Trident
The Trident is a versatile, throwable melee weapon in Baldur's Gate 3 that can be used with one hand, wielded in two hands, or thrown at distant targets.
Key Takeaways
Trident is a martial, thrown melee weapon whose flexible handling supports either one-handed use or a stronger two-handed grip.
Versatile piercing weapon
Its base damage is piercing damage with 1d6 damage when used one-handed or 1d8 when used two-handed through its Versatile property.
Thrown without being a ranged weapon
The Trident can be thrown, giving a proficient wielder a way to attack from a distance while retaining its melee weapon identity.
Martial proficiency matters
The Trident is a Martial weapon rather than a Simple weapon, so characters without Martial Weapon Proficiency cannot use it normally without the associated proficiency penalties.
Limited specialization
The ordinary Trident is a standard weapon rather than a named item defined by a unique passive, spell, or signature effect; its value comes mainly from its weapon properties.
A middle ground among spears
Compared with a Simple spear, the Trident fills a similar thrown-and-versatile role but demands Martial proficiency, making proficiency access an important part of the comparison.
Overview
Trident is a standard martial melee weapon in Baldur’s Gate 3, offering a reach-oriented alternative to ordinary one-handed weapons while retaining the option to be thrown.
Unlike a named or story-linked weapon, the Trident is ordinary equipment rather than a unique reward with a defining legendary effect. Its identity comes from its weapon properties and handling: it can support close-range attacks while also serving as a thrown weapon when the situation calls for distance.
The Trident is versatile, so its role can change with how the wielder holds it. Used in one hand, it can leave the other hand available for a shield or another benefit; used with both hands, it suits a character who wants a more committed melee posture. Those choices matter more than any special lore association.
Its thrown property gives it a practical niche among martial weapons. A character can keep it equipped for melee and still respond to an enemy outside immediate reach, although thrown-weapon builds and ordinary melee builds may value different supporting equipment. The Trident therefore rewards flexibility rather than a single mandatory playstyle.
In progression terms, the Trident is best understood as a situational equipment choice, not a central upgrade path. Its appeal depends on proficiency, hand arrangement, and whether the character benefits from thrown attacks. Players seeking a named passive, spell, or quest connection should look to unique weapons instead; the Trident’s distinction is its weapon profile and adaptable use.
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 Damage1d6
- Damage TypePiercing
- RarityCommon
- Weight1.8 kg
- Value40 gp
- Entry TypeStandard / enhancement variant
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar piercing weapons
| Weapon | Base Damage | Damage Type | Enchantment | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trident | 1d6 | Piercing | — | 1.8 kg | 40 gp |
| Nyrulna | 1d6+3 | Piercing | +3 | 1.8 kg | 840 gp |
| Morningstar +1 | 1d8+1 | Piercing | +1 | 1.8 kg | 65 gp |
| Trident +1 | 1d6+1 | Piercing | +1 | 1.8 kg | 55 gp |
| Morningstar | 1d8 | Piercing | — | 1.8 kg | 50 gp |
Damage is the dice expression; weight and value are the game’s own figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- 01The standard Trident is a non-unique weapon that can appear in ordinary merchant inventories and loot throughout the game. Because vendor stock and random loot are context-dependent, no single guaranteed vendor, quest, boss, or fixed location can be stated reliably here; check weapon merchants in the current Act and inspect battlefield or container loot.
- 02No DLC, New Game Plus, or special story prerequisite is required for the ordinary Trident. Its availability is not established as a guaranteed reward, missable item, or one-per-playthrough pickup.
Availability
Requires Martial Weapon proficiency is relevant for full weapon use; no ordinary ability-score minimum is required
Vendor value and availability can vary with the trader and campaign progression; no universal price is stated.
Mechanics and Handling
The Trident is a versatile melee weapon with a thrown option, so its handling changes with distance and available actions. In close quarters, it can be used one-handed or committed to a two-handed grip; the latter trades away the flexibility of a free off-hand for the weapon’s larger versatile damage profile. When thrown, it functions as a ranged attack rather than requiring a separate ammunition resource, and it can be recovered after the attack if the battlefield allows.
Its piercing damage makes it a straightforward physical weapon rather than a source of elemental damage or status buildup. The ordinary Trident has no recalled weapon-specific passive, conditional multiplier, durability system, or ammunition mechanic to manage. Its practical distinction is therefore positional: keep it equipped when switching between melee and thrown attacks is useful, but compare the loss of an off-hand item and the demands of retrieving thrown weapons before treating that flexibility as an automatic advantage.
Versatile and thrown handling
The Trident’s defining handling feature is the combination of versatile melee use and throwing. It can support a conventional one-handed setup, a two-handed attack pattern, or an opening ranged attack when distance makes closing immediately undesirable. Throwing is situational rather than a separate sustained-fire mode: the weapon must be available for the attack, and recovery or replacement matters if the fight continues at range.
What the basic Trident does not add
The standard Trident is best understood as a flexible physical weapon, not as a passive-effect weapon. Its ordinary attacks do not, by themselves, establish an elemental rider, status buildup, or special conditional damage effect. Any additional damage, control, or resource interaction should therefore come from the wielder’s class features, other equipment, or a distinct named trident rather than from the base weapon.
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Versatile handling lets the wielder use it one-handed or two-handed, supporting either an off-hand setup or a larger melee weapon grip.
- The Thrown property gives Strength-focused characters a ranged attack option without changing weapon type.
- Its piercing damage and martial-weapon classification fit characters already built around ordinary martial melee attacks.
Weaknesses
- It requires martial-weapon proficiency for reliable use, limiting it for characters without the appropriate class, race, feat, or other proficiency source.
- Thrown attacks spend the weapon's position at range and compete with dedicated throwing weapons or weapons carrying stronger ranged effects.
- Without a distinctive named passive, spell, or weapon action, it generally offers fewer build-specific incentives than unique tridents and other specialized martial weapons.
Best uses
- A flexible melee slot for a martial character who may need to switch between one-handed and two-handed attacks.
- A Strength-based character who wants occasional thrown attacks while retaining a conventional melee weapon.
- An early or ordinary martial weapon choice when proficiency is already covered and no stronger specialized effect is required.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Proficiency | Base damage | Properties and role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spear | 1d6 piercing; 1d8 piercing when versatile | Versatile and thrown; the closest lower-proficiency alternative to Trident. | — |
| Javelin | 1d6 piercing | Thrown; better suited to a simple-weapon throwing role, but lacks Trident's versatile handling. | — |
| Pike | 1d10 piercing | Two-handed and Reach; trades Trident's versatility and throwing utility for longer melee reach. | — |
| Halberd | 1d10 slashing | Two-handed and Reach; an adjacent polearm choice for reach-focused builds, with slashing rather than piercing damage. | — |