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Baldur's Gate 3

How to Rescue and Recruit Halsin in Baldur's Gate 3

By
Scott Peers

The search for Halsin in the "Goblin Camp" iconGoblin Camp is part of the main story in Baldur’s Gate 3, and you’ll need to enter the "Shattered Sanctum" iconShattered Sanctum within the camp to find him. He’s located in the dungeons within the sanctum, which can be found in the northeastern part. On this page we’ll show you exactly how to rescue him, and then what you need to do to recruit him as a permanent companion for your party near the end of Act 2 in the main story.

The gang rescue Halsin in the Shattered Sanctum, Baldur’s Gate 3.

Where to Find First Druid Halsin in the Goblin Camp

As one of the first objectives for the main story in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll soon find yourself searching for Halsin in the Goblin Camp, which is located to the southwest of the Emerald Grove. More specifically, Halsin is located within the Shattered Sanctum part of the camp, where all three of the goblin leaders can be found: True Soul Gut, Dror Ragzlin, and Nightwarden Minthara. You need to kill these NPCs as part of the main quest, and Halsin can help you to do it if you find and rescue him early on.

(1 of 2) You’ll find the dungeons within the northeastern part of the Shattered Sanctum.

You’ll find the dungeons within the northeastern part of the Shattered Sanctum. (left), Look for Halsin on the eastern side of the dungeon, caged as a bear. (right)

Rescue Halsin From the Dungeons in the Shattered Sanctum

It doesn’t matter at which point during your exploration of the Shattered Sanctum you decide to rescue Halsin, but regardless of when you choose to do it, you’ll find him in the dungeons in the northeastern part, as shown on the map below. You need to approach the cage where he is being kept, and choose to attack the goblins there. It doesn’t matter exactly which dialogue options you choose, since Halsin will soon break free of the cage and help you fight the goblins, but he’ll be happier with you if you chose not to throw stones at him!

The cage that Halsin (in his bear form) is being kept in is guarded by three goblins named One, Three, and Brawler Birka. You don’t need to speak with any one of them in particular, since a cutscene will begin as soon as you approach them. If you don’t want to cause the death of every goblin in the room just yet, avoid approaching them. Otherwise, onward!

Brawler Birka Dialogue Choices

All you have to do during the scene is choose the dialogue options in accordance with your roleplaying preferences, but as stated above, it’s better if you try to help the bear rather than harm it. Halsin will soon break free of the cage and you’ll have a fight on your hands, with two goblins on the western side of the room (Beastmaster Zurk and Butcher Vrak) entering the fight, alongside One and Three in front of the cage. You’ll notice that Halsin has already slaughtered Brawler Birka as part of the cutscene.

Stop One and Three From Summoning Reinforcements

At this point it’s a good idea to focus your attacks on One and Three first. These are weaker, younger goblins with only four health each, so you should be able to one-shot them easily with most basic attacks or spells at this stage. They will immediately try to run southwards when it’s their turn, and if they reach the door they will call for reinforcements from outside. If you fail to kill either of these goblins before they escape, don’t worry too much. You’ll have a few extra guards to kill during this fight, but nothing you shouldn’t be able to handle.

Kill Beastmaster Zurk

In addition to the goblins mentioned above, there’s also one named Warrior Plig which is located in the southwestern room of the dungeon. This one will join the fight regardless of what you do, so it’s just a matter of waiting for them to reach you. After killing One and Three, you should focus on Beastmaster Zurk before he runs to the cage where to Worgs are being kept: Ferr and Tale. These are tough beasts that you should avoid fighting until the end if possible, but it may be difficult to kill Zurk unless you score a critical hit or use your most powerful spells.

Even in the event of Zurk freeing the Worgs, the fight is entirely doable. You just need to focus on killing Zurk still, since he’s capable of summoning familiars which can be tough beasts in their own right. There’s a good chance he’ll summon a spider near the beginning of the fight if you don’t kill him quickly, and you should focus on killing this sooner rather than later if you want to avoid being blinded or poisoned. Once you’ve got these key characters down, you can kill the rest in whatever order you see fit.

(1 of 2) Try to kill One and Three, circled here, first. If you don’t they’ll summon reinforcements.

Try to kill One and Three, circled here, first. If you don’t they’ll summon reinforcements. (left), Beastmaster Zurk will try to free the nearby Worgs on his first go. (right)

Speak With Halsin in the Shattered Sanctum Dungeon

As you’re fighting the goblins in the dungeon, Halsin in his Cave Bear form will be helping you. He hits like a truck, so the fight is likely to be easier than most you’ve had so far. Once all the enemies in the dungeon are dead, you can speak with him to ask about the parasite in your head, whether he can help, and tell him that the Emerald Grove is in danger. If there are any goblin leaders left alive (of the three mentioned above: True Soul Gut, Dror Ragzlin, and Nightwarden Minthara), he will offer to aid you in killing them.

However, it’s important to note that if you allow Halsin to join you at this point, all of the goblins in the Shattered Sanctum will become hostile towards you when you leave the dungeon. For this reason you should consider carefully how you want to approach the rest of the area: by slaughtering all the goblins at once, or by carefully taking out groups of them. If you’re not sure what to do, be sure to check our detailed walkthrough for it.

Once you’ve killed all the goblin leaders, Halsin will thank you and tell you that he’ll meet you back at the Emerald Grove. He may do so immediately after speaking with him for the first time if you already killed them before finding him. All you need to do from this point is go back to the grove, speak with him, and join the party at your camp. There you’ll have an opportunity to speak with him more, and even try to romance him if your heart desires…

How to Recruit Halsin as a Permanent Companion in BG3

You may be wondering why you can’t recruit Halsin as a permanent member of your party after securing him in your camp. The answer is that you’ll need to wait until an event occurs towards the end of Act 2, and until then he will only join you as a summoned ally for specific fights during the main story, especially in the Underdark region.

Once you reach Act 2, you’ll need to complete the Wake up Art Cullagh quest, which is available from the Last Light Inn in the Shadowlands. This requires you to deal with Malus Thorm in the "House of Healing" iconHouse of Healing and recover the Battered Lute, which you’ll need to play for the sleeping Art Cullagh. You should also complete the quest Hide and Seek to learn about the existence of Oliver. Finally you’ll need to help Halsin complete a ritual where you’ll be tasked with defeating a portal to the Shadowfell for several turns, fending off waves of shadows - consider bringing bombs and AoE spell scrolls to help keep the onslaught under control. After Halsin’s successful return from the Shadowfell, talk to him in camp and he’ll be willing to join you on a permanent basis.

More Baldur’s Gate 3 Guides

If you’re looking for more BG3 guides, including how to save the Emerald Grove so that you can recruit Halsin as a companion later on, be sure to check the links below.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Larian Studios
  • Platforms,
    Mac, PC, PS5, XB X|S
  • Genre
    Adventure, RPG
  • Guide Release
    6 April 2023
  • Last Updated
    14 June 2024
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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Baldur’s Gate 3 is an immersive roleplaying game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. It features a rich story with multiple outcomes for almost every encounter, and plenty of character customization features including more races, classes, subclasses and party combinations than you are ever likely to explore. The seemingly endless possibilities and numerous choices that you can make throughout your journey make a helping hand always welcome, and that’s where we come in! This guide features the following:

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