Baldur's Gate 3: How to Defeat the Phase Spider Matriarch

Baldur's Gate 3 has some tough battles. Every decision, whether in combat or dialogue, is based on a virtual dice roll. As a result, there may be times when you miss five times in a row. One of the toughest battles in Early Access is defeating the Phase Spider Matriarch on the way to the Underdark.

It is bad enough that the matriarch summons a lot of minions and has an enormous amount of hit points, but each of these spiders effortlessly teleports around you while you struggle to have any movement points left. This is a detailed guide that shows you what you need to know in order to defeat the Phase Spider Matriarch and progress in the game.

Update from September 12, 2023, by Sharnelle Earle: Now that Baldur's Gate 3 has been released from Early Access, we can focus more on items and story elements that were not accessible during the EA phase. Some of the Whispering Depths remain the same, but we have added useful information about the Phase Spider Matriarch and other important items in this area.

Phase Spider Matriarch Overview

Phase Spider Matriarch Overview
Location	Blighted Village, Withering Depths
Stats	125 HP 16 Str 16 Dex
Resistant To	Poison
Drops	Poisoner's Robe

If the Phase Spider Matriarch has less than 50 hit points, she will cast a spell that increases her strength by two.

Since this battle takes place in a cave, it is dark. All characters will have a penalty to their visibility, causing their attacks to be weaker than normal.

Only Elves, Half-Elves, and Gnomes have Darkvision, which prevents this effect.

Make sure to bring characters with Darkvision or use a light spell such as Light or Dancing Lights during the battle.

Equip Spider Boots

The most important thing you want to do is find and equip the Spiderstep Boots. These boots make the wearer immune to being webbed.

Being webbed means being entangled in spiderwebs and unable to move.

This effect occurs when you walk over the spiderweb bridges or when a spider shoots webs at you during the battle. There is only one pair of these immunity boots, so wear them on your best character.

The Spiderstep Boots are located in the only room that appears normal in the spider caves.

There are two different ways to enter the Withering Depths. You can either go through the well in the center of the ruined village or descend into the basement of one of the houses near the entrance. The illuminated room in the Withering Depths where these boots are located is to the left of the well entrance.

How To Beat The Phase Spider Matriarch

• Immunity to Enwebbed
• Use darkvision or provide light to allies
• Misty Step
• Stealth kill smaller enemies
• Throw matriarch into pit

Only one person can wear the Spider Boots, so you should rely heavily on ranged damage during this battle. Your only melee character should use the boots while everyone else employs ranged attacks.

The most important thing you want to do in this battle is to spread out your group members and focus on the Matriarch. Avoid trying to reach the spiderlings as it will waste movement points and valuable time that could be better used to reduce the Matriarch's health.

Sneak Into The Fight

The best thing you can do before the battle is to have your best rogue character sneak into the fight first. This will allow you to eliminate some smaller spiders before the actual big battle begins. It gives your group a major advantage as you won't have to face over ten spiders all at once.

Use yourself or perhaps Astarion to sneak into the playing field and find and destroy the three separate groups of spider eggs.

During the main battle, the Matriarch will hatch these eggs to create even more terror and chaos for you. You'll have an advantage if you can silently destroy them before the battle begins.

While sneaking, try to destroy them with anything that causes area of effect damage. You don't want to waste unnecessary time taking out the small ones. Try to eliminate not only the groups of eggs but also the smaller phase spiders.

Take Advantage Of Teleport

These spiders teleport effortlessly, but you can sometimes use that to your advantage.

They will always be able to reach you. However, if you are outside of their line of sight and remain hidden from their attacks, they will try to teleport to your location. Because of this, you can manipulate your movements to lure them where you want them to be.

This is best achieved when you fight them on the lower level where there are large pillars behind which you can hide. If you are not a ranged character, you want to make them teleport closer to you or further away from your mage.

Even better, if you master "Mist Step" and can teleport yourself, it will greatly facilitate the battle when you apply the same tactics as the spiders.

Shove The Matriarch Into The Pit

Just like in your fight against the witch, you can try to push the Matriarch into the gaping abyss in the middle of the room. However, this will be challenging if she is far away.

You should use powerful spells that can push enemies away, such as Thunderwave, Repelling Blast, or even a Sphere of Annihilation, to push the spiders off elevated terrain. Without a Sphere of Annihilation, you will need to get close to execute this, so don't forget to use the character with the Spiderstep Boots.

You should have already killed some smaller spiders in stealth mode before the battle began. Now, you need to focus directly on the Matriarch and try to avoid the smaller enemies. You could also split your group. Half of your party takes care of the stragglers while the others chip away at the Matriarch's health and attempt to push her into the abyss.

If you push the Phase Spider Matriarch into the central abyss, you won't be able to loot her body.

It is worth noting that there is an important quest item in this boss arena that you should look for after defeating the Phase Spider Matriarch. On the lower level of this area, you will find a purple gemstone on the ground. This gemstone is related to the quest for the book "Necromancy of Thay."