Baldur's Gate 3 'Torch Lord' transforms a meager torch into a weapon of the gods and sets the hardest enemies in the game ablaze

Sausage weapons are old news. Torches are finally in, thanks to cRPG Bro's latest creative Baldur's Gate 3 build.

The so-called "Torch Lord" build shares some methods with cRPG Bro's sausage build from last year: torches are a perfect vessel for stacks of elemental damage types. Add the Shillelagh cantrip from druids and a paladin's Smite, and you've got a character powerful enough to survive Honor mode, Baldur's Gate 3's most brutal difficulty setting, with just a pair of torches in your hands.

There are a number of key spells to pick up as you level up, which cRPG Bro explains in the video, but the most important ones enhance your flimsy torch damage way higher than its base 1d4 damage. A quick multiclass into druid gives you Shillelagh to double the torch's damage, and Divine Smite, from paladin, further buffs it.

Your elemental damage also comes from specific gear, like Broodmother's Revenge for poison damage, and the Strange Conduit Ring for psychic damage. Late-game armor, like the Dark Justiciar Gauntlets and the Helldusk Gloves, stack on even more.

The right choices will give you a torch that is almost barely a torch anymore, except for the fact that it still lights you up in the dark. Every hit with it will do chunks of elemental damage, boosted by the paladin's Savage Attacker feat for high attack rolls and capped out charisma for devastating smites. Your enemies will think you forgot your sword when you're actually carrying a weapon that inflicts every type of pain in the Forgotten Realms.

"Who would win? Ancient undead dragon or some asshole with a hot stick?" one YouTube commenter asks. cRPG Bro says this build is Honor mode-ready and I believe it. If this piece of wood can bonk enemies for over 90 damage, anything is possible.

Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.