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Baldur’s Gate 3has no shortage of bosses and mini-bosses for you to fight, and as you wander the Sword Coast, you’re bound to discover new and interesting enemies around every corner. Some bosses must be actively sought out, but others will find you before you even have a chance to detect their presence.
The Bulette is one such boss who can only be fought on its terms. Unlike other bosses in the environment, you can’t sneak up on this stealthy subterranean creature. The Bulette will sneak up onyou.If you’re struggling to take down the Bulette, or you’re tired of being ambushed, here’s everything you need to know to beat it.
What Is The Bulette?
TheBuletteis a subterranean mole-like creature thatpops up randomlyas you explore the Underdark.
As you roam through the mushroomed caverns and glowing locales of the Underdark, you will encounterstrange rumblingsthat shake the earth. These rumblings are usually followed by aline of disturbed earthstreaking past. Both arewarning signsthat the Bulette is present.
Sometimes, these earthquakes will only last a few seconds before ultimately ceasing, but other times, the Bulette willburrow outfrom under the ground andinitiate a battlewith you.
How To Find The Bulette
There isno way to predictwhen or where the Bulette will pop up, but you will always be warned by thetell-tale tremor and dirt trailthat it leaves behind.
Pay close attention to thedirectionof the dirt trail that the Bulette leaves. You will be able to more accuratelypredict where it spawnsand can have a fewextra seconds of planningas you decide how to deal with it.
You can alsotoggle the turn-based modewhen you see the trail appear. This will allow you to get your party members into position before the Bulette pops up.
The Bulettedoes not always appearwhen it tunnels around you. Sometimes, it will simplyknock your character overand then tunnel away. If you can’t knock the Bulette out fast enough, it willretreat after a round or twoand tunnel back into the earth.
Youwon’t be able to predictwhere the Bulette willreappear,but it usuallydoesn’ttarget thesame location twice.
If you’re frustrated about the Bulette retreating after you’ve done a good amount of damage, don’t worry. When the Bulette reappears, itwillnot be in full health. Each time the Bulette uses the Burrow action, itregains HP,but if you’ve hit it enough, it won’t get back to full health in time for your next encounter.
ensure tosave, Short Rest, and Long Restfrequently. The more frequently you’re at yourfull HP maximum, the less likely the Bulette will catch you unawares while you’re already injured.
Confirmed Bulette Ambush Locations
Wecan’t guarantee where you will find the Bulette in your playthrough, but we’ve been ambushed in a few places around the Underdark.
Here’s a list ofevery placewe’ve been ambushed in the past:
If we get jumped by the Bulette in any other locations, we’ll come back andupdate this listfor you so you have an idea of where you might expect to be ambushed.
How To Defeat The Bulette
Defeating the Bulette may seem impossible upon your first encounter, but thereareways to make this challenging fight a little less daunting.
Don’t forget, if a battle is still too difficult for you, you can alwayschange your difficulty settings. It’s okay to prioritize having a good time over beating a fight at the hardest difficulty level.
The best way to prepare yourself for fighting the Bulette (or any enemy, for that matter) is tofamiliarize yourselfwith the enemy’sweaknesses and skills.
Use the ‘Examine’ optionon any boss or item you want to take a closer look at. The ‘Examine’ tab will show you the boss’sclassification, size, resistances, and so much more.
125
17
9m or 30ft
500kg or 1000 lbs
Strength (STR)
DExterity (DEX)
Constitution (CON)
Intelligence (INT)
Wisdom (WIS)
Charisma (CHA)
19
11
21
2
10
5
+4
+0
+5
-4
-3
+7
+3
The Bulette also has aproficiency bonus of +3and, despite being an ambush predator, anInitiative bonus of +0.
These stats were calculated in theBalanced Gamemode.
On top of being one beefy bully, the Bulette is also resistant to Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning, and Acid damage. It does not have any known weaknesses for any damage types.
Some good damage types to target the Bulette with areFire, Thunder, Psychic, Electricity, and Ice damage.Essentially,avoidhitting the Bulette with any damage type that it isresistantto. Resistance willhalve the efficacyof your attacks of those damage types.
The Bulette’s Abilities
The Bulette hasmorethan just its size going for it. Alongside its prowess as an ambush predator, the Bulette also has the following combat abilities:
Corrosive Phlegm
2d8 + 3Aciddamage
The Bulette also has a fewpassiveabilities at its disposal. Not only can the Bulette useOpportunity Attacksandsee in the darkup to a distance of12 m, it is also highlyterritorial.
The Bulette’sTeritorial abilitymeans that it willalways attack other monstrositiesbefore attacking any smaller prey. This means that if there is a larger creature in the vicinity, the Bulette willroute towards them,instead of anyone else.
In cases where the Bulette appears by creatures like the Minotaurs, this means that the Bulette willprioritize taking down the Minotaurand not your party. This can work to your advantage. Try topit the Bulette against other monstrous creatureswhen possible.
Outside general combat, the Bulette can also use theBurrow action. This action allows the Bulette to burrow under the ground andrecover some of its hit points. It can recover up to8d8 + 10 HPafter using the Burrow action.
To avoid a prolonged fight, attempt to render the Buletteunconsciousor hit it withheavy damage attacksas soon as possible. Youdon’twant toallow it to heal.
Tips For Battling The Bulette
Even though you’re able to’t determine exactly where the Bulette will spawn, you still have options for how to make the most of your fight.
Improve Your Initiative
One of the biggest issues with the Bulette fight is that no matter where the Bulette pops up, it willalways ambush you.It’s difficult to prepare a defense against an enemy that you never see coming, butnot impossible.
Party members withInitiative boosts— like those gained from skills,weapons,armor, orspells— will suffer less severely when ambushed, and willrank further upin the Initiative order. Some abilities evenpreventcharacters from being ambushed at all.
There’sno guaranteethat you’ll be able to determine the Initiative order yourself, but havingInitiative bonuses will helpyou avoid being stuck too far back in the order. This is especiallyimportantin areas where the Bulette will ambush younear other hostile entities.
The Bulettedoes not ally withany other Underdark creatures because it is Territorial. Other hostile entities will hunt the Bulette and vice versa during combat.
Utilize High Ground
The next best thing you can do to gain the upper hand is to find anupper ledge.Yes, we mean literally! The Bulette can’t easily navigatemulti-story terrainand will have difficulty usingMelee Attackson targetsat higher elevations.
While youcan’t predictwhere you’ll end up battling the Bulette, you can stillexamine and use the environmentto your advantage.
Taking the high ground alsogives you an Advantagewithin the game’s combat mechanics. Having the high ground means that you’llroll allof yourAttack Dice twiceand automaticallyuse the highest result.This may not seem like much, but it’ll add up over time.
Certain abilities, likeAstarion’s Sneak Attack,can only be triggered if you have an Advantage. He won’t automatically get an Advantage from having the high ground, but in some combat scenarios, a high ground Advantage isenough to triggerhis powerful Sneak Attack ability.
The high ground alsoprotectsyou fromany splash damage,blanket damage, or area effectsyou might cast on the Bulette. Having your battleground split into two areas is a great way to make sure you areisolating the Buletteandprotectingyour party fromfriendly fire.
Use Blanket Cover Attacks
Because the Bulettecan burrow undergroundand maneuver around the battlefield stealthily, it can easilyget out of rangeof your party’s attacks. One of the best ways to ensure that you’re doing the most damage is tocast area effectsandblanket cover spells.
Spells like the Ranger’sSpike Growthcast a powerful,multi-turn areal effecton the theater of battle and ensure that with every step the Bulette takes, it’s takingsustained damage.Spike Growth and some other terrain spells will alsoreduce the Bulette’s movement,sometimes as much as byhalf.
Any spell or ability thataffects a wide areacan be used to your advantage. If you’re low on spell slots or were ambushed without a spell-caster in your party, you canuse grenades, arrows, spell scrolls, and even the Underdark’smany dangerous mushrooms.
Triggering aBibberbangmushroom can be just as effective as throwing a grenade.
Bulette Loot
Once you have successfully defeated the Bulette, you canloot its corpseand obtain the following items:
