One of the biggest conflicts in Act 1 is the ownership of Silvanus Grove and whose lives are worth risking. If you side with the druids they will secure the grove from any harm but cast out the tieflings who will inevitably die in the wild. If you side with the tieflings, they can either die if you kill Kagha or live in harmony with the druids if you save Halsin.
Each choice offers different amounts of content and story. When looking at everything from a moral perspective there are many points worth considering to determine who deserves more of a chance at surviving the goblin attack.
10 TIEFLINGS: They Have Kids
The druids are all full of adult people of faith. The tieflings are merely refugees with children and lives to get back to. They are regular citizens of Baldur’s Gate, not warriors or protectors of any kind. These red-tailed people are part of a vulnerable group. Whether the adults can risk going through dangerous, goblin-infested roads or not, their children undoubtedly can’t take such same risks.
9 DRUIDS: They Were There First
The grove was a safe haven for the druids since before the tieflings arrived. They welcomed the injured and the homeless into their house during their most dire time and therefore have every right to decide when the tieflings’ time is up. The druids are allowed to decide who gets to stay inside their grove and who doesn’t, whether there’s danger out there or not. It’s not our place to tell them to keep people in their own home who don’t belong there and who hold them back.
8 TIEFLINGS: They Don’t Kill Kids
Kahga isn’t afraid to kill innocent children to get what she wants. She comes across as racist and arrogant, among many other things. Wanting protection of your home and people is understandable, but killing a random little kid because of it raises questions. Kahga allowed Arabella to die, took no shame in it, and called the child names pertaining to its race the entire time. Druids be peaceful or not, the tieflings would never take such drastic actions. Perhaps because they are more down to earth and recognize struggle. Real recognize real.
7 DRUIDS: Their Rightful Leader Isn’t Present
Kagha has said some questionably offensive things and done even worse with her own hands, or that of her snakes hands, but she isn’t the real leader of the druids. The druids actual faithful leader had been kidnapped when doing his part for the greater good. Halsin isn’t the type of leader to sit back and order people to do his work for him, he goes out to do it himself.
Doing just that is what put Halsin in a dim jail cell to begin with. He was willing to risk it all. To save Halsin means restoring the true peaceful nature of the druids and sparing the tieflings anymore trauma and struggle. It’s best not to judge the druids based off of what Kagha says over Halsin.
6 TIEFLINGS: They Have Families
Children or not, there are couples and relatives within the refugee community. Druids may have lovers within their circle or brothers but they are grouped together for spiritual practice alone whereas the tieflings are regular people. Couples can be heard dreaming of a peaceful getaway, siblings can be heard bickering about leaving and surviving on their own. If there’s one thing that can be for sure, it’s that the tieflings are more relatable to us than the druids
5 DRUIDS: They’re Only Protecting Their People
The druids come off as harsh and cutthroat, but for good reason. They are doing the same as any other group of people would when they realize the people they invited are holding them back from ultimate safety. They are also under a ruler, where whatever they say goes even if the druids don’t agree with the way their ruler decides to handle things they do it anyway. They do it for the sake of the protection of nature, balance, and their people.
4 TIEFLINGS: Defenseless
The tieflings are so defenseless that they are training their children to wield swords and murder goblins who have killed and lived for more years than the children can dream of. This is surely cause for concern. Being ordinary civilians, the adults already don’t know how to fight, but take into account the fact that half of them are kids and you begin wonder if you should fight alongside them.
You can talk to the tieflings at the training ground and offer aid to kids and adults alike to heighten their learning and skill, but it’s unsure if this actually benefits their fighting or if it’s just positive interaction. Either way, they need all the help they can get.
3 DRUIDS: Belief In Protection Of Nature
What is the greater good? Intelligent life with flesh or fur? The druids focus on being one with nature and animals. To respect them, protect them, and share their gifts. Kagha, the unrightful leader, may be harsh and unruly but the group itself wants to seal the grove not for themselves but so that they may continue their work with nature and keep these ancient ruins safe.
2 TIEFLINGS: Only Want Peace
They have had it rough for far too long. Not only do they deal with racism, hungry kids, and goblins killing and throwing them off the road home, but now the people who welcomed in them want them gone at any cost. These tieflings want one thing and one thing only. Peace. To go home. To be by a warm fire while their children nod off to bed. For the disagreements and bloodshed to end. The druids have the greater good of nature as their goal but the tieflings only have want for rest.
1 DRUIDS: They’re Straight Forward
Cutthroat, rude, questionable, racist, whatever the druids may seem to be, they are pretty blunt about what they want. A lot of people can respect blunt honesty and someone who puts in the work to get what they want and charge through obstacles no one else will. They are people who can easily be respected and understood as their intentions are clear, you need only follow through with them or face their blade.
NEXT: Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Buy It In Early Access?
