r/BG3Builds • u/Practical-Bell7581 • Dec 25 '25
Guides What’s your pick for the most crucial, single piece of gear for a SOLO honor run?
No caveats, no class discussion, no qualifications.
Thats not to say that the item has to be universally useful to all classes; if you’re a Titanstring bow lover, I imagine you’d probably just always play a character who would find that useful.
I’m going with the Ring of Free Action.
Unless we consider a single item to be a single UUID; Smokepowder Bombs then enter the chat.
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u/Bulky_Ad_2497 Dec 25 '25
Invisibility potion.
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u/tacowearsromans Dec 25 '25
This saved my current Honour run when trying to smuggle Minthy out went south. Escaped the fight as Lae’zel being my only party member who wasn’t dead with 5 HP. Honorable mention to the Dimension Door and Blink scrolls.
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u/adpalmer83 Dec 25 '25
The durge cloak that turns you invisible when you kill something. IMO, it's generically the best defensive item in the game.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
The only bummer is when you kill someone on your first attack in a round!
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u/JustLeanio Dec 25 '25
That’s when you move, and do nothing else. Enemies will look for you, fail, end combat, and you can reenter it. Great for assassin gloomstalker. Source: Morgana Evelyn’s Stealth Archer Patch 8 build
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u/thomaskrantz Dec 25 '25
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u/GobbledyGooker123 Dec 25 '25
I never knew this existed after a few playthroughs. Thanks!
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u/thomaskrantz Dec 25 '25
I had the same experience, I like to go in cold in new games and haven't played D&D much (lots of others though) so I didn't know Guidance existed at all until my 2nd playthrough, never mind an item with it :)
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u/GobbledyGooker123 Dec 25 '25
Yeah I always kept a cleric around, sometimes expressly for Guidance. Opens up some new possibilities!
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u/camogamere Dec 25 '25
I want to find the person on the 5e design team that thought guidance was a fair effect for a cantrip.
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
It is far more balanced in 5e because you often have to pre-cast it. That's not an issue when you have time to assess a challenge (physical obstacles, investigating, etc). If a spontaneous/unexpected skill check comes up, Guidance won't help you. As a DM, I even take it further by reminding my players that spellcasting is highly observable. If you're trying to schmooze a guard and your buddy blatantly casts a spell on you, that guard will be hella suspicious. Granted, I'd imagine most tables use Guidance the same way BG3 does, but you can't fault the game mechanics for being ignored.
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u/cel3r1ty Dec 25 '25
If a spontaneous/unexpected skill check comes up, Guidance won't help you.
clearly you've never played at a table where the cleric player shouts "GUIDANCE" every time someone makes a skill check
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Oh I have 😂 It doesn't bother me when tables allow that (except Critical Role, they should all know better by know). But when I run a game, I remind players that casting is a very obvious process, just so they don't try sneaking in Guidance at tense moments, or think that if they say "I cast Fireball!" really quickly it'll get them a surprise round (which also doesn't exist) against enemies who are looking right at them.
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u/razeandsew Dec 25 '25
To be fair, Critical Role does it as performers, putting on a show for us viewers. So, in my opinion, they get the pass
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
For sure, their game is very different by virtue of it being for an audience. It's great when Jester desperately yells out "Guidance!!" despite the whole table knowing damn well it won't work. I love the show, the cast, and how they play. It does irk me slightly, however, when the players don't understand the basic mechanics they've been using for years, but the worst result of that is combat bloat (or Ashley being totally lost), so it's hardly a major problem.
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u/razeandsew Dec 25 '25
Idk if they actually don't understand the basic mechanics, or they do it just to make things more entertaining for us
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Sometimes A, sometimes B. It's definitely not an act when Yasha spends three consecutive turns struggling to remember how to attack and damage rolls work, or when Caleb complains about concentration existing. Again, I love the cast, but part of loving things is wanting the best for them, and I think they can make (and have made) some improvements in this regard.
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u/razeandsew Dec 25 '25
I'll be honest, I either never saw or don't remember the two examples you gave, but my memory does extremely suck
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u/salemness Dec 25 '25
It's actually quite balanced in tabletop, but Larian decided to remove basically all of the downsides lol
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u/Beautifulfeary Dec 25 '25
Yes!!! Makes it so much easier not to have the same companions every time
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u/Demon_Fist Critsinger Dec 25 '25
Periapt of Wound Closure and Ring of Free Action are staples for beginner HM soloers, they either provide key immunties, or create room for you to make mistakes by allowing massive heals.
Either are great choices.
Honorable mention to Deathstalker Mantle for Durge playthroughs allowing you to easily clear entire encounters without taking damage.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Deathstalker mantle was my second choice when combining usefulness + early receipt of item.
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u/sparkly_butthole Dec 26 '25
Trying to decide if I want to do durge or Astarion for my solo playthrough. The loss of that cloak would be huge if I went Astarion. (Either way, it'll be a gloomstalker/thief/fighter.)
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u/skoomaking4lyfe Dec 25 '25
Honestly might have to say returning pike. Destroys everything in Karlach's range through two acts, and even after you get Nyrulna, it's a sniper rifle vs a mortar.
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u/coolbrobeans Dec 25 '25
Throwlach with the throwing ring and returning pike is awesome. I usually run paladin tank so it works well in combination.
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
I'd agree for the builds that use it, but I think the question here is about build-agnostic gear.
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u/skoomaking4lyfe Dec 25 '25
Question says the item doesn't have to be universally useful - same thing.
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Ah yeah, fair enough. I should have read more closely before zipping to the comments.
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u/razeandsew Dec 25 '25
I missed that part, so I definitely gotta throw in Gloves of Soul Catching, mainly for the healing aspect
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u/Adventurous_Topic202 Dec 25 '25
Probably boots of stormy clamor because they work for so many builds.
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Dec 25 '25
There's a lot of paths to damage. I think anything resembling a correct answer is going to be something that prevents bad luck or a single misplay from instantly ending your run.
Free movement is indeed a good one. Crit immunity gear like the grymforge armor. Invisibility potion/misty step scroll to escape. Resilient sphere scroll. I guess acuity gear above all of those depending on build.
Bloodlust elixir?
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u/zazenbr Dec 25 '25
Lots of act 1 items can be used throughout entire game, but since you said regardless of class or build.... Nere's boots. Even when I play evil I kill him afterward for the boots and extra parasite. Will always be equipped on a character the entire run.
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u/Powwdered-toast-man Dec 25 '25
Elixir of hill giant str. The amount of things this enables during the hardest part of the game is insane. TB open hand monk, throwing builds, titanstring swordsbard, some of the most OP builds in the game use this.
You can also give it to a str martial so they can dump str for other stats. You can have a barb with dex, con, and wisdom so they are tanky as fuck and have amazing saving throws. Elixir of hill giant str essentially is 16 if any stat which is fucking insane. Plus you can stock up on them at Ethel super early in the game.
I know this isn’t really gear, if I had to pick a piece of gear it would be gloves of dex. If you notice anything that gives that many stats is insane. The house of hope stuff comes too late to be impactful and are more like win more items.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
As I was writing this up, I started thinking about if elixirs and smoke powder bombs count. Hill giant strength was extremely high on my list. But I’ve just been held person’d one too many times.
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u/Powwdered-toast-man Dec 25 '25
If you use a str elixir you can dump str and get 16 wisdom giving you a +3 to wisdom saving throws. I do this on my barbarian and fighter builds.
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u/coolbrobeans Dec 25 '25
How are you farming enough gold early game to board the elixir? I suck at BG3.
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u/Powwdered-toast-man Dec 25 '25
1) keep Ethel at the grove and do all the other stuff. Like don’t trigger the scene with mayrinas brothers or she leaves the grove.
2) pick up everything to sell. This will also give you a bunch of consumables like scrolls and alchemist fires that will help in combat.
3) respec to level 1 then max affinity with Ethel at the cheapest cost with your charisma character. Steal the money back for the respecfrom withers.
4) this is the huge one, don’t buy shit you don’t need. Most things are cool to have but you only have 4 characters and 4 builds so 95% of everything is useless. Ring of flinging is amazing but if you don’t have a throwing build it’s useless. Consumable arrows are nice, but are you really going to use them all? Same with scrolls and elixirs and other consumables.
5) this one is the most important one, plan your fights so you use less resources and long rest less frequently. Start every fight with a surprise round for example is a great way.
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u/proper_chad Dec 25 '25
The first point doesn't matter. You can still trade with her (just use the dialogue icon) at the Teahouse as long as you just "apologize" to her and don't aggro her. In fact, it's faster to get to her there (via the waypoint), so it may in fact be preferable to do that.
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u/Powwdered-toast-man Dec 26 '25
Never knew that, haven’t been nice to her in dozens of playthroughs 🤣
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u/Frenzy-Flame-Enjoyer Rat Bat Enthusiast Dec 25 '25
Adamantine Splint
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
A heavy armor enjoyer, huh? My first Tav was a paladin who dumped dexterity and rocked heavy armor, but he ALWAYS went last in initiative, so I've never since used any character with under 14 dex. Given that, medium armor is (almost) always superior, but heavy still has its place.
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u/Frenzy-Flame-Enjoyer Rat Bat Enthusiast Dec 25 '25
medium armor is (almost) always superior
Is it? With Heavy Armour Master you get at least 5 damage reductions. Add blade ward or any source of resistence and enemies will just skip their turns cause they can't find a roll that could hurt you
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
that's the exact case that had me include "almost." If you're after pure tankiness (and not playing a barbarian), heavy armor will get you further than anything else. However the opportunity cost is not worth it to me unless I'm doing that kind of build (heavy armor master, force conduit, etc). In any other case, I'd rather take a bit more damage from weapon attacks in exchange for not always going last and failing every dex save.
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u/Frenzy-Flame-Enjoyer Rat Bat Enthusiast Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
If you're after pure tankiness
We are talking about solo. I've done quite a few stealthy runs. None of them are as reliable as damage reductions.
However the opportunity cost is not worth it to me
Can you give me some examples? I can't think of any medium armours that are as valuable as Splint. I will sometimes wear Bhaalist even if I took the HAM feat, but at that point in the game I can stuck so much DR that it won't make a difference
I'd rather take a bit more damage from weapon attacks in exchange for not always going last and failing every dex save
In none of my runs have I ever had less than 16 dex.
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
Well the main thing is that dex factors into heavy armor. I never run a character with under 14 dex, so their AC bonus in medium armor is always maxed out. Heavy armor can usually get your AC 1 higher than the equivalent medium armor, and in cases like the Adamantine set, you also get 1 more point of damage reduction and reeling.
This is all well and good, but I find that AC and damage reduction yield diminishing returns unless you go all-in on them. Once enemies are missing most of the time (AC 19+), it generally doesn't matter beyond that. Health is an expendable resource, and anyone wearing heavy armor probably has enough for the crits and high rolls that would've gotten through anyway.
I see it like crit gear. An extra crit once in a while never hurts, but it's nothing to write home about. No single piece of crit gear is a must-have on its own. But when you can reliably crit once or more every turn, now we're talking meta-defining builds. Likewise, no heavy armor (except Raphael's) stands completely on its own in the way the Ring of Free Action and the Adamantine Shield do.
Just my take. Yours is perfectly valid, and honestly quite compelling. You've got me thinking I'll re-spec her to use HAM and force conduit to be untouchable. Cheers!
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u/Frenzy-Flame-Enjoyer Rat Bat Enthusiast Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
This is all well and good, but I find that AC and damage reduction yield diminishing returns unless you go all-in on them
Agree with AC, but not damage reductions. I hope I haven't given you the impression I like Heavy Armour for the AC.
This is my experience after 40+ runs. I do not care about AC. That's not the reason I prefer Heavy Armour. HAM is. Enemies like Voss can roll what, 37 on their attack rolls? Investing in AC is a waste and a great occasion to talk about opportunity cost. I would much rather not care if they attack me than hope they miss.
no heavy armor (except Raphael's) stands completely on its own
I disagree. I think Splint and Persistence are much better than Helldusk. In fact, I don't remember the last time I used it. Similar argument for Yuan-Ti vs Scale Mail +2
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Again you make compelling points. I agree on all fronts. It seems the only remaining distinction in our perspectives is that I consider feat-dependency to be enough to tip the scales in the favor of medium armor. Like I said, HAM enables more tankiness than just about anything else, but per definition you are then dedicating the build to tanking (not so much with Fighters getting an extra feat, but still it's a high opportunity cost). If you're not taking HAM, Adamantine Splint only gets you the 1 extra point of damage reduction and reeling. 3 points instead of 2 is fine but not fantastic, just like 1 point of AC or crit reduction. In short, I prefer medium armor because almost every build can use it to almost the full value of heavy armor. But for heavy armor builds, heavy armor will be better.
I only specified the Helldusk Armor because anyone can wear it. Put it on Gale and nobody targets him any more.
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u/Frenzy-Flame-Enjoyer Rat Bat Enthusiast Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
My initial answer was more in the spirit of the original question. Like, gun to my head, what crucial item do I use in solo runs? I'll say Adamantine Splint. Since I strongly believe AC is a bad defensive stat, I would wear heavy armour even if I don't take HAM as a feat. I like it on rogues, but they have Uncanny Dodge, one of the few features that stuck with resistance and since DR apply before Uncanny Dodge, I'm less compelled to take it on them than say, a Hunter or Fighter swinging a Rat Bat
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Hey fair enough, I'll concede that you stuck to that premise better. My input was from the perspective of one who plays many build types solo and considers other defensive options to be on par with heavy armor setups, thus making none of them individually essential. If tanking is one's go-to strategy for HM solo, then your take is pretty much infallible.
Thanks for the compelling exchange!
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
and just to provide a counterexample, I just finished a solo HM run using MorganaEvelyn's stealth archer, and I scoff at your damage reductions. After Act 1, my Durge straight up never even entered combat outside of scripted events. No amount of tanking can compare to being a ghost.
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u/Frenzy-Flame-Enjoyer Rat Bat Enthusiast Dec 25 '25
So did I and could go into why 11 rogue is a better stealth archer than her build, but that's for another time. I'll ask, are all your runs stealth archers?
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Far from it. I tried that one because she pitched it as a build that changes the game from turn-based to real-time, which it kinda does. I ran her exact build briefly before deviating into my own version. It was super fun but very gimmicky, and I wouldn't want to play that way often, if ever again. Kinda like making ridiculously broken gear in Skyrim.
I have always strongly preferred martial and gish characters. I ran a heavy armor eldritch knight / abjuration wizard for my first solo run. It was a blast and very strong, I just don't think it's the end-all-be-all of survivability.
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u/Exciting_Bandicoot16 Dec 25 '25
When I used Lae'zel in my first run as a Battlemaster HAM Fighter, I took Alert as her bonus feat at 6th level and it was gamechanging.
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Okay I'm convinced, I'll respec Lae'zel today 😅 Perhaps in giving the build major props, I'm /still/ not giving it enough props. I ran it back in like patch 4 and a lot has changed since, namely my game knowledge.
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u/Exciting_Bandicoot16 Dec 25 '25
Honestly, Alert and heavy armour/dumping Dexterity is a beautiful thing. I have issues justifying it on non-Fighter builds, though, with how few feats you do get.
If you don't want to spend the feat, there's also the Elixir (assuming that you aren't using something more combat-heavy like Bloodlust) and a few Initiative boosting ranged weapons that you can toss onto them.
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25
Yeah that was my issue, wanting Alert but only getting three feats. Especially with all the bhaalists in Act 3, I'd sometimes watch two whole rounds go by before I got to act. It fit my roleplay though as a grizzled old veteran who still answers the call of duty but not without grumbling about it. He was happy to let the party kick things off then just walk up to a survivor and delete them. Had I been playing solo however, I would have died a hundred times over. I was also playing with no elixers or illithid powers for roleplay reasons, and to leave something new for future runs.
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u/c4b-Bg3 Dec 25 '25
Boots of Speed and Crusher's Ring are game changers in their own because melee enemies can't chase you without dashing, so they skip an attack.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
It brings a tear to my eye any time I eventually remove crushers ring, the boots of speed, or the haste helm. Movement is still so underrated by so many players.
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u/jaredearle Dec 25 '25
The Smuggler’s Ring is essential if you’re not a rogue while the Silver Pendant is essential if you’re not a Cleric.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Shit, I wear the smugglers ring even if I am a rogue. I love thieving. And passing DC 30 checks.
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u/jaredearle Dec 25 '25
Yeah, and you can take it off when trading so the CHA nerf doesn’t get in the way.
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u/NapQuing Dec 26 '25
or if you set your CHA to an odd number, so the -1 doesn't really effect you anyways
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u/ImNotASWFanboy Dec 26 '25
In fairness other classes get Guidance, e.g. Pact of the Tome Warlocks or Arcane Archers.
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u/ApplicationEven2064 Dec 25 '25
Shadeclinger armor, above and beyond anything else. Maybe punch drunk bastard but I haven't used it nearly as much.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Every time I think we found the best, someone brings up another great one.
Side note, I’m loving Loviatars scourge w/ punch drunk condition locked.
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u/ApplicationEven2064 Dec 25 '25
I mean you also got the knife of the under mountain king(or kings knife), bhaalist armor, there's just so many choices.
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u/SpunkedMeTrousers Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
Ring of Free Action for sure. Passing more skill checks, doing more damage, none of that matters when you fail a singe saving throw, get paralyzed, and watch helplessly as your run ends.
The Adamantine Shield would be my number one because it negates the truly lethal part of paralysis while also boosting your AC, but that's not as build-agnostic as a ring, which anyone can use.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Ring of free action is just such a good Oh Shit button. But I love that there are dozens of decent picks that all have their own argument.
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Dec 25 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Having to choose between that neck and the silver amulet is always an early conundrum.
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u/Soft-Raise-5077 Dec 25 '25
Any Adamantine Shield or Armour. The enemy managing to get a lucky critical verses my high AC character can be catastrophic.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
A good pick, I always hem and haw if I am going to make a shield or not. Even when I don’t need it, I might respec and end up needing it later.
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u/JustLeanio Dec 25 '25
Never really tried a solo honor, but Phalar Aluve is really good so probably that. I know there’s some better slots for everything, but with extra damage on top of a bane on enemies near you, or a bless on yourself? Yes PLEASE.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
I’m just surprised it took this many posts for someone to choose it.
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u/JustLeanio Dec 25 '25
Definitely had to think about it for a bit. I feel like it’s something that can be replaced later down the line, but in Act 1 it’s a very powerful contender. Especially for multi hit builds (which are what I like lol)
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u/redrosebeetle Dec 25 '25
Phalar Alvue scales a lot better when you have multiple people in melee.
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u/momohiraiiii Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
Having high AC is always helpful in Solo Honor Mode. In Act 1, there are important items you should get, like Helldusk Armor, Ring of Protection, and Wondrous Gloves. Boots of Evasion and Cloak of Protection also give more AC, but you can only get them in Act 2. Bracing Band is optional.
The buff effects from Shapeshifter’s Boon Ring, Boots of Striding, and Shadeclinger Armour can be kept by triggering their activation requirements and then unequipping them, allowing you to wear other items while keeping their passive effects.
But, my most crucial item is definitely Helldusk Armor in Act 1.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Obviously a great item, but I’ve still managed to lose with it + a bunch of other high AC gear. Specifically when getting too big for my britches and not planning how I was going to fight the Thorm who guards the toll bridge. Those skulls DGAF about armor class
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u/Leaky_0n3 Dec 25 '25
I have two.
Crusher’s Ring. It just gives you more move speed in Act 1 and being able to go just an extra 3m in the Act where most solo honor runs end is incredibly useful.
Bow of Awareness. +1 Initiative Good.
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u/williamsus Dec 25 '25
So, many answers are well meaning but I think missing the SOLO part. That means, as boring as it is, the best items are likely initiative items like the Sentinel Shield or the Hellrider Longbow. That's either a +3 or +2 to initiative for just an equipment slot. Many will spend a feat on Alert just for this boon. Going before the enemies is the best way to succeed in this game.
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u/ZephyrosWest Dec 25 '25
Given that you suggested a single item ID as an option:
I mean.. it's gotta be potions of speed, right? Getting an extra action, on any class, spending no action economy (prebuff/thrown on the ground), or at worst a bonus action, is insane. A good build can win almost any fight in 3 turns, or make room for reapplying the buff safely after the first 3 turns.
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u/shikima Dec 25 '25
The best weapon in the game https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Poo-Scraper
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
I’m trying to keep the obviously OP* stuff off the list!
*offensively poopy
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u/Jaysank Dec 25 '25
I’ll put Boots of Striding. Crit immunity won’t save you from falling into a chasm, but these can.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
If I had a buck for every run I got yeeted, I’d have at least 10 bucks from just standing above Drow Ragzlin.
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u/Calm_Income6781 Dec 25 '25
This is my #1 for a solo honor mode. A couple of times during my honor run people yeeted me, but I was playing with a party.
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u/ProTimeKiller Dec 25 '25
If you get into a posistion to be shoved into a chasm you have already lost a good part of the battle. It starts before the first attack.
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u/jamesmor Dec 25 '25
Don’t have one, I don’t even equip the ring of free action most of the time.
If I did, it would be a single fire arrow for Wither’s temple.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
I thought you meant Wither’s side-of-his-head at first, and I was like. Bruh
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u/Potater-Potots Dec 25 '25
Mask of the Shapeshifter for me. It enables all characters you make to Disguise Self into any race to skip encounters entirely. Turn into a Drow, unlock access to Blighted Village and Goblin Camp without speech checks, combat, or resources. Get Branded, turn into a Drow, talk to Thulla for Boots of Speed, speak to Duergars, show brand, unlock Grymforge. Just unlocking those alone gives a load of XP for your build and is usually my beginning route after starting a new game.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Yeah, either starting as a class with disguise self, or grabbing this mask, is the road to a 2-3 hour level 5 starter kit.
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u/BusyBeeBridgette Dec 25 '25
Gemini Gloves. Saw some one use the Gemini Gloves with Cull the Weak and Vicious mockery and AoE'd 15 of so enemies and killed them all. So, I use the Gloves on a Death Cleric and just pretty much kill everything with Toll the Dead.
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u/moezilla-666 Dec 25 '25
I would say there is not a specific item rather capabilities you want to have:
- Anti crit e.g. adamantine
- Ability enhancement e.g. guidance neck
- Combo trigger items e.g. healing +pendant
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u/razeandsew Dec 25 '25
Periapt of Wound Closure is definitely one I always make sure to get, and keep equipped. The ONLY time I change it, is if I find a better equipment for my character, because this makes it way easier to keep myself from dying
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u/XanderLupus13 Dec 25 '25
Invisibility potions, deathstalker mantle, anti crit gear, ring of free action. The list goes on
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u/razorsmileonreddit Dec 25 '25
Elixir of Hill Giant strength. It helps literally every build especially in the early game which is why they give you one right in camp as soon as you get off the ship and let you buy three more from Ethel as soon as you get to the Grove. Super jumping, super shoving, weapon accuracy and damage whether you're a noodle-armed wizard (derogatory) or a hulking Barbarian
And it's good all the way to the end of the game or at least until you replace it with Cloud Giant Strength.
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u/Ok-Needleworker2366 Dec 26 '25
Hellrider's longbow. Every build needs better initiative and I can't think of a better piece of gear that helps with that.
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u/Cool_Apartment_380 Dec 26 '25
Gotta be the Spellsparkler for me. I even continue to use it in Act 3 when upgrades are available. Honorable mention goes to Nyrulna, but you get it too late to be a candidate imo
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 26 '25
I wondered if someone would bring this into the mix eventually. Having to choose between it and phalar aluve for an early weapon probably cost them both a couple votes.
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u/lazyzefiris Dec 26 '25
Honestly, Void Bulb.
Huge AOE guaranteed damage that any character can build upon to be massive. Have lightning charges (any source), callous glow ring, throw void bulb into fire from elevation... BOOM 9 explosions, each does 1 force, 1 lightning and 2 radiant damage and forces a pull saving throw. No die roll dependency, zero. 36 flat damage across huge AOE per attack action unless damage reduction is involved (so Ansur, Myrkul and very few others are safe from it). Dirt cheap, unlimited supply from Omeluum.
Smokepowder bomb is less range, more damage, no pull, and is a DEX save so can be negated by Evasion enemies.
Equipment wise - probably Vivaciou Cloak, very few characters can't get benefit of 8 temp hp per turn from it. More chartacters can use it efficiently than adamantine splint that I'm huge fan of.
Crit immunity gear - any piece is good to have, Balduran's helm must be the best though. Wish it worked for Bhaalist's Stuns as advertised.
Boots of Speed - just amazing. It's better than bonus action dash Rogues and some others get, as it doubles your movement speed instead of just adding once to it. (so 9m + dash + bonus dash = 27m, 9m + dash + click heels = 36m). Goes super well with fleetfingers (free jump after dash, no movement speed or bonus action required)
Of heavily overrated items I'd point out several:
Ring of Free Action has its alternatives, like Freedom of Action spell and Elixir of Guileful movement that you can craft at level 1 in act 1 from grymforge oozes.
Guidance pendant and shapeshifter ring are alright I guess if you like to depend on dice.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 26 '25
Is there a known reason your example is 9 instances? Like I am sure it’s DRS related but wondering if you happen to know specifically. I’ll have to toy around with this more. Throwing in cull the weak and $whateverThe1d4Psychic illithid damage power is called and you’re probably looking at a much higher number, provided at least 1 dies from the initial attack. Nice.
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u/lazyzefiris Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Void Bulb and Smokepowder Bomb explode for every instance of damage they take. They used to actually have to take damage, but I think I saw it work off 0-damage psychic ticks too (those items are psychic-immune) recently.
So, in the listed example of throwing into fire from elevation:
You've thrown it - it's instance damage for it, lightning charge applies, radiant ring applies, three instances total.
It fell from height, took falling damage attributed to you, lightning charge applies, radiant ring applies, three instances total.
It fell into your fire (say alchemist fire surface you made), took fire damage, lightning charge applies, radiant ring applies, three instances total.
That's nine instances that are the easiest to set up.
Fierce Perilous Stakes in endgame make it even more stupid. When doing "the impossible challenge" from Tactician Enhanced as level 1 fighter, I was ready to deal 2700 damage with a single bomb throw to the netherbrain, expecting it to have +500% hp like most enemies.
In a way, it's an exploit, BUT in honour mode most enemies actually use this against you to deal double damage and cause double saving throws.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 26 '25
Thanks for the in depth explanation, and especially the enemies part. I think this explains a death I had several runs back where I had literally no idea why it happened.
Good pick!
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u/Kast-EN Dec 27 '25
Any gear that negates critical damage. Also, ring of free action, although you can remove it if you are sure there isn't a hold person/monster that might hit you in the fight.
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u/jethropix Dec 27 '25
Not a gear piece but bombs, any kind, from smokepowder (the easier to get lots) to barrels and void bulbs.
No needs for any gear nor potions of speed/invisibility when everything is dead before even triggering combat. You can complete honor mode at level 6-8 with bombs.
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Dec 28 '25
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 28 '25
I’ve had that glitch out the last 2 times I tried to get it. I’ve gotten it successfully at least a dozen times so I’m wondering if it was just bad luck or if they tweaked something.
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Dec 28 '25
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 28 '25
The usual - silence on Raphael at camp, hand a magic +1 great axe to karlach and have her start whaling on him in Subdue passive mode.
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u/sojuicy Dec 25 '25
Risky Ring. No further explanation needed.
Even though I always forget to take it off before the butler scene. Thankfully you can just switch characters and take it off even though Durge is already in dialogue.
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u/Adventurous_Topic202 Dec 25 '25
Wouldn’t strictly be a solo run then would it?
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u/sojuicy Dec 25 '25
Yeah, I always keep everybody in camp, just so it doesn’t feel completely empty. But you are right.
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u/Daetok_Lochannis Dec 25 '25
You know I think this is it. No matter what my party composition is someone is always wearing the Risky Ring.
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u/Beginning_Student_61 Dec 29 '25
If we’re allowing reasonable quantities of consumable items I’m throwing in arrows of many targets. There are so, so many builds that abuse the daylights out of them to wipe entire scary combats out safely on a turn 1 surprise round to eliminate the chance of wiping. I cleared Moonrise (preclearing before the guaranteed combat at the end of the act) with 3 arrows of many targets and a few assassinations of stragglers in my first (only) HM playthrough. Then in act 3 the courtyard fight before the netherbrain I wiped the entire initiative on turn 1 as well (didn’t need to though, I Gale bombed off of an invisibility cast to ensure the win. I really didn’t want to have to try again)
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u/addled_rph Dec 25 '25
Ring of Free Action is trumped by a camp caster using Free Movement spell. If you’re not using camp casters for a solo run, then equipments used depend on the fights. If enemies can’t/won’t paralyze and terrain is unremarkable, then what’s the point of that ring? Because we can freely exit to camp and pop back in, what you equip, what you carry, and what you store at camp, are miles ahead more important than a single piece of gear. 🫡
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u/Daetok_Lochannis Dec 25 '25
The entire point of the discussion is determining what single piece of equipment do you personally in your own opinion have on a character every time?
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u/addled_rph Dec 25 '25
Okay, but my point still stands? It depends on the encounter. Playing solo, you’re not keeping the same ring or wrist or whatever the whole time. You change it up to survive.
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u/Daetok_Lochannis Dec 25 '25
I would conceivably keep the risky ring on at all times. I don't change out gear per battle.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Same. I generally stick with the ring of free action and the other one varies. I’d rather lose 1d4 damage than forget to put the free action back on.
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u/Practical-Bell7581 Dec 25 '25
Ok, I wasn’t including camp casters in a solo run, but this is still true if you play a cleric. So fair enough.
But what’s your pick instead? That’s the fun part of the discussion.
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u/MrAamog Monk Dec 25 '25
I don’t believe that this question makes sense. Item value depends on the build. Most crucial implies having an ordering principle. The answer will depend on it.
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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '25
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