Weaponsupporting

Flame Blade

Flame Blade is a level 2 evocation spell that conjures a temporary fiery scimitar, using melee spell attacks and dealing fire damage without requiring concentration.

Importance

supporting

Damage

3d6 fire damage

Baldur's Gate 3 · weapon

Key Takeaways

Flame Blade is a temporary, spell-created melee weapon rather than a conventional scimitar. Its value comes from spell-based fire damage, flexible casting, and access to effects that do not depend on maintaining concentration.

Conjured weapon

The level 2 Evocation spell creates a fiery scimitar that functions as a melee weapon for its duration, rather than adding a permanent item to the inventory.

Spell-based damage

At its base level, attacks deal 3d6 fire damage. The dice remain the useful reference because Flame Blade is not presented like an ordinary weapon with a standard physical damage die.

Spellcasting access matters

Flame Blade is primarily associated with spellcasting access, including Druid spell access and some racial sources. The relevant availability route should be checked separately from ordinary weapon proficiency.

No concentration requirement

The conjuration lasts for 10 turns without requiring concentration, so the caster can maintain another concentration effect while using the blade.

Not a normal weapon attack

Its attacks use a melee spell attack roll tied to the caster’s spellcasting ability, and ordinary weapon bonuses may not apply in the same way they do to a physical scimitar.

Upcasting improves the fire damage

Casting Flame Blade with a higher-level spell slot increases its fire damage by 1d6 for every two slot levels above 2nd, giving it a spell-slot-based progression rather than a weapon-upgrade path.

Distinct from ordinary scimitars

Compared with a conventional scimitar, Flame Blade trades normal weapon-item progression and weapon bonuses for spell-based fire damage, a temporary duration, and a casting-based attack roll.

Overview

Flame Blade is a spell-created scimitar in Baldur’s Gate 3, not a conventional lootable weapon. It turns a spellcaster’s action economy and spellcasting ability into a temporary melee option that deals fire damage.

Flame Blade is created by a level 2 evocation spell, which conjures a fiery scimitar in the caster’s hand. Its identity therefore comes from the spell that produces it rather than from a permanent item, weapon rarity, enchantment, or ordinary equipment progression. The result is a melee option for characters who want to fight at close range without relying entirely on a conventional Strength- or Dexterity-based weapon.

The conjured blade deals 3d6 fire damage on its attacks and sheds bright light around the wielder, with a further area of dim light. Its attacks use a melee spell attack roll tied to the wielder’s spellcasting ability rather than a standard weapon attack. That distinction is central: Flame Blade should be evaluated as a spell effect with a weapon-shaped interface, not as a scimitar whose normal equipment bonuses automatically apply.

The spell lasts for 10 turns and does not require concentration, so creating the blade does not by itself prevent the caster from maintaining another concentration effect. It can also be cast with higher-level spell slots; the fire damage increases by 1d6 for every two slot levels above 2nd. This gives the spell a place in short-term combat planning, although its value depends on the caster’s available spell slots and spellcasting setup.

Flame Blade is most naturally associated with spellcasters who can access the spell, including Druids, and some race-based spell options can also provide access. It differs from an ordinary scimitar because it is temporary, uses spell-attack mechanics, and is not primarily an item-upgrade choice. The page therefore treats it as a spell-generated melee weapon and focuses on its conjuration, attack method, duration, fire damage, and upcasting rather than on permanent weapon progression.

Statistics

This game publishes dice damage rather than 0–100 bars, so the verified damage, enchantment, weight and value are listed instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.

Base Damage
3d6
Damage Type
Fire
Rarity
Common
Weight
0.5 kg
Value
30 gp
Entry Type
Named / special

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

How to Obtain

Before you start

Druid spell access and a level 2 spell slot, normally reached at Druid level 3.
Alternatively, the Mephistopheles Tiefling subrace and character level 5.
This is a temporary spell conjuration rather than a permanent, lootable weapon; no vendor, drop, DLC, NG+, or one-per-playthrough restriction applies.

01Flame Blade is not a physical weapon found as loot or purchased from a vendor. Create or recruit a character with access to the Druid spell list; a Druid can prepare Flame Blade when level 2 spell slots become available at character level 3. Prepare the spell from the Druid spell list, then cast it with an available spell slot.
02A Mephistopheles Tiefling can gain Flame Blade as a racial spell at character level 5 instead of learning it through the Druid class. This route is fixed by the character’s subrace and does not require visiting a location, completing a quest, or defeating a boss.

Availability

Base game / Story campaignAvailable through spell access rather than as a normal vendor-stocked weapon.

Requires The character must have access to the Flame Blade spell through an eligible class or racial feature and meet that feature’s spellcasting progression requirements.

No separate DLC, Online, NG+, difficulty, or weapon-proficiency availability is established for the conjured blade.

Mechanics and Handling

Flame Blade is a temporary magical weapon rather than a conventional scimitar taken from the inventory. Casting the level 2 evocation conjures the fiery blade directly in the caster’s hand, and its attacks are resolved as melee spell attacks. This makes the caster’s spellcasting ability central to whether attacks connect, instead of treating the weapon like an ordinary Strength- or Dexterity-based melee weapon.

The blade deals fire damage and remains available for 10 turns. Its duration does not require concentration, so the caster can maintain other concentration effects while Flame Blade is active. It also provides illumination: the conjured weapon sheds bright light in a 3-metre radius and dim light for a further 6 metres.

Spell attacks, not ordinary weapon attacks

Flame Blade’s attack roll uses the wielder’s spellcasting ability through a melee spell attack. The distinction matters for characters who are proficient with scimitars but do not have a suitable spellcasting ability: weapon proficiency does not by itself turn the conjured blade into a standard weapon attack.

Because the blade is created by a spell, ordinary weapon bonuses should not be assumed to apply. Effects that specifically interact with spells or spell attacks are the more relevant candidates for improving its performance, although the exact interaction should be checked for the current game version and item or feature involved.

Fixed-duration conjuration and illumination

The blade is temporary. Its normal spell duration is 10 turns, after which the conjured weapon is no longer available through that casting. This makes Flame Blade better suited to a defined combat sequence than to permanent weapon progression, and it does not function like an inventory scimitar that can simply be carried between encounters.

Its fire visibly illuminates the surrounding area, producing bright light close to the wielder and dim light beyond that. The lighting effect can matter when positioning in dark areas, but the spell’s primary combat behaviour remains its melee spell attack and fire-damage profile.

Upcasting

Using a spell slot above 2nd level increases the blade’s fire damage by 1d6 for every two slot levels above the spell’s base level. The increase is tied to the spell slot used for the casting; it is not a permanent upgrade to the conjured weapon.

Upgrades and Variants

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

The conjured blade deals 3d6 fire damage per attack, giving a spellcaster a close-range damage option that does not depend on finding or enchanting a physical scimitar.
Its 10-turn duration and lack of Concentration let the caster maintain other Concentration effects while Flame Blade remains active.
The weapon sheds bright and dim light, which can help reveal nearby spaces and support visibility in dark encounters.
Upcasting can increase its fire damage, allowing it to remain relevant when a higher-level spell slot is worth spending on melee pressure.

Weaknesses

Flame Blade requires the caster to fight in melee, exposing a character who may otherwise be built for ranged spellcasting or battlefield control.
Its attacks use a melee spell attack rather than a normal weapon attack, so ordinary weapon bonuses and equipment synergies may not apply.
The implementation can behave inconsistently regarding which spellcasting attribute determines its attack roll, making some builds less predictable.
Fire damage is subject to the target's resistances and immunities, reducing its reliability against suitable enemies.

Best uses

Use it when a spellcaster needs sustained close-range pressure without giving up another Concentration spell.
It suits encounters where the caster can safely remain near enemies and where fire resistance is not a major concern.
Upcast it for a short-lived melee damage plan when the character has a strong spellcasting ability and can accept spending a higher-level slot.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon or spell	Attack basis	Damage presentation	Persistence and role	Best fit
Flame Blade	3d6 fire; upcasting can add fire damage	Conjured scimitar; lasts 10 turns without Concentration	A temporary fire-damage weapon for spellcasting-focused melee turns	—
Shadow Blade	Psychic damage; exact result depends on the spell’s current configuration	Concentration-based conjured weapon	A closer alternative when psychic damage and Concentration are acceptable	—
Spiritual Weapon	Force damage with a spellcasting-based component	Summoned weapon rather than a wielded blade; does not occupy the caster’s weapon hand	Adds a separate attacking presence while the caster uses another weapon or spell	—
Shillelagh	Magically enhanced club or quarterstaff damage	Temporary weapon enhancement rather than a separate fiery weapon	A lower-commitment option for characters wanting a spellcasting-based melee attack	—