Baldur's Gate 3 - Part 97 - Hell To Pay

Storyline outline (Hell To Pay – Part 97)

• The team prepares for the final push to steal the Orphic Hammer from Raphael’s domain (Hell) so they can:

  • Break Hope’s chains
  • Escape using the magic mirror back to Baldur’s Gate
  • Ideally do it before Raphael realizes what’s happening, which would likely trigger an immediate wipe

• They also remember an earlier obligation: someone promised Hellc they’d steal a valuable pair of gauntlets, so the mission involves both the hammer and retrieving that reward.

• After grabbing the hammer from the archive area, they trigger a major escalation:

  • Raphael is “coming home” angry
  • Hell’s defenses and multiple groups of threats (including imp-like/falling “debtors” and a hell sphere) surge toward them

• They eventually reach the prison, defeat the jailers, and use the hammer to rescue Hope.

• Final sequence:

  • They head to the mirror room
  • They deal with enemies guarding/interrupting their route

Raphael encounter / boss fight

• They do not choose a straightforward “pretty fair” duel.

• The entire fight is structured around winning the room objective: destroy soul pillars and survive Raphael’s phases, buffs, and powerful attacks.

• The team uses:

  • Positioning and elemental counters
  • Crowd control
  • Healing cycles
  • High-damage burst to bring Raphael down

After Raphael is defeated

• The story shifts to:
  • Hope taking control of the House of Hope
  • Emotional resolution for Hope and remembrance of Korilla
  • Looting legendary gear, including items suited for specific party members

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Gameplay highlights & key strategies / tips mentioned

Planning for speed + escape

• Core plan: “get hammer → prison → Hope → mirror room → escape”
• Emphasis on acting before Raphael arrives, since that could turn the situation into a full wipe.
• They use healing pools (“baths”) during the run to recover spell resources and stabilize between waves.

Pre-fight logistics and mistakes to avoid

• Non-lethal / lethal toggle bug management

  • A status (“cold the week / coldbite”) didn’t behave as expected when switching attack modes.

• Bring lockpicks/tools next time

  • They forgot lockpicking tools during the initial hell heist and had to improvise, risking failed trap/lock outcomes.

• Avoid radiant damage on certain enemies earlier

  • In the prison fight, radiant damage caused trouble due to reflections / interaction mechanics.

Prison / guard cleanup tactics

• Before engaging, they:

  • Identify enemy types
  • Check resistances (Hell creatures had fire immunity / cold resistance)
  • Choose a fight order that allows returning to nearby healing/pool areas

• They also use:

  • Ambush positioning from a balcony/corner
  • Disengage/retreat to force enemies into range
  • Control spells (including black hole attempts / pulling and clustering)
  • Misty step to reposition melee backliners for better angles
  • Careful attention to enemy knockback and splash damage, since Hope is nearby

Archive heist / hammer acquisition

• How they progress to the hammer:

  • Password-based access to reach the hammer
  • Deception/Charisma checks to avoid hard stops and keep movement flowing

• They manage a special interaction:

  • The hammer is protected by a vocal keyword / magic field gating access
  • Once obtained, they anticipate that leaving triggers consequences (combat escalation)

Trap / troubleshooting

• They attempt a trap disarm, but it nearly fails.
• Instead of repeatedly attempting, they switch to a “grab and run” approach.

Raphael boss fight: pillar priority + elemental control

• Primary objective: soul pillars must be destroyed to reduce Raphael’s overpowered scaling/bonus effects.

• Raphael’s “damage problem”:

  • It’s difficult to hurt him consistently
  • Pillar removal is essential

• Strong approaches:

  • Force and bludgeoning are identified as effective vs. pillars
  • Sharp throwing can misbehave due to damage type conversions

• Elemental tactics:

  • They repeatedly avoid radiant damage for Raphael because it triggers dangerous interactions
  • They exploit wetness:
    • Chain lightning and lightning tactics work better when wetness is established or worsened
    • Reverberation / daze / debuffs help limit Raphael’s dangerous actions

• Survivability loop:

  • Heavy reliance on Hope’s healing and mass healing words
  • Multiple reset cycles occur when allies get knocked off cliffs or die mid-escape to the mirrors

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Bulleted “execution” notes (how they try to win)

• Before stealing

  • Retrieve missing tools (lockpicks) and ensure correct toggles/status effects are active
  • Use the team’s strongest damage dealer in front positions when possible

• Prison

  • Clear jailers first to enable the Hope rescue
  • Check resistances and avoid enemy mechanics (e.g., radiant reflection)
  • Cluster enemies for maximum AOE value
  • Be careful of knockback/splash with Hope nearby

• Archive

  • Use passwords and charisma-deception when necessary
  • Use the hammer access “vocal component” requirement correctly
  • Loot along the way (gauntlets/amulets/rings/legendary items)

• Escape

  • Move quickly toward the mirror room
  • Use pools/healing in brief windows
  • Kill threats fast (hell sphere + “debtors” waves)
  • Prevent heals and avoid unnecessary standing in fire

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Gamers / sources featured

• John (host; includes “many a true nerd”)
• Lee J. (appears as “Good afternoon, Lee J.” in the intro)
• No other clearly named external gamers or channels are featured in the subtitles beyond these.

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