I killed Commander Zhalk at the helm!

[jayman760]

I used ranged weapons and distracted him with the brain creature. It leveled me and he dropped the Everburn Blade 2H 2D6 slashing + 1D4 fire.

[cl656]

I did too. then realized the pay off wasn't really worth the time and effort it took.

[Naiamaia]

Done it plenty of times. You can also use nautiloid (spelling) fluid (the purple tanks) and stack them around; then move away and use a spell/attack to break one (or all)
(Included earlier ones you find on the map, just put them in your inventory and/or move them manually the entire way. The more the merrier.)

Either you use a fire spell and automatically blast it all on your own, or you just break the tanks there with a ranged arrow attack (make sure your chars are further away) and Zhelk will use his sword (flaming) and make it go boom.

Also, be "quick" to loot him as others join in.
Suggestion is to move one NPC to the button ready to click first, and then do all the tank-blowup.

I think the reward is well worth it, as it's not that hard to do once you just... think a bit :)

[Kryldost]

I always kill Zhaik, the exp payout is huge and the sword is imo the best first item until level 4. After that I can go kill the bosses and get better stuff get access to cooler places.

I usually finish it when the cambion spawns. If you got the intellect devourer you can also have an extra hand into defeating Zhaik more easily by keeping it by the healing conch. You restore your spells slots with it no matter where you are on the map.

Some people also like to kill the 2 cambions with the tank method but god not for me.

This savegame I let the mindflayer do his fun, I whacked Zhaik with ranged but wasted my spellslots with Shadowheart on missed guiding light. Shot pewpew arrows with Laezel. My Berserker drank a speed option raged a little and missed all her hits. Decided to cut my losses knowing the cambion were coming and threw Zhaik at the mindflayer. Zoomed toward the transponder, on the next turns killed the adds. Shadowheart got downed by one hit when the cambion arrived, they ignored her to block my other character from moving, very smart. Zhaik was almost dead, got laezel to disengage and kept the mindflayer as a buffer between me and the cambions. After Zhaik died they were enranged at the mindflayer and killed him for me. After reaching Laezel's turn, Got the sword while dodging the cambions attacks like a ballerina and plucked the string :D

[RocketMan]

Originally posted by cool-dude:

I did too. then realized the pay off wasn't really worth the time and effort it took.

it's a lot easier if you melee him.

I always keep someone by the transponder so you can quickly escape after he dies.

[Alealexi]

Also if you free shadowheart you can cast Protection from Evil and Good on the illithid so that he can tank it.

[Kryldost]

Originally posted by Alealexi:

Also if you free shadowheart you can cast Protection from Evil and Good on the illithid so that he can tank it.

Smort

[jayman760]

I have found if you leave the intellect devourer by the healing conch and don't go far enough in to trip the second cutscene, the cambions won't come in.

[Chillearth]

Originally posted by Mail me to the Moon:

Originally posted by cool-dude:

I did too. then realized the pay off wasn't really worth the time and effort it took.

it's a lot easier if you melee him.

I always keep someone by the transponder so you can quickly escape after he dies.

I'd disagree just a little that melee makes it "a lot easier" to defeat Zhaik. Your character should be next to Zhaik though (at least when he gets to low HP), as you are now the only one who can pick up items on the nautilus (after patch 7).

Lae'zel seems as effective shooting at Zhaik from height (go past Zhaik and up the stairs to get height advantage). Shooting with a crossbow from height worked better with Shadowheart, before patch 7 nerfed things and stopped you being able to give her a ranged weapon while on the nautilus. She can still have height advantage using spells, though she doesn't have many at level 1.

Nevertheless, a good guiding bolt, with nice damage and a bonus to the next attacker, can make a difference. Shield of Faith cast on the mind flayer can help keep him alive longer, and he will usually do more than his fair share of damage to Zhaik.

There are certainly ways to cheese this fight, but with reasonably decent dice, it can be done 'straight' (ie no explody things packed around him) with many different PC classes, especially if you have 'Us' with you.

[BigAlzBub]

If you want the ultimate cheese...
Save the Intellect devourer, split if off from the party and leave it by the healing chamber in the room just after you meet Lae'zel (the one with the imps), now when you enter the final combat (preferably with Shadowheart in tow), you can murder hobo absolutely everything (including the two other cambions), if anyone goes down, just jump back into the intellect devourer and hit the heal chamber, it is basically like taking a long rest, so you get back all your hitpoints, abilities, spells and whatnot. It is generally not worth using buff spells, as they also end when you hit the chamber.

[dolby]

this fight is now easy for any class cos we now have a cleric in a party... You just need to postion right... Whole thing plays out depending what classs one plays..

but stil gj.

I wish it actually had a good loot and way less xp

[Nax205]

I killed him too! and got the everburn blade.
But i didn't get the achievement for it... should i be worried?