Halsin is one of the ten companions in Baldur’s Gate 3. As the leader of the Druid Grove, its inhabitants look up to Halsin for his kind and just character, especially for letting the grove be open to take in refugees. But during one expedition, he was separated and captured by the goblins, leaving the grove be ruled by less favored leader. Read ahead as we talk more about Halsin and how to recruit him as a companion in Baldur’s Gate 3.
BG3: How to recruit Halsin
To recruit Halsin, you must first complete the Rescue the Druid Halsin quest; Halsin can either go back to the Druid Grove or get locked out of it because of the rite.
Then, you will need to progress further into the story until Act 2 where you can reach the Last Light Inn where you will find Art Cullagh in a comatose state in one of the inn’s rooms. Speak to him and you will hear the name Thaniel which you might have already heard uttered by Halsin before. In case you got to Art late and he is already dead, you can cast the Speak with Dead spell on him and still get the name.
Talk to the other NPCs around Art to get a clue to where to go to next, then talk to Halsin to update him about Art’s situation. Next, go to the House of Healing and find Malus Thorm. You can either engage with him and his nurses in a combat, or do a Persuasion check to defeat him. Once he’s dead, check his corpse to find the Battered Lute that once belonged to Art.
Bring this lute back to Art and play it to him to wake him up. He will then be able to tell you the last location where he saw Thaniel. Head over to the location with Halsin and prepare for an ambush as hordes of enemies will be spawning as soon as Halsin opens a portal. You will need to protect the portal long enough for Halsin to return. Once you’re successful, Halsin will come back with Thaniel in his hands. At this point, Halsin will then agree to join you as an official companion although his quest is not over yet.
Recruit Minthara and Halsin
Although the story suggests that Minthara and Halsin are both on opposite warring camps, there is a way to recruit them both as the same time. To do this, you only need to talk to Zevlor and Kagha to learn about Kagha’s plan to do the Rite of Thorns to drive the tieflings out of the Druid Grove.
For the next part, you will have to head out of the grove and travel to the farther areas like the Underdark or the Mountains in order to let the druids progress through the ritual in the grove.
You can then wait for a day and head into the Goblin Camp and set Halsin free. Upon learning that the grove has already closed their gates to anyone, Halsin expresses that he could no longer head back to the grove and decides to join you for the mean time, but not as a full companion yet. You won’t need to talk to Minthara through all of this, especially not when she heads out to the grove only to find that she can no longer enter it, too; doing so will just put you in a fight against her.
You can then proceed to Act 2 where you can then take on the Lift the Shadow Curse/Wake up Art Cullagh quest to finally recruit Halsin into your party, and then you can head to the Moonrise Towers and rescue Minthara from her execution and recruit her into the party as well.
Though it is quite possible to have both companions within the party, it appears as if this may have been a bug, an oversight, or perhaps a possibility that just wasn’t finished during development. Nevertheless, aside from the visual bug where their tents overlap each other, there hasn’t been any reported game breaking bug just by having the two of them in the party together.
BG3: Halsin Personality and Preferences
Halsin has a caring personality towards nature and highly approves of peaceful approaches to conflict. He is also passionate towards animals and would prefer that you don’t harm them if you can, otherwise he won’t like it.
Halsin is also romanceable and to gain his approval, you will need to always have him in the party or in dialogues. Siding with the druids and tieflings in the events of the Druid Grove will reward you with his approval, same with helping him in the Lift the Shadow Curse quest. He does not have a companion quest, so having him in the party through favorable encounters and events would be one way of pursuing his romantic path.
BG3: Halsin Stats
Halsin is a Druid with an Outlander background. As a Wood Elf, he has access to the Fleet of Foot and Stealth Proficiency traits. He has the following base stats:
- Str: 10
- Dex: 14
- Con: 14
- Int: 8
- Wis: 17
- Cha: 12
- Initiative: +2
After successfully recruiting Halsin, players will begin to choose which spells, classes, and gear he is best suited to use. Check out our Best Halsin build guide as such for complete details.
