Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Halsin Build Guide

Updated: December 6, 2023
This build is current to patch 5.

After the initial flurry of potential companions at the beginning of Act 1, some new options appear as you work your way through Act 2. One of these is Halsin—a powerful druid prominent in large sections of the Act 1 storyline. If you stick with the side of good, he will be in your camp as you enter Act 2 and can be added to your party once you complete the next section of his storyline (when you wake Art Cullagh in the Last Light Inn). If you’re adding him to your team, read on for my BG3 Halsin build guide.

Best Stats and Abilities for Halsin in Baldur's Gate 3

Halsin is a Wood Elf Druid with high Wisdom, alongside above-average Dexterity and Constitution, and average Strength and Charisma. His only weak stat is Intelligence, but it isn’t one he needs to rely on. His strongest ability as a Druid is Wild Shape, which allows him to transform into a series of beast forms that are incredibly useful in a diverse range of scenarios. For example, he can change into a cat to then explore the smallest gaps in the game, or become a bear and be an absolute beast — pun intended — in melee combat.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid Build Guide – Best Stats and Subclass

When you add Halsin to your party, he has the following stats:

• Strength: 10
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 14
• Intelligence: 8
• Wisdom: 17
• Charisma: 12

It is possible to change them, but there isn’t really any need. Bear form will give you the temporary strength you need in melee combat, while the small bonus to HP (from Constitution) and Dexterity will both come in handy.

Best Cantrips for Halsin in BG3

When you first have Halsin join your party, you’ll be able to choose two cantrips for him. I suggest the following:

• Thorn Whip: While Thorn Whip only deals 1D6 damage, it allows you to move an enemy to a different spot. This has loads of uses, from dropping them off cliffs to moving them into or out of the range of your allies’ attacks. In terms of pure utility, it is one of the strongest cantrips in the game. 
• Shillelagh: When you’re out of Bear form in combat, Shillelagh turns you into a strong melee unit, despite your low Strength (as Wisdom is used as a damage modifier instead).

You’ll be able to take another cantrip at level four, and I suggest Guidance, which gives yourself or another party member +1d4 to Ability Checks. It is very useful, especially as you can choose to add it any time anyone makes a check (whether it's in conversation or when picking a lock), without having to precast it. 

Best Spells for Halsin in BG3

By the time Halsin joins your party, you’ll have access to first and second-level spells, and perhaps third level too. You’ll get access to higher-level spells at the following character levels:

• Druid level 5: Third-level spells
• Druid level 7: Fourth-level spells
• Druid level 9: Fifth-level spells
• Druid level 11: Sixth-level spells

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 – Most Popular Races in BG3

These are the spells I suggest you always have available for Halsin:

• Cure Wounds & Healing Word (level 1): Your two initial healing spells. Healing Word is less powerful but can be cast at range, where Cure Woulds needs you to touch the target. As you level up, more healing spells will become available. You’ll want to upgrade as much as you can if you’re the only healer in the party, but you can share duties with a cleric (such as Shadowheart) to give your party more options. 
• Thunder Cloud (level 1): A solid damage-dealing spell, doing 2d8 damage and also potentially pushing the target back. Even if they save, they still take half the damage rolled. 
• Hold Person (level 2): When successful, this Paralyzes an opponent, stopping them from acting or moving. While held, all melee hits on them count as crits.
• Mirror Image (level 2): An incredibly useful defensive spell that creates three images of you, one of which disappears each time you evade an attack. Each adds 3AC while up. 
• Call Lightning (level 3): A powerful AOE spell that does 3d10 damage to targets in the area and keeps attacking each round.
• Conjure Woodland Beings (level 4): You summon woodland creatures to fight on your side. Super useful, as they have both damage and crowd control spells of their own for you to utilize.
• Ice Storm (level 4): While Ice Storm is less powerful (2d8) than Call Lightning, it does AOE damage over a 6m area, which can be devastating at the start of a larger battle. 
• Conjure Elemental (level 5): Essentially an upgrade over the woodland beings, allowing you to conjure the ones most useful in your current battle (Fire, Water, Stone, or Air).

Best Feats for Halsin in BG3

Halsin will be able to choose Feats at levels four, eight, and 12. You don't need to look past Ability Improvement for the first two Feats, as raising Wisdom to 20 means additional bonuses on all of your Wisdom checks (including damage with Shillelagh and attacking spells, as well as your heals).

For the other, I like Spell Sniper, which sees your spells crit on a roll of 19 as well as a natural 20, essentially doubling your chances of a crit. This is a big deal over the whole campaign, so maybe worth taking at level eight, if you’re not too concerned about waiting until later for maxing out Wisdom. 

For more on Baldur's Gate 3, click through to BG3: How to Disable the Steel Watch in Baldur’s Gate 3 or Baldur’s Gate 3 Charred Key – How to get & where to use? right here at Pro Game Guides!