One of the companions you can recruit in Baldur’s Gate 3 is Halsin, a first Druid who can be found early on at the beginning of Act 1, but recruited to your party later in Act 2.
Halsin is a First Druid of Emerald Grove and a Healer. You’ll meet him investigating parasite specimens and folks infected by them. He has experience in life and the battlefield, his very kind soul can be a great addition to your companions, and you have the flexibility to recruit and have him in your active party or keep him in the camp. He will be ready to join your adventures whenever you wish. This short guide explains all steps to recruit and find Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Recruit Halsin and Where to Find Him in Baldur’s Gate 3?
In Act 1, your main objective is to find and rescue Halsin from the Goblin Camp at the Shattered Sanctum. Upon arriving at the Emerald Grove, you’ll be informed that Halsin, the First Druid and the chief of the community, has gone missing. Your task now is to bring him back to the grove. To recruit Halsin, you’ll need to follow the story first. He will be available to recruit to your party in Act 2, so be patient.
Please keep in mind that rescuing Halsin will make it impossible to recruit Minthara. Players must make a choice, of who they want to support. If you want to recruit Minthara instead of Halsin, you must side with Goblins and help them destroy the Emerald Grove. Also, be careful because there are two crucial moments in act 2, the Shadow-Cursed lands, that may prevent you from successfully recruiting Halsin.
Recruit Halsin all Steps and Overview
To find and recruit Halsinn you must complete the following steps:
- Complete the prologue and start Act 1.
- Head to the Druid Grove and once there, learn about the situation with Goblins.
- Propose that you’ll search for Halsin and try to save him. (Remember do not allow Kagha to finish the ritual.)
- Find Halsin at the Shattered Sanctum inside the Goblin Camp.
- Free Halsin from his bear form by causing a distraction and defeating the goblins around him.
- Help him defeat the three goblin leaders
- Return to Emerald Grove with Halsin.
- Join the Celebration in your camp.
- Accept his proposal to travel with you.
- Advance to the Moonrise Towers at the start of Act 2.
- Find the strange boy, Oliver, and play seek and hide with him. Ensure that he survives and will let you go. It will be important later.
- Go to the Last Light Inn on the northeastern side of the map.
- Speak to Jaheira and learn about Art Cullagh
- Find Art Cullagh and learn about Thaniel, a boy trapped in the Shadowfell.
- Speak to Halsin about the boy and inform him about Art Cullagh’s location.
- Halsin will go to see Art, and you can join him there.
- Obtain the Battered Lute from the body of Malus Thorm in the House of Healing.
- Return to the Last Light Inn with the Battered Lute and use it to wake up Art Cullagh.
- Follow Halsin to the portal and defend it from waves of enemies.
- After defeating the enemies, talk to Halsin.
- Return to camp, speak with Halsin, and tell him about Oliver you met before.
- Halsin will offer to join you and your party as a full companion.
By completing these steps in Act 2, you’ll unlock Halsin as a full companion, and he will be available to accompany you throughout the rest of your adventures in the game. Read on to find out details and see essential locations marked on the maps.
Act 1
To find Halsin you must complete the Save the Refugees questline. Firstly, travel to the Goblin Camp located in the Blighted Village to the west of Emerald Grove. Go further to the west to find and explore the camp and locate the Shattered Sanctum, where Halsin is held captive in his bear form. To free Halsin, you must create a distraction that allows him to escape. Engage in a fight with the goblins around him and defeat them. Halsin will return to his normal form once the goblins are dealt with.
At this point, you can defeat all goblin leaders: Drog Ragzlin the Goblin King, Minthara the Drow Commander, and Priestess Gut. Alternatively, after rescuing Halsin, head back to Emerald Grove and join forces with him to defeat the three goblin leaders at the camp. Once the leaders are defeated, Halsin will hold a celebration at your camp, during which he announces his intention to travel with you. Accept his proposal, and he will become a member of your camp in Baldur’s Gate 3. However, you can’t invite him to your active party yet.
Act 2
In Act 2, Halsin becomes a full companion with a deeper involvement in the storyline. To unlock him and his full companion quest venture into the Shadow Cursed Lands and the Moonrise Towers. You can choose either the Underdark or the Mountain Pass to reach this region.
Oliver Must Survive.
In the Shadow Cursed Lands, northeast of Shadowed Battlefield fast travel portal (location on the map above) in an abandoned house you’ll meet Oliver, a strange boy who wants to play. Play Seek and Hide with him, he will disappear and you must find him. Having a potion or spell that reveals invisible creatures or a character with high perception will help you quickly find the boy. The first time should be easy, second, he will call three shades, mam, dad, and dog. Defeat them, but don’t kill the boy. Talk to Oliver, he will let you go, this step will become important later.
Progress in the story and go to the Last Light Inn found on the northeastern side of the map. Here, you’ll encounter Jaheira, a Druid in charge of the area. She will mention Art Cullagh and Thaniel trapped in the Shadowfell, who Halsin has been looking for. Art Cullagh is half-conscious in one of the rooms. Inform Halsin that you’ve found a man whose mind is infected by shadows, he will hurry to see him. Meet Halsin in the inn next to Art’s bed and learn more about Thaniel.
Obtain the Lute
Nextly, you need to obtain the Battered Lute and help Art Cullagh wake up. Get the lute from the body of a doctor named Malus Thorm in the House of Healing, which is located directly southwest of the Last Light Inn (Check the Map above). The most accessible route to his surgery room is through the main hall, but you can also reach it by entering from the back room with an entrance from the cemetery or through the library from the rooftop.
You can pass the persuasion check and convince the crazy doctor to become patient himself, or simply attack and win the encounter with Malus and the nurses. Loot the musical instrument from his body and return to the Last Light Inn with the Battered Lute and use it to wake up Art Cullagh.
Important. Failing the next step will lead to the destruction of the portal, and Halsin will die. Save the game at this moment to have a backup and prepare for a challenging fight. Nextly, Halsin will create a portal to the Shadowfell and cross it to find Thaniel. Meanwhile, you must defend the portal from waves of enemies trying to attack it. Keep the portal safe by defeating the enemies that approach it.
Defend the Portal – Combat Tips
The Cursed Pilgrims will shoot the portal, and Marauders and Hounds will attack it in melee range so take them down fast. Often enemies will stack together, using AoE spells and abilities to take more than one in a single turn. You can use area damage spells or if you have an archer fire and poison arrows. There are alcohol barrels in the area, you can use the barrels to blow up enemies.
Recruiting Halsin
Once the enemies are defeated, return to camp and speak with Halsin. He will tell you that he must save Thaniel, and in order to do it he will ask you for help again. This time, you need to find Thaniel’s missing part that was lost in the shadows. If you already met the strange boy, Oliver who asked you to play seek and hide with him, and the boy survived, tell Halsin about him, and the druid will offer to join you as a full companion in Baldur’s Gate 3. Otherwise, you may need to talk to the boy first. Note: If you already killed Oliver, Halsin will not join you and your active party and won’t become your companion.
Congratulations you recruited Halsin to your active party!
Helpful Tips After Halsin Joins Your Party
Join Active Party: If there is an available slot in your active party, Halsin will immediately become one of your active companions, and you can start adventuring together.
Camp Wait: In case your active party is already full, he will understand and return to your camp. At the camp, he will patiently wait for you. The camp serves as a safe haven where you can rest, interact with your companions, and even swap out party members as needed.
So, whether he joins your active party or waits at the camp, you can always visit the camp to manage your companions and form the most suitable party combination.
You can respec companions and change their class and subclass, but the best subclass for Halisn that will complement Baldur’s Gate 3 story is Circle of the Moon. He will become a much more powerful and versatile companion, the more you progress thanks to the druid’s wild shape ability.
Looking For More About Baldur’s Gate 3?
Thank you for reading How to Find & Recruit Halsin in Baldur’s Gate 3 Guide. We provide the latest news and create guides for Baldur’s Gate 3. Also, watch me play games on Twitch or visit my YouTube channel!
