Weaponsupporting

Shortsword of First Blood

The Shortsword of First Blood is an uncommon finesse shortsword found in the Underdark. Its Break the Unbroken ability adds piercing damage against targets at full health.

Importance

supporting

Damage

1d6 piercing plus conditional bonus damage

Range

Melee

Baldur's Gate 3 · weapon

Key Takeaways

The Shortsword of First Blood is an uncommon martial finesse weapon whose value is concentrated in its opening strike against unwounded enemies.

Opening-hit identity

Break the Unbroken adds 1d8 piercing damage when the target is at full health, making the weapon’s special effect conditional rather than a constant damage increase.

Build flexibility

Its Light, Finesse, and Dippable properties support agile melee setups and dual-wielding-oriented options without requiring one specific ability modifier.

Proficiency matters

Martial weapon proficiency is required to use its weapon actions effectively, including Flourish and Piercing Strike.

Underdark acquisition

The sword is found in the Underdark, with its commonly reported location near the Decrepit Village entrance on an executed Deep Gnome’s corpse; another report places it on a dead Duergar near the Underdark Beach waypoint.

Conditional strength

It is most threatening at the start of an engagement, before the target has taken damage; the bonus does not describe every hit against an already wounded enemy.

Role comparison

Compared with an ordinary shortsword, its defining distinction is the full-health bonus and associated weapon actions, rather than a universally superior damage profile.

Overview

The Shortsword of First Blood is an uncommon martial melee weapon in Baldur's Gate 3 that rewards opening attacks against uninjured targets.

The Shortsword of First Blood is a finesse, light, dippable shortsword with a conditional offensive identity rather than a broad defensive or utility role. Its defining feature, Break the Unbroken, adds bonus piercing damage when its target is still at full health, making the weapon most distinctive at the beginning of an engagement rather than after a target has already been weakened.

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
1d6
Damage Type
Piercing
Rarity
Uncommon
Weight
0.9 kg
Value
65 gp
Entry Type
Named / special

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

Compared to similar piercing weapons

Weapon	Base Damage	Damage Type	Enchantment	Weight	Value
Shortsword of First Blood	1d6	Piercing	—	0.9 kg	65 gp
Duellist's Prerogative	1d8+3	Piercing	+3	0.9 kg	1300 gp
Crimson Mischief	1d6+2	Piercing	+2	0.9 kg	640 gp
Knife of the Undermountain King	1d6+2	Piercing	+2	0.9 kg	480 gp
Sword of Life Stealing	1d6+2	Piercing	+2	0.9 kg	480 gp

Damage is the dice expression; weight and value are the game’s own figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

How to Obtain

Before you start

Access to the Underdark.

01Enter the Underdark and search the corpse of an executed Deep Gnome near the entrance to the Decrepit Village. The Shortsword of First Blood is reported as corpse loot there; no vendor, quest reward, boss drop, or separate purchase route is established. Because the available evidence does not confirm whether the corpse loot is guaranteed, treat this as the primary reported location rather than a guaranteed spawn.
02An alternate report places the weapon on a dead Duergar near the Underdark Beach waypoint. Check this body if it is not present at the Decrepit Village location. The evidence does not establish a quest prerequisite, one-per-playthrough rule, missable status, DLC gate, or NG+ requirement.

Availability

Baldur's Gate 3 base game, Act 1 UnderdarkAvailable during the Act 1 Underdark progression; no separate DLC, NG+, difficulty, or mode restriction is established.

Requires Martial Weapon Proficiency is needed to use its weapon actions. No separate ability-score requirement is established.

This is not a vendor-rotation item, and no universal purchase price is established. Reports place the weapon on corpses at more than one Underdark location; see the acquisition section for location details.

Mechanics and Handling

The Shortsword of First Blood is built around an opening-hit condition rather than a permanent damage increase. When an attack with it resolves against a target at full health, Break the Unbroken adds 1d8 piercing damage. The bonus is therefore most relevant when initiating combat, switching to a fresh target, or striking an enemy that has been restored to full health; it should not be treated as a general bonus on every attack.

As a shortsword, it uses the normal close-range melee attack pattern for its weapon type. Its 1d6 base damage die leaves the conditional rider as the main point of distinction, while the blade's light and finesse properties affect how it can be incorporated into a character's action economy and ability-score choices. It is also dippable, so a character can apply an eligible surface or consumable effect when the situation justifies spending the associated action.

Break the Unbroken rewards the first connection

The weapon's special ability checks the target's health state when the attack is made. A full-health enemy can take the additional 1d8 piercing damage, but the condition is not a standing multiplier for the rest of the encounter. Once that target has lost health, later attacks should not be described as receiving the same rider unless the target returns to full health or another game effect changes its state. The effect consequently favours opening strikes and target selection over prolonged focus-fire on an already wounded enemy.

Light and finesse shape its handling

Light makes the weapon suitable for the game's light-weapon rules and allows it to fit naturally into dual-wielding setups when the character satisfies the other relevant requirements. Finesse does not impose a fixed Strength- or Dexterity-only playstyle: the character can use the applicable ability choice allowed by that property. These traits describe how the shortsword fits into a build; they do not add another damage rider by themselves.

Weapon actions require proficiency

A proficient wielder can access the shortsword's Flourish and Piercing Strike weapon actions. They are part of the weapon's tactical moveset rather than passive bonuses, so their availability depends on the character's weapon proficiency. The item does not need ammunition, reloading, or a separate weapon resource, and no durability or break-state behaviour is established for it in Baldur's Gate 3.

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

Break the Unbroken adds 1d8 piercing damage against a target at full health, giving the weapon a defined opening-hit advantage.
Its light and finesse properties support dual-wielding and characters who want a shortsword compatible with finesse weapon handling.
Properly proficient wielders gain access to Flourish and Piercing Strike, giving the weapon more than its basic attack sequence.
The dippable property allows the blade to benefit from applicable weapon-coating effects.

Weaknesses

The 1d8 bonus from Break the Unbroken is conditional: it does not apply once the target is no longer at full health, so its advantage is concentrated on an encounter's opening attack.
As a martial weapon, it is less convenient for characters without martial-weapon proficiency; lacking proficiency also prevents access to its weapon actions.
Its conditional opener is less valuable in fights where another party member has already damaged the intended target before the shortsword user attacks.

Best uses

Opening attacks against previously untouched enemies, particularly when the wielder can reliably act before allies damage the target.
Light-weapon setups that want a finesse-compatible shortsword for dual wielding or flexible ability-modifier use.
Martial characters who can exploit Flourish and Piercing Strike and want to apply a coating before engaging.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Role and damage profile	Properties	Distinctive effect	Best comparison use
Shortsword +1	Standard shortsword damage with a +1 enchantment bonus.	Light; Finesse; martial weapon.	No equivalent full-health bonus rider.	Prefer it for consistent attacks when the First Blood condition is unlikely to trigger.
Knife of the Undermountain King	Higher-enchantment shortsword with a stronger offensive focus.	Light; Finesse; martial weapon.	Provides critical-hit and damage-die benefits rather than a first-hit bonus.	Prefer it when the character reliably attacks with advantage or is built around critical hits.
Phalar Aluve	Higher-enchantment weapon with a longsword damage profile.	Finesse; Versatile; martial weapon.	Its Sing and Shriek actions provide party support or an offensive debuff.	Prefer it when reach-independent two-handed damage or group utility matters more than the First Blood opener.
Sussur Dagger	Lower base weapon die, offset by its unique hit effect.	Light; Finesse; martial weapon.	Silences a creature struck by the weapon, subject to the effect's rules.	Prefer it for disabling spellcasters rather than maximizing the opening hit against a full-health target.