After reaching Emerald Grove, you’ll quickly find that the First Druid, Halsin, is missing. Halsin is a potential companion and could be the key to getting rid of that pesky tadpole, so finding him will be a priority. Before you can get to him, however, you’ll have to head to the Goblin Camp.
Reaching the Goblin Camp
The Goblin Camp can be found on the western side of the first region in Baldur’s Gate 3. There are a few different routes to get there, but the easiest is taking a straight shot west from the Emerald Grove Environs waypoint. This will take you through the Blighted Village, and you’ll pass Scratch along the way. (If you have already been to the Blighted Village, you can also start your journey from that waypoint.)
Like most things in Baldur’s Gate 3, you have plenty of options when it comes to entering the camp. Adventurers can choose to battle through the goblin horde, attempt to convince them you belong, or use that tadpole in your head to your advantage. Whatever you opt for, head through the Heavy Oak Doors in the middle of the camp to find Halsin.
Finding Halsin
Once you’ve reached the interior of the camp, you need to head to the Worg Pens to find Halsin. There’s also plenty going on in the Goblin Camp if you aren’t in a hurry to find him.
To reach the Worg Pens, start from the Heavy Oak Doors and proceed towards the eastern set of rooms. From there, walk north towards the curved wooden bridge over a chasm. At the end of the bridge is a room with a door leading to the pens.
Inside the Worg Pens
When you get inside, you’ll notice a slew of goblins, two worgs inside the left pen and a large bear inside the pen on the right. Talking to the goblins in front of the bear will reveal that it is the druid Halsin, still in his bear form since being captured. From here, you can choose to remain indifferent, attack the goblins, or attack the bear. Your choice will influence whether Halsin is on your side when he breaks out, which he will do regardless of your choice.
If you chose to fight the goblins, Halsin will turn into his human form after the battle to speak with you.
Defeat the Goblin Leaders
Before Halsin will agree to join you, you’ll have to deal with the goblin leaders in the camp: High Priestess Gut, Minthara, and Dror Ragzlin. If you bring Halsin along, the goblins will enter into combat with you as soon as they see you. This will limit your options for the first two leaders considerably, but if you aren’t interested in sneaking around, feel free to bring him.
Priestess Gut
Priestess Gut will be in the large, central room where you first enter the Shattered Sanctum. When talking to her, request help with the tadpole and she will walk away to a more isolated area.
Focus on dealing heavy damage when you first start the fight to try to eliminate her before she can call for help. To gain a head start, you can attack her from hiding with one character and then follow it up with another attack from a character she can see. This will prevent her from recovering from the first attack for free.
If you aren’t able to finish her off in one turn, its best to take care of Minthara and Dror Ragzlin first before returning back to Priestess Gut.
To kill Minthara without a fight, give her the location of the Emerald Grove when you talk to her. She will leave, crossing the unstable bridge over a deep chasm. Destroy the bridge with a well placed arrow or fire bolt, and she will plummet to her death.
Keep in mind that Minthara is a potential companion who is mutually exclusive with Halsin as of Patch 1. If you want her to eventually join your party, you will have to betray Halsin and help her instead.
Dror Ragzlin
One of the more challenging fights in the game up to this point is Dror Ragzlin. He is powerful by himself and is surrounded by plenty of goblins to come to his assistance. Before taking him on, head back to the Worg Pens and bring Halsin with you.
In order to get into the throne room with Halsin, climb the ladder next to the entrance to the Worg Pens. Don’t worry about the scrying eye, it doesn’t seem to effect anything. Head west out of this room, and lockpick the heavy doors on the right. I’d recommend saving here to have a fresh starting point for the fight.
Around the throne room, there is scaffolding available to take the high ground. You can optionally use this to your advantage to avoid Dror Ragzlin. On the ground level, Halsin can be invaluable as a tank thanks to his bonus action to heal himself each turn.
Save all of your high damage actions for Dror Ragzlin, as bringing him down is your number one priority. Don’t let him get to close to you, as his attacks can be devastating. Use AOE spells and surfaces like grease to deal with the surrounding goblins. The AI typically tries to avoid grease at all costs, so use it to your advantage to corral them away from you.
Once he is defeated, Halsin will speak to you and offer his thanks, before returning to the Emerald Grove.
What choice did you make when it came to the bear in the Worg Pens? Did you immediately know that it was Halsin, or did you have to wait for the dialogue to find out? Share your experience in the comments below!
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Lucky Boop
Strategy game enthusiast, especially Paradox titles and the Civilization series. Whenever he's not writing he spends his time watching sports, enjoying coffee, or studying history.
