Weaponminor

Spear

Spear is a simple melee weapon in Baldur's Gate 3 that can be used one-handed, wielded with two hands for greater damage, or thrown at an enemy from a distance.

Importance

minor

Baldur's Gate 3 · weapon

Key Takeaways

Versatile spear profile

Spear is a simple melee weapon with a piercing damage profile and versatile handling, allowing it to be used in one or two hands.

Proficiency matters

Its simple-weapon proficiency determines whether a character can use the weapon’s attacks and associated weapon actions effectively; this is separate from an ability-score requirement.

Practical strength

The spear’s main advantage is flexibility: it can fill a straightforward melee role while leaving the other hand available when used one-handed.

Limited identity

The ordinary Spear is a baseline weapon rather than a named item defined by an intrinsic enchantment, spell, or distinctive passive effect.

Compare by role

Compared with another simple versatile melee weapon such as a quarterstaff, the Spear’s defining distinction is its piercing damage type rather than a unique built-in effect.

Overview

Spear is a standard simple melee weapon in Baldur’s Gate 3, valued for flexible use rather than a unique named effect.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Spear is a conventional piercing weapon for characters proficient with simple weapons. It belongs to the melee weapon roster and is not a named, legendary, or DLC-specific item.

Its defining flexibility is the combination of a one-handed option with a two-handed alternative through its Versatile property. The Thrown property also lets the weapon serve at short distance when closing for melee is inconvenient.

The Spear is therefore a practical early and mid-game choice for characters who want a straightforward weapon without committing to a specialized unique effect. Its usefulness depends more on proficiency, available actions, and the rest of the character’s equipment than on a signature passive.

Compared with heavier martial polearms, it is an accessible option with fewer entry requirements. It also differs from dedicated one-handed weapons by retaining a two-handed damage option, while remaining a relatively ordinary weapon rather than a progression-defining reward.

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
Common
Weight
1.35 kg
Value
10 gp
Entry Type
Standard / enhancement variant

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

Compared to similar piercing weapons

Weapon	Base Damage	Damage Type	Enchantment	Weight	Value
Spear	1d6	Piercing	—	1.35 kg	10 gp
Spear of Night	1d6+1	Piercing	+1	1.35 kg	190 gp
Selûne's Spear of Night	1d6+3	Piercing	+3	1.35 kg	640 gp
Vision of the Absolute	1d6	Piercing	—	1.35 kg	330 gp
Spear +1	1d6+1	Piercing	+1	1.35 kg	40 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

Reach the Druid Grove and gain access to the Hollow merchant area; no DLC, New Game Plus, class, quest, or story-completion requirement is established for the ordinary Spear.
The Spear is not known to be a one-per-playthrough or uniquely missable item. Merchant access can be affected by story choices, so ordinary loot or another weapon vendor may provide an alternate route.

01In Act 1, visit Arron, the trader in the Hollow of the Druid Grove, and check his weapon inventory for the mundane Spear. If it is not listed, a Spear can also appear as ordinary loot or in other merchants’ changing inventories; it is not tied to a quest, boss reward, or special encounter.
02The generic Spear is also obtainable from routine exploration and enemy or container loot in the base game. These sources are not a guaranteed single pickup, so purchasing it from a merchant is the more dependable route when available.

Mechanics and Handling

The Spear is a straightforward single-target melee weapon whose main handling distinction is flexibility rather than a unique passive. Its Versatile property allows it to be used in one hand or two, while Thrown lets the wielder attack a target at distance instead of committing to melee. The appropriate ability modifier and damage outcome depend on the attack context and character build; the weapon does not require a special resource or ammunition system.

Versatile and Thrown Handling

In melee, the Spear uses a direct thrusting attack pattern and can be paired with a shield when held in one hand. Wielding it with both hands changes its versatile damage profile, but removes that shield option. Throwing it is a separate attack choice rather than a permanent conversion into a ranged weapon; after the attack, the weapon must be recovered before it can be used again in melee or thrown again. Its standard form does not provide the Reach property, so it should not be handled like a glaive, halberd, or pike.

Weapon Actions

As a spear-type weapon, it can provide the Rush Attack weapon action when the character meets the relevant weapon-action conditions. This is a committed forward attack rather than a passive damage bonus, so its value depends on having a clear line through the battlefield and a safe landing position. The ordinary Spear has no weapon-specific status buildup, durability system, reload cycle, or persistent conditional multiplier.

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

Simple-weapon proficiency makes the Spear accessible to more classes and characters than martial polearms.
Its Versatile property lets the wielder use it one-handed with a shield or two-handed when the off-hand is free.
The Thrown property provides a melee-compatible ranged option, allowing a Strength-oriented character to attack without changing weapons.
Its piercing damage type works with effects and vulnerabilities that interact with piercing damage. The weapon itself does not require a special damage setup.

Weaknesses

The Spear has no distinctive passive or weapon-specific effect that separates it from other ordinary simple weapons.
Using it one-handed trades away its larger two-handed damage die, while using it two-handed gives up the defensive or utility benefits of a shield or other off-hand item.
Its thrown option is a fallback attack rather than a reason by itself to replace a dedicated throwing setup or a weapon with stronger ranged benefits.
Characters proficient with martial weapons have access to polearms and other weapons with more specialized actions or stronger role-specific effects.

Best uses

A straightforward early-game melee weapon for characters with Simple Weapon proficiency.
A shield user who wants the option to switch to two-handed attacks without changing weapons.
A Strength-based character that occasionally needs a thrown attack while keeping the Spear equipped.
A low-complexity piercing weapon when the character's build does not depend on a unique passive, spell, or special weapon action.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Proficiency	Damage and properties	Best fit
Trident	1d6 piercing; Versatile, Thrown	Similar thrown and two-handed options for characters with Martial proficiency	—
Pike	1d10 piercing; Two-Handed, Reach	Higher-damage reach weapon when Martial proficiency and two hands are available	—
Glaive	1d10 slashing; Two-Handed, Reach	Reach-focused alternative with slashing damage	—