How to Romance Halsin in Baldur's Gate 3 (2024)

Halsin is a romantic option in Baldur's Gate 3 that takes no small amount of patience to take to the end — or even begin really. Halsin is the incredibly tall, buff druid of the party, but one that has deep ties to the lore of the story. His adventures prior to meeting the party ultimately set up most of the conflict in Act II. As a romantic partner though, he perhaps has some of the least content when it comes to romantic scenes. In fact, it can be argued that there is more content just trying to get him open to the idea of a romantic relationship than there is for the actual romance.

Yet, Halsin's story is also incredibly fascinating to watch unfold. He is one of the more experienced members of the party. There is no question that he is wise, and he is also one of the kinder adventurers, very rarely having an unkind thing to say about anyone. His heart is as large as he is, and as a druid is not lacking in power. While it is a shame that he doesn't have more romantic content, in truth, Halsin would be an ideal real-life romantic partner because by the time he does get together with the player, his baggage has been dealt with.

Recruit Halsin Into Your Party in Act I

Learning About Halsin Is the First Step

• Players must locate Halsin in the Goblin Camp.
• They then need to kill the leaders of the goblins to gain his help.
• He becomes a camp member after.

Players first learn about Halsin upon entering the Emerald Grove. At this early stage of the game, they have just identified the risk of having a mindflayer parasite in their heads. The druid grove and its healers seem like a viable option to offer a potential cure. After rescuing the grove from a sudden goblin raid, the leader of the tiefling refugees inside the grove's walls, Zevlor, will explain that Halsin is the leader of the grove, but that he has gone missing. He then points the players to a healer, Halsin's apprentice, Nettie.

Upon meeting her, Nettie explains that Halsin went off in pursuit of an unknown relic known as the Nightsong. She also explains that he has been investigating the sudden uptick of people infected with mindflayer parasites. If there is any hope for the player to be rid of their affliction, it is in Halsin. Unfortunately, the problem is that no one really knows where he is. Players won't even be able to locate the First Druid until they enter the goblin camp properly.

If they are aware of Halsin being missing, then using context clues found by speaking to various goblins, they realize that Halsin has been captured, but had been using his shapeshifting abilities to become a bear at the time. The goblins, not knowing any better, took Halsin captive in bear form, thinking he was just an especially violent animal that they could potentially tame. Using this information, players descend into the depths of the goblin camp's dungeons and free the druid from his goblin captors.

Rescuing the First Druid

Halsin will immediately take a liking to the player if they helped him in bear form without any hesitation. Though he is pressed for time with the goblins getting that much closer to discovering the grove, Halsin answers the player's questions regarding how he was captured, what he was doing at the time, and most importantly, how he might help them get rid of their parasite. Before he could help with the last part though, he tasks the player with helping him eliminate the leadership of the goblin camp. Once that is done and the grove is secure, he will happily do everything in his power to assist the player.

Don't assume that Halsin isn't just handing his problems over to the player. He offers to come along in their quest to defeat the goblin leaders, but warns that doing so will risk premature exposure if the players infiltrated the goblin camp by pretending to be on their side. Regardless, the player can choose to eliminate the goblins' leaders however they wish. Halsin will congratulate them on their job well done before returning to the grove to restore order. From there, the party and the refugees decide to throw a party.

Halsin attends the celebration, and the player can express an interest in him, but he prefers to wait until the morning before they discuss anything more. Afterwards, he will ask to join the camp as a follower for the time being, to offer guidance on the next course of action. Players should accept this, and in doing so he will point them to the Shadow Cursed Lands. They can then inquire more about Halsin's past, as well as any previous romances he's had. He will answer all of this freely, but it is the first step toward unlocking a true relationship with him.

Banish Evil With Halsin in Act II

Learning About Halsin's Past

• Players can help Halsin lift the Shadow Curse.
• They must find and heal a nature spirit named Thaniel.
• Doing this gains Halsin as a party member.

Upon entering the Shadow Cursed Lands, Halsin will elaborate that the curse has many causes, but the only method to fully undo it is to locate an old friend from his past. As Halsin tells it, he befriended a spirit of nature that takes the form of a child named Thaniel. The boy had since gone missing in the centuries since the land was cursed. Halsin believes that bringing Thaniel back would be the first step to healing the land.

Doing so requires many steps — the first is locating the hints of Thaniel's whereabouts. This can be found in the Last Light Inn. A comatose Flaming Fist named Art Cullagh can be found, referencing Thaniel in his sleep. Notifying Halsin will help the druid identify Art as the last living key to where Thaniel might be, but first, they must wake him. To accomplish this, players must travel to the House of Healing and confront Malus Thorm to acquire Art's battered lute item. This will allow the player to wake Art up and learn that Thaniel has been trapped in the Shadowfell.

Halsin enlists the player's help once again, intending to open a portal to the Shadowfell and rescue Thaniel. While he delves into the realm of Shar, the party will be tasked with guarding the portal from waves of enemies who will be determined to stop Thaniel's return. This fight is actually fairly manageable if players bring party members with good AOE abilities and the ability to alter the battlefield to make travel more difficult. They can win by either running down the clock or simply defeating the small army of foes. Halsin will return with a weakened Thaniel, but it is soon apparent that their task is far from done.

Helping Halsin Lift the Shadow Curse

Halsin learns that the Shadow Curse split Thaniel into two entities. His original form retains his wisdom and care for nature, but the other half is the embodiment of his raw power. It also took the form of a child but is now roaming the lands looking for a companion to play with. If the player ranges far enough from the Last Light Inn, they can discover this missing child, a young boy named Oliver. Halsin will accompany as a party member for this stage of the quest.

Oliver proves to be less than cooperative, preferring to play a game of hide and seek. Once he realizes that the party wants him to reunite with Thaniel, he flees, forcing the party to pursue him. Enraged at their stubbornness, Oliver attacks, forcing the party to defeat his wave of shadow family members before finally weakening him enough to speak again. With some carefully chosen words, the player can convince Oliver that Thaniel is the missing family he's been longing for and that Thaniel did not abandon Oliver. Moved by these words, Oliver agrees to return to Thaniel.

This begins the land's healing, but as a now whole Thaniel explains it, only the death of Ketheric Thorm will complete the process. Though this ends Halsin's storyline and turns him into a permanent party member, it should be noted that it is a vital part of a good-aligned story. While killing Ketheric undoubtedly does Faerun a service, it is only by finding and healing Thaniel that the Shadow Curse is truly undone.

Act III Contains Halsin's Famous Love Scene

Taming the Beast

• Halsin will express an interest in a relationship with the player.
• This commences his only romantic scene.
• In the epilogue, the player and Halsin start an entire community and a family.

Not long after the Shadow Curse is lifted, Halsin finally expresses a desire to be with the player. He is not subtle about it either, outright saying he wishes to be with them in everything. Perhaps after working so hard for it, the developers thought it was best to give the players a quick start to Halsin's romantic path. The player can express a shared interest in him, and if they are already in a relationship they can either end it there or, if the other partner is willing, be involved in a polyamorous relationship with the player and Halsin. Centuries of living have taught Halsin that there is far more to love than most people realize and that it is best to indulge and celebrate it rather than hide it.

This then leads to one of the most infamous scenes in the entire game: the night with the bear. Halsin and the player's first intimate moment also reminds the player that Halsin is still deeply tied to nature. His passions run so deep that he accidentally transforms into a bear. After quickly turning back, he explains why it happened, but at this stage players are in control of the scene. They can either accept this and spend the night with Halsin, or they can ask for him to become a bear again, wanting to explore that side of him.

Beyond that there aren't many more romantic scenes with Halsin. One can discuss their relationship, as well as the previous night, with him afterward. He will express a great interest in continuing to explore where this relationship will go in the future, suggesting that he is in this for the long haul. It is a shame that more content for a relationship with him isn't available, but players are left with perhaps the most emotionally healthy, and kindest member of the party as their partner. The epilogue also reveals that being with Halsin gives the player an ideal life after the final battle.

The Aftermath of a Relationship with Halsin

Once the war is over, the epilogue reveals that Halsin and the player spent a few days in Baldur's Gate helping the wounded before finally leaving the city. As a druid, Halsin never felt comfortable within the city's walls, and once his responsibilities there were absolutely finished he was eager to leave. The couple will not return to the Emerald Grove though. Instead, they will continue the good work they began in the Shadow-Cursed Land.

With the curse gone, Halsin and the player begin to rebuild the territory, starting with the town before tending to the natural world itself. Some of Baldur's Gate's refugees whose homes were destroyed accompany them, starting an entirely new community that is led and protected by the player and Halsin. In yet another pleasant surprise, the couple will also end up unofficially adopting multiple children left orphaned by the events of the game.

In short, a romance with Halsin leaves the players with a truly peaceful life, spent raising the family and community they started by reuniting Thaniel and Oliver. The process of getting to romance Halsin may have been long and involved, but it paid off in the end. After all the struggling players can rest assured that their reward for going through all that to be with him meant they got a life of peace.

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Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is arole-playing video gamedeveloped and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main installment in the Baldur's Gate series.

RPG

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:96/100 Critics Recommend:98%

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

Divinity 4.0

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

100+ Hours

X|S Enhanced

yes

Metascore

96

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical Only

Number of Players

1-4

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

Local Co-Op Support

1-2 Players

Cross Save

yes

Cross-Platform Play

Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't support crossplay