Baldur's Gate 3: How To Beat Malus Thorm Without Fighting (2024)

The battle against Malus Thorm in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be tricky, especially considering the sheer number of nurses surrounding him as his allies inside the House of Healing. Luckily, there is a way to bypass the entire fight and get the related rewards for his demise. This action requires a set of specific talking points and some good skills to pass Checks, but it can ultimately prevent a dangerous mini-boss battle from breaking out. In turn, this can save your healing resources, skill slots, and any Short or Long Rests you plan on taking with your party to recover.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]

Malus Thorm is one of the three optional Thorm bosses in Reithwin Town during Act 2. Dealing with him is one of the things you should do before entering Shadowfell in Baldur’s Gate 3. Even if he does seem insignificant initially, Malus Thorm is connected to a larger and much more important side quest in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, related to the curse that plagues the region. The only reason to leave him be is if players are on an evil campaign in Baldur’s Gate 3, but even so, killing him is much better than allowing him to continue his gruesome experiments.

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How To Make Malus Thorm Kill Himself In Baldur’s Gate 3

Like all other accursed Thorm family members who reside in Reithwin Town, it is possible to make Malus Thorm kill himself rather than engage in a straightforward fight against the sadistic physician. Upon approaching Malus in the operating theater in the House of Healing, he will talk about Shar’s teachings of absence in Baldur’s Gate 3 and how all who devote themselves to her must master that. He is hosting a person on the bed before him with the help of his undead nurses, who are training their operating techniques on the poor individual. However, they are torturing him by slowly cutting his body open.

If Shadowheart is in the party, she will agree with Malus’ dark lecture, even if she does oppose the villain. Once the dialogue options open, you should inspect the sisters’ instruments or persuade Malus that they are not ready. The former requires an Intelligence Check, while the latter relies on a Charisma Check in Baldur’s Gate 3. Passing either option will open up the choice to further persuade Malus that the nurses should practice on themselves. After passing the related Charisma Check, Malus Thorm will tell the nurses to kill each other, and once they have done that, only he and the tortured prisoner will remain.

At this point, you can perform a Deception action, which a class-specific sentence may accompany. This will require yet another Charisma check. The dialogue option will convince that Malus must kill himself to live up to Shar’s teachings truly. If you pass the check and he complies, Malus will request that you follow his example and kill yourself. Malus Thorm will then stick his mechanical finger into his eye socket, falling dead on the floor. His body and the nurses can be looted in Baldur’s Gate 3, and the blinded prisoner can be freed from the operating table.

How To Make The Nurses Kill Malus Thorm In Baldur's Gate 3

There is, however, a second way of making Malus kill himself. Instead of telling him that the nurses should practice with each other, which prompts them to stab one another, you can tell Malus that they need a better subject. If you pass the Charisma Check in Baldur’s Gate 3 and can persuade him, Malus Thorm will agree, kill the patient, lie on the operating table himself, and tell the nurses to practice on him. They will then stab Malus and kill him. Doing this does not aggro all the nearby nurses, so it is also a safe option to avoid a battle.

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However, this second method of making Malus kill himself leaves the nurses alive and, therefore, unlootable. It also makes the victim be killed in front of you without a fighting chance. The best of all the options when dealing with Malus Thorm in the House of Healing is first to make the nurses stab each other and then make Malus take his own life in Baldur’s Gate 3. It is a horrid spectacle to watch, but the one that provides the most benefits in terms of loot – while also leaning deeper into a good-aligned roleplaying campaign as you save a person from an incredibly sadistic torture session.

Another positive aspect is that, even if you convince Malus to make the nurses kill themselves and then choose to kill himself to “teach” you about Shar’s ways, the other nurses in the House of Healing will not become aggressive toward you. This means you can stroll freely across the area, loot everything you want and need, and never get involved in a conflict that can make you spend potions and spells otherwise better employed against obligatory bosses in Baldur's Gate 3.

Regardless of the chosen method to deal with Malus Thorm, you can loot his body, where you will find a few important items. The first one is a key to the room at the far end of the House of Healing, which contains excellent spoils. The most important item, however, is the Battered Lute, which is essential for eventually removing the Shadow-Curse in Baldur’s Gate 3.