Defeating a colossal spider in Baldur's Gate 3 is as simple as teleporting a pair of boots

Baldur's Gate 3 has taught me that it only takes a touch of old-fashioned ingenuity to overcome a colossal teleporting spider and its legion of insect offspring.

I had encountered this spider-infested cave earlier in my current gaming session. In the contaminated village settlement near the kobold camp, there is a well with a massive cave beneath it called the Whispering Depths. Upon descending, one quickly discovers bridges made of sturdy spiderwebs. Stepping onto such a bridge practically rings the dinner bell, alerting a colossal group of spiders to your presence. I attempted this early in the game when my character was underleveled, but swiftly realized it was not a viable option. After progressing through the main quest for a while, I decided to return here and gather some much-needed experience before embarking on my journey through the underworld.

I swiftly cleared the area that had previously halted my progress and ventured deeper into the cave. Assuming that I had dealt with all the major creatures within the cave, I was taken by surprise when ambushed by the colossal phase spider matriarch, who let out a shriek to awaken her offspring from their eggs. Before I knew it, my group was defeated.

Baldur's Gate 3 is not a game where leveling up comes easily. Combat encounters can erupt anywhere, but if you don't want to needlessly provoke random NPCs, you might struggle to find a fight once you've progressed through the main quest. So, even though I felt that I could use one more level to truly be prepared for this spider battle, I made the choice to stay and explore a few new approaches.

Since you can divide your group into four individuals, there are numerous different strategies available. You can send each one in a different direction, keep three together while sending the fourth for reconnaissance, or split into two equal halves. The challenge in this case was that the spider had a multitude of eggs that it would activate instantly upon sensing your presence. I had to balance the odds, which meant attempting to make a few omelets without drawing attention to myself.

I attempted it in various ways, but each time resulted in my entire group being wiped out. The spider would detect me after I had only cleared out a zoo of eggs, leaving enough small demon spawn to attack me. Eventually, I found an approach that worked by harnessing the illogical power of the group's shared inventory.

Near the entrance of the cave, one can find a pair of spider-step boots, allowing the wearer to traverse spiderwebs without alerting the lurking arachnids. Therefore, I maneuvered Astarion, equipped with the spider-step boots, into position, then removed and stored them in my character's inventory, despite him being on the other side of the map. Now, I could silently maneuver a second character across the bridges without being noticed. This allowed me to eliminate all the eggs and position my character to unleash a barrage of magical projectiles at the giant spider, ensuring every shot hit its mark. With the smaller spiders cleared away, my group could focus entirely on the giant spider and its two slightly smaller minions. By dividing the group's attention in four directions, the spiders were swiftly dealt with, and we didn't even need to expend a resurrection spell scroll.

This flexibility is something I truly appreciate about Baldur's Gate 3. The game will humble you if you insist on approaching every encounter in the same manner. However, when you challenge yourself, you can discover a strategy that crushes your enemies within minutes. It may be challenging, but figuring out how it works not only makes me feel clever, but also makes me feel like a super-genius.