Learn expert tips on how to save an owlbear cub from a goblin camp. Find out the best strategies for a successful rescue mission.We tell you what happens if you decide to save the Emerald Grove or collaborate with the goblins in Baldur’s Gate 3 and what the consequences of this important decision in Act 1 are.

During the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3’s story , players have to make many important decisions , but probably none are as relevant or cover as many fronts as the central conflict that the druids of the Emerald Grove are developing against the goblins . Soon, our group will have to position itself on one side or the other, and this will obviously make the game change drastically and give us access to different rewards.

Where to find the Emerald Grove?

Before you can help the characters in the Emerald Grove , it’s important to get them situated in the world. You can check the location of the grove on the map below:

The Emerald Grove is located north of the Crashed Nautiloid and Shattered Beach region where you begin the game after the prologue. You’ll likely reach this location before the Goblin Camp , and it will be one of your first notable stops on your journey.

As you approach the entrance to the grove, you’ll see a battle against goblins and you’ll have to help the characters in the grove to finish them off. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to enter the place and meet several important characters who will ask for your help in the fight against the goblins, such as Zevlor, Kagha and Nettie (the recruitable companion Wyll is also hanging around the area ).

Where to find the goblin camp?

After meeting the characters in the grove, it’s time to head to the goblin camp , an important location whose location you can check on the following map:

The goblin camp covers a large area of ​​land to the west of the Withered Village . The area is obviously infested with goblins, but this does not mean that it is a hostile place per se. When trying to access the place, there will be several goblin patrols that will be somewhat impertinent with your group, but in principle you can resolve these situations with skill rolls that allow you to continue exploring without entering into combat.

Once you reach the central square of the goblin camp, you can head through some large doors with an ogre that lead into the Shattered Shrine . Inside you’ll find the three main goblin leaders , important targets that you must defeat if you want to help the grove. If you want to help the goblins instead, you’ll need to speak to Night Guard Minthara .

How to Save an Owlbear Cub from a Goblin Camp.

Now comes the last step to recruit the owlbear cub. Once the animal has moved to the goblin camp , you will have to go to it. When you reach the area, the large square where many goblins are gathered, you should see the owlbear cub on one side, cowering and scared because a group of goblins are holding him.

Here again, there are several options . The most direct one is to defeat all the goblins in the area, but naturally this can be difficult since there are so many of them. You can attack them head on or find some strategy to kill them (such as poisoning a bucket they drink from). In any case, if you manage to kill them all without damaging the owlbear cub, you can interact with it afterwards to invite it to your camp .

The alternative to recruiting him, and what most players will probably do, is to talk to the goblin Krolla , who is the one who kidnapped the puppy, and follow these instructions:

• Talk to Krolla about the pup until he tells you he wants you to participate in a game of chicken hunting .
• If for whatever reason Krolla doesn’t offer you his game, make sure to first talk to Volo in the center of the goblin camp.
• Agree to participate in Krolla’s game for 30 gold .
• You’ll be separated from your group and before time runs out, you’ll have to guide the pup through an obstacle course to the poles at the end that are lit up with fire.
• If you’re good at Handling Animals , you can talk to the pup and make a couple of skill checks to convince it to move toward the posts.
• If you prefer, you can run behind the puppy to direct him towards the posts.
• If you fail the game you can retry it by paying Krolla again.

In any case, once you’ve completed the Krolla game, talk to the pup and earn your trust so that he can later come to your camp. Finally, return to the goblin Krolla and tell her that you want to take the pup with you . You can buy him for 500 gold or convince her with a few rolls that you’re going to take him.

Whatever you do, if all goes well, you’ll only need to take a few long rests before the owlbear cub can finally appear at your camp . It will take at least 3 long rests before he pays you a visit.

What happens if you help the goblin camp?

Let’s say you’re not interested in helping the Grove and you’d rather help the Goblin Camp . If this is the case, you’ll need to go talk to Leader Minthara to help her (she’s at the northern end of Shattered Shrine). It’s important that if you want to do this, you don’t rescue Halsin from his cell so that it doesn’t cause any additional problems; you can even kill him instead of saving him.

Talking to Minthara and taking her side is not difficult at first . You can earn her respect by revealing the location of the Emerald Grove and planning an assault on the location together. If you do this, you will then need to open the gates of the grove to Minthara and her goblins and blow a horn to summon the entire army to rush the characters in the grove.

The consequences of collaborating with goblins are as follows:

• You will attack the Emerald Grove and kill all the important characters there.
• After completing the raid, you will be able to loot all of the belongings in the Emerald Grove.
• Wyll will attempt to kill you for your betrayal of the Grove or leave camp forever.
• Karlach will also be offended that you killed the tieflings and will leave camp if you recruited her.
• You won’t be able to recruit Halsin to your party; if you didn’t kill him in his cell, he’ll eventually appear later on and you’ll need to take him down.
• After the battle, Minthara will join your camp and you can romance her.

As you can probably imagine, collaborating with the goblins and ravaging the Emerald Grove is the morally “evil” choice . If you don’t mind losing several companions along the way, you might want to consider this option. It ‘s up to you what to do . Now you know what the consequences of all these actions are.