How to Get the Helldusk Armour in Baldur's Gate 3: House of Hope Heist and Raphael Fight Guide

The Helldusk Armour is the most coveted heavy armor in Baldur's Gate 3. It has 21 Armour Class, lets any class wear it without proficiency, grants a free daily Fly and sells for more gold than any other item. There's just one catch: Raphael, the cambion who's been dogging you since Act 1, is wearing it.

To take it, you have to break into his home in the Nine Hells, steal from him and then beat him in one of the toughest fights in the game. This guide walks you through the whole heist. It applies to the current version of the game – Patch 8 and the smaller hotfixes released since, which focused on bugs, stability and save problems and didn't change the House of Hope or the armour.

Helldusk Armour at a glance

Before you start

• This is Act 3 content. You'll meet Raphael in the Lower City, and he'll point you toward the House of Hope and the diabolist Helsik.
• Don't sell your soul with a plan to rob him. If you still hold the Soul-Sworn Contract when the House's alarm goes off, it's an instant Game Over.
• Plan for a long trip. You can't fast travel out of the House. Bring healing, scrolls and your best area-of-effect spells, and save often.
• Pick a sneaky lineup. Invisibility and good Sleight of Hand make several steps much easier.

Step 1: Open the portal at the Devil's Fee

1. Visit Helsik at the Devil's Fee in the Lower City. She sells the ritual components for a steep 20,000 gold.
2. Bring the price down. A strong Intimidation check, or Persuasion for Warlocks, halves it. A DC 20 Persuasion check gets them in exchange for bringing back the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength from the House. You can also break into the ritual room on the shop's first floor instead of paying.
3. Perform the ritual upstairs. Place the skull, Coin of Mammon, diamond, incense and Infernal Marble on the points of the heptagram as the grimoire describes. Wrong placements can be fixed.
4. Step through the portal. It stays open, so you can come and go freely until the alarm is raised.

Step 2: Get disguised and get the codeword

1. Put on Debtor's Attire right away. Hope can give you four sets, and there are more in the wardrobes along the Main Corridor. Being seen without a disguise turns the whole House hostile.
2. Visit the Archive, the westernmost room. Its central pedestal holds the Orphic Hammer behind a magical shield. Don't touch the side pedestals with the Amulet of Greater Health and Gauntlets yet – they have pressure plates.
3. Get the Boudoir Invitation from the Archivist through dialogue checks or by pickpocketing it.
4. Go to the Boudoir, the northernmost room, and deal with the incubus Haarlep to get the key to Raphael's safe. You can play his game, pickpocket him or fight him.
5. Open the safe under Raphael's portrait. It's trapped, so disarm it first. Inside are five Soul Coins and Raphael's Notes, which hold the codeword for the Hammer's shield.

Step 3: Steal the Hammer and trigger the fight

1. Return to the Archive, speak the codeword and take the Orphic Hammer. This raises the alarm.
2. Optional but recommended: free Hope. Her prison is reached through the Prison Hatchway. Use the Hammer on the two red crystals that hold her. Two Spectators and five Vengeful Imps guard her, so clear them first.
3. Head back to the Foyer and try to use the portal. Raphael appears to stop you.

Step 4: Beat Raphael

Raphael has 666 HP and 21 AC on every difficulty, is immune to fire and shows up with Korrilla Hearthflame and six Vengeful Cambions. Yurgir can be part of the fight too, and a DC 30 Persuasion check can turn him against Raphael.

1. Deal with the Soul Pillars. Four pillars stand in the room's corners. Each one near Raphael gives him extra fire damage and Dexterity, and he consumes their souls to heal and power his strongest spells.
2. Expect a nastier Raphael as they break. Shattering a pillar lets him transform into a stronger fiendish form, so have your heavy hitters ready when it happens.
3. Kill the adds early. Area spells and crowd control on the cambions keep the pressure off your healers.
4. Loot his body. The Helldusk Armour is yours, along with his diary.

Completing the Helldusk set

The armour has matching pieces. The Helldusk Helmet is in Raphael's hidden vault, opened by passing checks on an infernal gem in the wall. The Helldusk Gloves are found in the Boudoir. The Helldusk Boots are outside the House, in a locked chest in Lord Gortash's chambers at Wyrm's Rock.

Common mistakes

• Grabbing items too early. Stealing the Amulet or Gauntlets, or tripping a pressure plate, sets off the alarm before you're ready.
• Forgetting the disguise. One unmasked party member is enough to turn every devil hostile.
• Shopping without enough gold. Helsik's full price is high; try the checks before you pay.
• Assuming fire builds work. Raphael is immune to fire, so bring radiant, force or magical weapon damage instead.