Cazador Szarr/Combat

This page focuses on Cazador's behavior during turn-based combat gameplay.
==Attacks and abilities==
====Enough, Wretches!====
When Cazador reaches low enough health, he will use Enough, Wretches!, and switch to physical attacks.
====Tactician mode====
====Honour mode====
== Notable loot ==
* 
* 
* 
==Allies==
* 6x (6 additional bats spawn each round)
* 
* 3x 
* 4x 
==Encounter details==
* If Astarion is in your party when you meet Cazador, a cutscene will play out in which he becomes trapped as part of the ritual. He can be freed using the action.
* Cazador will attempt to complete the ritual to become the Vampire Ascendant. If 3 turns pass without the ritual being interrupted (by freeing Astarion or killing one of the Vampire Spawn) then at the beginning of the 4th turn Cazador will consume them all to become the Vampire Ascendant. This permanently kills Astarion and , , or Withers cannot be used to revive him.
* Cazador will be empowered by 7 from each of the trapped vampire spawn, granting him 1m/3ft of movement speed, 10 temporary hit points, and per trapped spawn. These sources are represented by lines of red magic on the floor and can be "stolen" by the party if they stand on top of the magic circles in front of the vampire spawn. 3 of them provide additional bonus effects:
** Ritual Drain: Astarion: Gain an additional bonus action
** Ritual Drain: Violet: Gain +5 AC
** Ritual Drain: Yousen: Heal for each turn
* If Cazador succeeds in becoming the Vampire Ascendent, he will permanently gain all the ritual source and ritual drain bonuses. Standing on the magical circles will no longer have any effect.
* If Astarion is not in your party when you meet Cazador, then he will be unable to capture him at the start of the fight. This prevents Cazador from starting the ritual and thus deprives him of all the and Ritual Drain bonuses as well as the 3 turn countdown to become the Vampire Ascendant. 
* Cazador will always upcast to level 5.
==Tactics==
* In the lead-up to the final confrontation with Cazador, Astarion can be split-off from the party and left way back up the stairs. Then upon descending the stairs with the rest of the party, Cazador will believe Astarion didn't accompany the party and will not entrap him. However, as of Patch 6 if Astarion later joins the fight and Cazador is still alive, the fight will be interrupted by a cut scene and Astarion will be captured. This technique can nonetheless be used to delay the three turn countdown for Cazador's ascendance, and to hold off Astarion's imprisonment until a more manageable time in the battle. It is also possible to avoid the capture with Astarion in your party by attacking Cazador from range and initiating the fight without dialogue. Astarion will be captured if he tries to move up the steps onto the ritual dais, but if he stays on or near the entrance stairs he will be safe.
* It is possible to start combat as normal, separating Astarion from the main party and selecting him to walk up to Cazador to initiate combat, leaving the other three party members behind. As the cutscene starts, it is possible to attack Cazador with any of the other three party members, which should, instead of drawing them into immediate combat, add them to the conversation. All cutscenes will play as normal prior to the start, and after combat. This should also not count as an action for the attacking party member either. Essentially it gives the party a free attack on Cazador before combat starts without cutting off the party from any part of the story.
* If Astarion is captured as part of the ritual, it is imperative to free him ASAP so that Cazador doesn't kill him and become the Vampire Ascendant. Using and can allow allies to reach him within a single turn so they can free him with on the next turn. Alternatively a party member could use to transport an ally (even Scratch!) across the room, and this second ally can free Astarion that same turn.
* The narrow stairway is a fantastic choke point for crowd-controlling the mobs with spells early in the fight. Some lightning resistance for the party and there will be little Cazador can do on lower difficulty levels since Call Lightning is the only ranged attack he has. Beware of getting pushed off the edge yourself however. Wall of Fire can be extremely effective if placed across the front of the dais, killing all the bats and weakening or killing the stronger minions.
* Using or similar effects will impose on Cazador, reverting his mist form and causing at the start of his turn. Keeping Cazador close to a Daylight source will make the fight significantly easier. Daylight can also be used to trigger the fight with Cazador and skip the cutscene completely, allowing you to start the fight with Astarion already free.
* Summons are very effective in this fight since they give you more bodies to block Cazador's . Even something as simple as a can be used to block one of the ritual sources.
* The 10 temporary hit points provided by can be refreshed by walking off of and back onto the magic circles.
* This fight can be made significantly easier if Astarion is not in your party when you start the dialogue with Cazador since it prevents the 3 turn Vampire Ascendent countdown as well as the ritual source and ritual drain buffs. The party can achieve this outcome either by taking a different companion in Astarion's place or by leaving Astarion at the top of the stairs and having him enter the fight partway through.