Highlights

  • Druids play a crucial role in Baldur's Gate 3, and players' choices regarding the Emerald Grove shape the game's Act 1.
  • The Shadow Druids are an extremist group of druids who believe civilization is inherently bad and seek to destroy cities and towns to protect nature.
  • Players can confront Kagha, who has been influenced by the Shadow Druids, and drive away the extremist faction from the Emerald Grove, but the group remains an ongoing threat.

Druids play a huge role in Baldur's Gate 3, with players' choice to save or doom the druidic Emerald Grove heavily impacting the game's first Act. While the Emerald Grove might seem outwardly peaceful and harmonious with nature, it is in fact full of hidden conflict, including infiltration by the mysterious and sinister Shadow Druids. The Shadow Druids in Baldur's Gate 3 are an antagonistic force that has been around since the first game in the series.

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The Shadow Druids Are An Extremist Group Jaheira Opposes

Baldur's Gate 3 Jaheira Harper Druid

The Shadow Druids are a faction of druids who take their devotion to nature to extremes. They believe that civilization is inherently bad, and that it is their job to protect nature by destroying cities and towns. The Shadow Druids generally operate out of the Cloakwood, a deep forest south of Baldur's Gate.

Faldorn, a member of the Shadow Druids, is a recruitable party member in Baldur's Gate 1. She opposes Jaheira, a druid with more pacifistic ideals, and the two often argue. In Baldur's Gate 2, her views grow even more extremist, forcing the party to battle and kill her. Although Baldur's Gate 3 takes place many years later, her philosophy still guides the Shadow Druids, as shown in the book "Faldorn's Canticle: The Shadow Druids' Doctrine."

"Balance is a myth. Where any clan treads, nature struggles. Unity is a fiction. Men of mere flesh seek only to tame beast and raze flora. We are the thunder, and we are the rain. We shatter mankind, and grow new life in its place" -Faldorn's Canticle

Kagha Is Tempted By The Shadow Druids

Kagha is a character with an interestng side quest

When players first reach the Emerald Grove, its leader Halsin is missing and the druid Kagha has taken over in his absence. Kagha wishes to complete a ritual that would isolate and protect the Emerald Grove, banishing the tiefling refugees who have found sanctuary there. Believing she has nature's best interests at heart, Kagha opposes the players and can even kill a tiefling child, Arabella, for stealing the Grove's idol.

If players choose to investigate Kagha's suspicious behavior, they can learn that she has become influenced by the philosophy of the Shadow Druids. Documents hidden in the swamp near Auntie Ethel's Teahouse reveal Kagha's connection to the group, although players must defeat a group of powerful enemies to access the hidden items. These are:

  • Two Wood Woads, which regenerate 10 HP per turn
  • Four Ancient Mud Mephits, which can summon Young Mud Mephits

A Confrontation With Shadow Druids Is Possible

baldurs-gate-3-shadow-druids-infiltrators

Players who learn of this connection can choose to resolve the situation in one of several ways:

  • Rescue Halsin and let him handle it. He will either exile or demote Kagha depending on the severity of her actions.
  • Confront Kagha and attempt to persuade her away from joining the Shadow Druids
  • Kill Kagha without accusing her of collaborating with the Shadow Druids
  • Kill Kagha after accusing her of collaborating with the Shadow Druids

Should players choose to confront Kagha with their evidence, they will learn that several Shadow Druids have in fact infiltrated the Emerald Grove. Three Shadow Druids have been hiding in the Grove's inner sanctum while Wild Shaped as rats. The players must fight Kagha, her supporters, and the hidden Shadow Druids in order to drive away the extremist faction and restore the peaceful harmony of the Emerald Grove.

However, while the Shadow Druids can be driven away from the Grove, the player is not able to dissolve the group entirely. This extremist druid faction remains an active threat to the peace of the Sword Coast. Another hidden document even hints that the Shadow Druids were involved with Ketheric Thorm, one of Baldur's Gate 3's main antagonists. It is possible that the looming threat of the Shadow Druids could be addressed in a future update or DLC.