Baldur's Gate 3 is a very deep game with complex outcomes that all need to be accounted for. Sure, most players will complete an objective in an intended manner, but what about those who don't? An RPG needs to account for every possible permutation; one of the reasons strong narrative design is so crucial.

In Baldur's Gate 3, most players playing a moral character are going to proceed to the Goblin Camp to save Halsin. However, there are loads of things that can go wrong on this relatively simple journey. For example, one could forget to enter the Worg Pens; one could accidentally allow Halsin to die during combat; one could bypass the Goblin Camp and venture into the Shadow-Cursed Lands without ever meeting the druid.

Oh Where, Oh Where, Oh Where is Halsin?

Finding Halsin is important to finishing the quest that concerns him, but also for getting a hint on where to go to advance the story after finishing the Druid Grove section of the game's first act. Basically, the game really wants you to encounter Halsin one way or another. Failing that, the game tries to ensure that you'll read the second volume of Halsin's journal no matter what.

This book, the "magical teleporting death journal" as it's referred to in Baldur's Gate 3's code, has complex interactions. If you kill Minthara before meeting or slaying Halsin, then he keeps the book. If Halsin dies before Minthara, then Minthara will have the journal. However, a Reddit thread from Aurorafaery seems to suggest that there's a failsafe in place if everything goes wrong.

The aforementioned poster stumbled across Halsin's body in the Emerald Grove beside a triumphant Kagha, who is pleased at the departure of the "devil scum." Aurorafaery explains this situation came about when they cleared out the Goblin Camp but didn't enter the Worg Pens, and then entered Act 2 without returning to the Emerald Grove.

When you leave Act 1 and enter Act 2 and then return to the first act, lots of quests are inaccessible or are resolved without player involvement.

StalinkaEnjoyer theorises in the comments that Halsin's body teleports around to ensure the player acquires his journal and learns about the entrance to the Shadow-Cursed Lands in the Underdark. There are additional reports of Halsin's body appearing at the Emerald Grove, but it's unknown if this teleporting corpse is intentional or a bug.

Halsin is the subject of a lot of strange interactions in Baldur's Gate 3. We all know about the infamous Minthara/Halsin exploit, but the First Druid also crops up in a lot of other strange interactions due to his nature as a semi-temporary companion, and the many permutations his story can undergo throughout the first two acts.

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Baldur's Gate 3

RPG Systems 5.0/5 26 9.4/10 Released August 3, 2023 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios
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