

If the wielder has a +3 in Scarlet Remittance, you can use “Scarlet Feast” to consume it using a bonus action for one of two effects. You can choose between two different bonuses - “Scarlet Saturation” or “Scarlet Stupor.” The former can make for some fantastic sneak attacks and is especially useful for quickly sniping enemies with a bow.

5 The Knife Of The Undermountain King

An Overpowered Act 1 Item

Knife of the Undermountain King Baldur's Gate 3

The Knife of the Undermountain King is a handy early-game item and is a prime example of why you should not skip the Githyanki Crèche Sold by A’jak’nir Jeera; this weapon lowers the critical hit threshold by one with a variant of the "Improved Critical," passive called "Organ Rearranger," and allows you to reroll with advantage if you deal two damage or less on an attack roll. Having this weapon equipped will also grant advantage against lightly or heavily obscured enemies, making this weapon perfect to use in darker areas.

4 Duellist’s Prerogative

The Perfect Rapier For The Swashbuckler Subclass

The Duellist's Prerogative is one of the most powerful rapiers in the game and is obtained by returning Vanra to her mother, Lora, in Act 3. If the wielder’s offhand is empty, it lowers the die roll needed to land a critical hit by one and will grant them an additional reaction and bonus action to make an extra attack. The weapon conveniently comes with the “withering cut” reaction, which deals necrotic damage equal to the character’s proficiency bonus.

Since most of its bonuses come from having an open off-hand, using it to its full potential will mean that you will have to sacrifice using multiple melee weapons at once. This is not much of an issue in terms of pure damage since the “Dueller’s Enthusiasm” bonus action allows the wielder to attack twice with the same weapon. This extra attack negates the need for a dual-wielding feat but could be seen as a downside if you want the bonuses of multiple melee weapons at once.

3 The Dead Shot

The Best Ranged Option For Rogues

Only Elves get Longbow Proficiency as a racial trait in Baldur’s Gate 3, meaning most rogues cannot wield longbows without multiclassing. However, The Dead Shot has perfect synergy with some other items on this list - so if you have Astarion in your party or happen to be playing an elf yourself, then you should absolutely not miss this weapon and pick it up from Fytz the Firecracker in Act 3. Another method of obtaining proficiency with Longbows is by equipping the Gloves of Archery, which are sold by Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp.

The “improved critical” feature can stack. This also applies to the Knife of the Mountain King’s “organ rearranger.”

The bow is yet another source of the “Improved critical” passive, making it a fantastic match with Bloodthirst or the Knife of the Mountain King. Unless you have disadvantage, the wielder’s proficiency bonus is treated as doubled when performing ranged attacks with this bow. I’ve found that this makes this bow comparable to, and perhaps even better than, the legendary Gontr Mael, which is considered by many to be the best bow in the game.

2 Crimson Mischief

Orin's Shortsword

Crimson Mischief Baldur's Gate 3 shortsword

Crimson Mischiefis a +2 shortsword that can be looted from Orin. When wielded in the main hand, it deals an extra 7 piercing damage if the attacker has advantage against the enemy, adding a significant bonus to sneak attacks. However, if it’s in the off-hand, it will deal damage equal to that of the character’s ability modifier. If an enemy is below 50% health, it will also deal an extra 1d4 piercing damage. Though this does more damage than the other weapon Orin has on her, it comes with fewer bonus effects and has less synergy with different weapons.

1 Bloodthirst

True Strike Is No Longer Obsolete

Bloodthirst is a legendary dagger that can also be looted off of Orin and is perfect for gaining an advantage over enemies. The weapon grants the wielder the use of true strike but negates most of its issues by allowing it to be cast as a cantrip/bonus action instead of using up a spell slot. This essentially allows rogues to use sneak attacks whenever they want by gaining an advantage in the same round you attack once per short rest.

It also grants the “bound weapon” passive effect, meaning it will immediately return when thrown, and enemies can’t force the wielder to drop it. Once again, this weapon grants the “improved critical” passive, so it's good to pair with other weapons on this list. When in a character’s main hand, it will inflict piercing vulnerability onto the creatures attacked with it, making subsequent attacks more fatal - meanwhile, if it’s in the offhand, the wielder will receive a +1 bonus to their armor class, making it one of the most versatile and convenient weapons for rogues in Baldur's Gate 3.