When you start in Baldur’s Gate 3, one of your first points of contact is the Emerald Grove. However, the druids living there are anything but hospitable and can even be quite nasty. However, this is not even their fault.
Which druids are we talking about exactly? Currently, the druids from the Emerald Grove are at the center of a discussion. The location is one of your first points of contact in Baldur’s Gate 3.
The atmosphere is tense: Due to the goblin threat, the druids plan to seal off the grove from the outside world. However, their leader Halsin has allowed a group of refugees to seek shelter with them. Halsin’s deputy Kagha wants to get rid of them as soon as possible – for her, the refugees are a thorn in the side.
Kagha’s attitude seems to negatively influence all the other druids as well. They avoid their “guests” and openly talk about how their leader Halsin should step aside.
One expects druids to have a love for nature, joy in life, and harmonious coexistence. Not the aloof attitude and open rejection against their leader.
What effects your decisions regarding the tieflings, the goblins, and the Emerald Grove have on the story, you can read here:
Baldur’s Gate 3: The 5 most important decisions in Act 1 and what they entail
Attention Spoilers: From here on, we will be discussing things from Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3! So if you don’t like spoilers, please do not read further.
Why are the druids so aloof? Unfortunately, the druids themselves are quite a thorn in the side of an antagonist who is only introduced in Act 2: Ketheric Thorm.
He is behind the events surrounding the Towers of Dawn, is one of the most important servants of the Absolute, and is also responsible for the coordinated goblin threat against the Emerald Grove.
Ketheric expects that the druids will eventually rise up against him. To prevent this, he began to influence another druid clan with the Mind Flayer worms: the Cloakwood druids, whom players of Baldur’s Gate 1 might still remember.
The druids have gradually become what are known as Shadow Druids. They hardly leave their grove anymore and do not help any people in need. This group has started to win Kagha over at the beginning of Baldur’s Gate 3. She should bring Ketheric’s influence into the Emerald Grove without even knowing it.
How is this information known? If you visit the Towers of Dawn in Act 2, you can find documents that outline these steps. They explain Kagha’s behavior and why the druids are willing to take such drastic measures as isolating themselves from the outside world.
Depending on how you decided in Act 1 – for or against the druids, refugees, and goblins – the issue resolves itself at least for you.
But if you already poke your characters’ noses into all sorts of corners, you might find hints about Kagha’s contact with the Shadow Druids and confront her with them.
How about you? Have you been able to uncover Kagha’s contacts? Have you helped the refugees or have you invaded the Emerald Grove with the goblins? We look forward to reading about your adventures in the comments!
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