How to get into the Goblin Camp in Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

The Baldur's Gate 3 Goblin Camp and attached Shattered Temple is a big location in Act 1, a place where the goblin leaders, Halsin the Archdruid, Volo, the path to the Underdark and more besides are all located, so managing to get inside will massively open up your options and give you access to all sorts of fun side quests, treasure and more besides.

There's a few ways to get into the camp - combat, stealth or dialogue - and we've laid them all out below. Here's how to get into the Goblin Camp in BG3, and the best way for you to go about it.

How to get into the Baldur's Gate 3 Goblin Camp

The Goblin Camp in Baldur's Gate 3, as well as the Shattered Sanctum run by the cult of the Absolute, can be accessed in three main ways.

  • Convince the guards to let you in.
  • Use stealth to reach a broken wall and break through.
  • Fight your way inside!

These are in descending order of ease - using dialogue is definitely the best option, as it gives you full reign to just walk around the camp, talk, investigate and trade without getting attacked or mauled by angry little goblins - or any of the monsters in the area (probably). 

Still, the Baldur's Gate 3 skills based around charisma might not be your character's strengths, or perhaps you want to roleplay as a character who doesn't care for diplomacy - so we'll cover the alternatives too.

How to talk your way into the Goblin Camp

Dialogue with a goblin outside the goblin camp in Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

To talk your way inside the Goblin Camp, use the illithid parasite to convince the goblins that you are a True Soul and should pass freely. You'll have to pass a simple dialogue dice roll, but it should be a breeze - not to mention that anybody playing as a Drow can simply invoke the goblins' fear into letting them pass.

The best option by far, talking your way into the Goblin Camp gives you the option to engage with every character, merchant and have far more control about how you get around the camp - and there's nothing stopping you from switching to combat or stealth once you're in if you want.

Once past the first goblins in the Blighted Village, you'll now have access to both the Shattered Sanctum and the outside Goblin Camp - though with limits. There are a few rooms and areas you won't be allowed in, like Priestess' Guts' personal chambers or the treasure vault behind Ragzlin the Hobgoblin - at least, not without a silver tongue or killing the BG3 Goblin Leaders first. 

Still, the vast majority of the camp is open to you, giving you the chance to rescue Volo, Brian, or the Baldur's Gate 3 owlbear, if you're at that stage of its questline. You'll also be able to find the Baldur's Gate 3 druid Halsin, and our guide will help you narrow down his location - as well as the disguise he's using to conceal himself.

How to sneak into the Goblin Camp

Astarion jumps into the Goblin Camp in Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

The second best way to get into the Goblin Camp is stealth, though it's definitely not as good or as liberating as simply getting permission. You'll definitely want Astarion's sneak attack for this (if you don't have him on the team, check our guide to finding all the Baldur's Gate 3 companions), and you'll also definitely want a powerful Bludgeoning or Force attack, like a warhammer or Eldritch Blast. Shadowheart's Blessing of the Trickster and Pass Without Trace powers definitely wouldn't hurt either, though they're less essential.

  1. Enter party-wide stealth on the bridge West of the Blighted Village.
  2. Stealth around the right-hand path until you reach the wooden platform with the rope on it.
  3. Have your party jump over the river to the path on the other side (you might take some minor fall damage) .
  4. Silently kill the goblin guard at the top of the ladder to the East with Astarion's sneak attack.
  5. Follow the path around to the wall with the Goblin Camp fast travel waypoint on the opposite side. 

Sneaking around the Goblin Camp in Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)
  1. Sneak-attack kill "Brawler Tiny" and use the chance to climb up the ladder next to the goblin called Crusher.
  2. Follow the path above around to where you can see some sleeping goblins and bugbears. Back away a little so as not to wake them, then jump down to their level.
  3. Head past them to the big fountain. Above that, to the North, is a "Cracked Wall". Your characters might even highlight it if they pass a Perception check.
  4. Use Astarion's sneak attack to silently kill the sleeping goblins next to the fountain.
  5. Now that you can make a little noise, you need to break the Cracked Wall. It's immune to all damage except Bludgeoning and Force damage, the latter of which it takes double damage from. Maces, warhammers, clubs, greatclubs and the Magic Missile and Eldritch Blast spells will all damage it, among others, though they have to do enough damage in a single strike, and it might take a few attacks to really destroy it.
  6. Once the wall is broken, pass through into the Collapsed Corridor.

The entrance into the Shattered Sanctum of the Goblin camp in Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

You are now in the Shattered Sanctum! Admittedly, you still have to be very stealthy so as not to be attacked on sight, but the Sanctum is full of high rafters you can use to explore from a safe height, descending when you feel ready to. Make sure to scope out the Sanctum before doing anything drastic, plan what you want to do and achieve, and maybe consider saving fairly regularly. We also suggest if any of you have the Speak With Animals spell, you drop down into the spider pit and convince them to attack the Goblins to thin their numbers within, if you're planning on slaughtering them.

How to kill all the goblins

Combat in the Baldur's Gate 3 goblin camp

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

If you're planning to go in wands blazing, you'll want to be level 4 at least, and pick the best Baldur's Gate 3 party for combat. You'll also want to make sure you're all in as good condition as possible. Otherwise, here's our best advice for what's about to be an incredibly chaotic fight.

  • Break the fight into sections. You want to fight the goblins in groups if possible, not all at once. If you can isolate sections of the camp, such as the outside outpost with the Worgs or Crusher's stage, that'll help you keep things manageable.
  • Poison their booze. If you talk your way into the main camp first before attacking, there's a tub of booze they're all drinking from to the right of the central cooking spit, just past Volo. Using any poison in your inventory will trigger a cinematic where some of them drink it and die before the survivors realise it's not safe. They might accuse you, but a dialogue or Illithid check can assure them you're not the poisoner. This'll thin their numbers for the following fight.
  • Focus on area of effect and ranged attacks. The goblins are a diverse group of fighters, as well as having Ogres and Bugbears on their side, but they tend to focus on raw numbers and melee attacks overall. Keep them at a distance by having Gale and your spellcasters throw out all those Baldur's Gate 3 spells that focus on mass control and ranged damage.
  • Use cover, heights and the environment. Your tanks like Lae'zel will have to stay in the open more often to engage the enemy, but any ranged fighters or weaker ones should use cover where possible for the AC bonus, or get up to high points for better ranged accuracy. The Baldur's Gate 3 advantage and disadvantage mechanics can be what decides the outcome of this fight.
  • Try to bottleneck them. If you get surrounded, you'll probably die. Tactics are essential here to make up for the significant difference in numbers, but by funnelling the goblins through areas like bridges or up ladders, you can gain a huge advantage in how you fight.
  • In the Sanctum, find help from nature. The giant spiders will aggro if you can speak with them, or if you just shove any figure into their pit, climbing up the webs to attack everything (including you). You can also find Halsin in the Worg Pens, who will help you by absolutely tearing through Goblins with his bear form.

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Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.