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Halsin can be recruited in Act Two after progressing the quest to Lift the Shadow Curse to a certain point. However, if the player proceeds to Act Three without fully completing the quest, Halsin will leave the party and stay behind in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Of course, should he die in Act One, he will not be recruitable.
Overview
Background
Halsin is the Archdruid of the Emerald Grove and an accomplished healer. Before he went missing, Halsin and his apprentice Nettie were researching the recent spike in illithid tadpole infections.
Personal quest
Halsin does not have a Companion Quest. He is, however, deeply tied to Lift the Shadow Curse, and the quest cannot be completed without his assistance.
Recruitment
In order to recruit Halsin, the quest Defeat the Goblins must be completed, and he must agree to join the party as they travel to the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Finally, after completing Lift the Shadow Curse by healing the land, Halsin will become available as a companion.
If Lift the Shadow Curse is not resolved before departing Act Two, Halsin will elect to remain behind and cannot be recruited.
Approval
Halsin will only gain or lose approval once he has joined the party as a full companion during the events of Lift the Shadow Curse. He likes those who are kind, especially to animals or children, and dislikes any decisions that involve harming the natural world or supporting corruption and cruelty.
Romance
| “ | I'm 350 years old. Of course there have been lovers. Just because I love nature doesn't mean I'm betrothed to it... |
„ |
| — Halsin on his sex life |
Halsin can be romanced. Though the majority of his romance happens in Act Three, he can be flirted with in prior Acts. He is polyamorous and can be romanced alongside Astarion, Shadowheart, or Karlach, with their consent.
Description
Despite his tenacity in combat, Halsin is a gentle, honest elf, and treasures the sanctity and beauty of nature. Though a powerful healer with a lofty title, Halsin is humble and patient, but willing to act with force if the need arises. He views carnal pleasures as a natural calling and monogamy as something that suits other people better than him; one of Halsin's core beliefs is that desire should flourish wherever it finds purchase.
Gameplay
As a druid, Halsin is capable of filling a variety of roles in the party. He can debilitate enemies with control spells, support the party with spells that enhance himself and his allies, and he can deal damage with elemental damage-dealing spells. His Wild Shape ability allows him to wade into battle as a melee combatant or sneak and scout as a small animal.
Skills with Proficiency
Temporary companion abilities
As a temporary companion he knows the following spells:
If unlocked as a party member in Act Two, Halsin will always have the above spells prepared for free.
- Pre-requisites (Wild Shape charges, appropriate-level Spell Slots) will still have to be met in order to activate the abilities.
Permanent companion abilities
Cantrips Known
As a druid, Halsin automatically knows all non-cantrip druid spells.
Level 1 Spells Known
History
Many years ago, when Halsin was younger and far more foolhardy than he is now, he ventured to the Underdark to experience the beauty of its unworldly flora and instead found himself captured by a noble drow house - in his words, "something between guest, prisoner, and consort". The house's matron and patron took an interest him, seeing a wood elf from the surface as quite the novelty, and he spent nearly three years chained in their bedchamber.
Halsin did what was necessary to survive the experience, though he does not look negatively upon it as, while he feared for his life, he was willing to wait for the chance to regain his freedom. That chance came when his captors' rivals attacked, as Lolth's noble houses are constantly at each other's throats. While the drow were distracted by the battle, he escaped - though he never did learn what became of his hosts.
One hundred years ago, Halsin was part of the Emerald Grove's forces in the attack against Ketheric Thorm at Moonrise Towers. However, shortly after Ketheric's body was interred within the Grand Mausoleum, the shadow curse took hold. In the chaos that followed, Halsin lost contact with Thaniel, his childhood friend and the living spirit of the land, and worse still, the Archdruid of the Emerald Grove was lost to the curse, leaving Halsin to take command and lead the survivors to safety.
Events of Baldur's Gate 3
Act One
Halsin joined Aradin's ill-fated expedition to find the Nightsong, hoping to find a way to reach Moonrise Towers and the Shadow-Cursed Lands. However, he was captured, and can be found in the Worg Pens within the Shattered Sanctum. He is being harassed by nearby goblins, who are throwing stones at him while he remains in wildshape.
If released, Halsin offers to help the party in seeking a cure for their tadpole problem, but first asks them to defeat the goblin leaders in order to protect the Grove. While he can join the party as a temporary companion at this point, he will attack the rest of the goblins on sight, so if discretion is preferred then he can be asked to wait in the Worg Pens.
After the goblin leaders have been defeated, Halsin will return to the Emerald Grove, where he may be found confronting Kagha based on the player's choices when investigating her actions.
The morning following the tiefling's celebration, Halsin will tell the party about the two leads he has on how to reach the Shadow-Cursed Lands: travelling through the Mountain Pass, which would be less dangerous at first but would mean a longer journey through the shadow curse, or exploring the Underdark in search of an alternative route, which would bypass some of the shadow curse but comes with all the dangers inherent to the Underdark.
Regardless of which option the player suggests exploring, Halsin will accompany the party as a camp follower in the hopes of travelling to the Shadow-Cursed Lands and lifting the curse afflicting the region.
If the player proceeds to the Mountain Pass or the Shadow-Cursed Lands before rescuing Halsin from the Goblin Camp, he will be found dead in his cell should they return.
Act Two
Halsin provides vital assistance in the process of lifting the curse from the Shadow-Cursed Lands, and the quest cannot be completed if he dies. He asks that the party keep an eye out for any information regarding a boy called Thaniel, who is in fact the land's spirit.
Once given a lead to Thaniel's location by Art Cullagh (whether through waking him or from his corpse), Halsin will perform a ritual to open a portal to the Shadowfell and retrieve the boy. Failing to protect the portal from the waves of shadow-cursed creatures will lead to the portal closing and Halsin becoming lost to the Shadowfell forever.
If Thaniel is successfully rescued from the Shadowfell, Halsin will offer to join the party fully, becoming a permanent companion. However, failing to fully complete the quest by locating Oliver and reuniting him with Thaniel before proceeding to Act Three will cause Halsin to leave the party and remain behind in the Shadow-Cursed Lands in the hopes of lifting the curse by himself.
Act Three
Halsin is one of Orin's potential abduction targets. Depending on how this scenario is resolved, he may return to the party or he may end up as another one of Orin's unfortunate victims.
Gallery
Halsin's armed model.
Halsin's camp model.
Halsin's underwear model.
Bear wildshape model.
Early Access model (different tattoo).
Character portrait by Edward Vangerghote.
Cinematic bear form.
Halsin in Early Access.
Related literature
Notes
- Halsin was not originally slated to be a companion, but due to his popularity among fans, Larian Studios decided to add him as one.
- Halsin did not obtain his scar in battle, but was marked by a she-bear he encountered while in wild shape form.
- Halsin is noted to be much larger than normal for a wood elf, and speculates that he may have some orc in his family tree.
External links
Halsin on the Forgotten Realms Wiki