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The Murder Tribunal is one of the most difficult encounters in all of Baldur’s Gate 3, and it is their leader, Sarevok Anchev, that makes it so. Add in the Tactician difficulty, and you’re really in for a world of hurt if you don’t know what you’re doing. While there are a number of mechanics you should be aware of, Sarevok being level 16 is one of the biggest factors as to why this fight is so hard. However, I’ve managed to put the deranged beast down for good in my playthrough, and I’m here to tell you how you can as well.
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BG3 – Sarevok Anchev Boss Guide
At the start of the encounter, you’ll be facing Sarevok and his Murder Tribunal consisting of Echo of Sendai, Echo of Amelyssan, and, Echo of Illasera. These three echos are key components of the fight, as they all provide Sarevok potent buffs when they are killed. Sarevok is already a strong enemy prior to these buffs, but with them, he becomes an unstoppable force unless dealt with carefully. Thus, the fight is about choosing which buffs you’re willing to deal with when facing Sarevok. The buffs for each echo are the following:
- Bhaalspawn Essence: Sendai – Increases Sarevok’s Armor Class (AC) by 6, giving him a total of 26 AC. This makes him very difficult to hit even at the level cap.
- Bhaalspawn Essence: Amelyssan – Sarevok’s successful attacks will heal him for 2-24 health, giving him significant sustainability.
- Bhaalspawn Essence: Illasera – Sarevok becomes permanently Hastened and becomes immune to practically all forms of crowd control. Sarevok has six attacks per turn with this buff.
As you can see, the buffs he gains from his Murder Tribunal are no joke. Adding just one already significantly empowers him, and having three on at once makes him an utter juggernaut. Despite this, I recommend killing all three members of his Tribunal as soon as possible. Sarevok’s Bhaalspawn echos are comprised of powerful casters that can easily destroy your party if they are left alone. Additionally, even if Sarevok gets all three of these nasty buffs, he still only has one turn. It is better to reduce the enemy’s turn count to one versus having four.
Related: How to get the Amulet of Greater Health in BG3
Now, let’s talk about Sarevok himself. When Saravok lands a hit, he will get a buff called Murderous Strikes, and this buff will count up to a total cap of four. When Murderous Strikes hits four, he gains a very dangerous new ability called Deathbringer Assault:
Deathbringer Assault is by far the most deadly ability in the encounter, as it can easily extinguish the life of any of your party members if used even once. The damage is unreal, so you want to avoid as many attacks as you possibly can to prevent him from being able to use it. Unfortunately, full prevention is impossible if you kill his Echos, because he can consume their buffs, temporarily, to enter a rage state that allows him to use Deathbringer Assault anyway.
BG3 – Sarevok Anchev Strategy Guide
Now that you are aware of all the core mechanics, reader, I need to talk about strategy in terms of positioning, stat requirements, and how to deal with Deathbringer Assault specifically.
Sarevok Anchev Positioning
Sarevok and his Echos hit very hard, so you want to position your front liners in the center of the room so that all their focus remains on them. The three echos have permanent Metamagic: Distant, so this positioning is very important because they can target your party from anywhere in the room. That said, you want your back liners to be on the overlooking perches on either the left or right side of the room:
This is because Sarevok’s AC can get as high as 28, so you’ll want them to have Advantage and High Ground at all times for Attack Rolls. Throughout the fight, these positions should not change unless your front liners need to flee. In this scenario, do your best to kite Sarevok toward the back of the room, where you entered the encounter in the first place.
Sarevok Anchev Recommended Stats
For your tank, you want to have at least 23 AC before engaging in this encounter. You want Sarevok to hit as little as possible so that he does heal and does not gain constant access to Deathbringer Assault. At the same time, you always want Sarevok to target your tank if he is going to throw anything out.
For your damage dealers that use Attack Rolls, you’re looking for at least a +8 with Advantage to reliably land hits on Sarevok. For range, the requirement amount can be a little lower due to the High Ground buff you should always have.
For your spellcasters, you want to have a minimum of 16 Spell DC(Spell Difficulty Class) to reliably land saving throw-based spells on Sarevok. Wisdom is his lowest stat, so spells like Hold Person are rather effective provided he is not enraged or immune.
Related: BG3 Inspiration Guide
Additionally, you want to have two DPS in this fight that can dish out large amounts of damage per turn; 40 damage per turn, without Haste, is what I would say is the bare minimum. My Necrolock build easily exceeded that, and I had no problems burning Sarevok down with it. That said, I do highly recommend you use Haste on all members of your party. They should have Haste for the entire fight.
Sarevok Anchev Deathbringer Assault
Now, for Deathbringer Assault, the method to dealing with it is to allow him to land it on your tank. Despite how deadly Deathbringer Assault can be, if one of the attacks misses, then they all will miss. A failed Deathbringer Assault prevents him from using it again immediately next turn, thus buying your party time to kill him. Spells like Mirror Images and Blur also make short work of any Deathbringer Assault attempts Sarevok tries on you.
With all of this state, you now have the knowledge arsenal necessary to bring down Baldur’s Gate 3’s most difficult boss. You’re welcome.
For more quality guides and helpful information relating to all things Baldur’s Gate 3, check out Should you take Raphael’s deal in BG3? Choices and Outcomes right here on MyFullGames.