Save the Tiefling Refugees

Key takeaways

The quest is less a single combat mission than a branching Act 1 storyline. The safest approach is to investigate the Grove, resolve what you can before committing to a faction, and keep the refugee population alive.

Protect the Grove The refugee-saving route requires opposing the Goblin forces and preventing the Cult of the Absolute's assault on the Emerald Grove.
Deal with all three leaders Minthara, Dror Ragzlin, and Priestess Gut are the key Goblin leaders associated with stopping the threat. Defeating or incapacitating them is the principal offensive objective.
Look beyond Act 1 Keeping the refugees alive preserves their appearances and storylines in Acts 2 and 3, making survival more important than an immediate quest reward.
Treat choices as permanent Refugee deaths, the Grove's destruction, and siding against the Tieflings can lock out later quests and may cause Wyll or Karlach to leave the party.

Save the Tiefling Refugees

Save the Tiefling Refugees is a pivotal Act 1 quest that places the Emerald Grove and its displaced Tiefling community at the center of the conflict with the Goblins and the Cult of the Absolute.

The quest begins as the Tieflings seek safety in the Emerald Grove while the Druids prepare to seal the settlement. Their position is unstable: the refugees need protection from the Goblin threat, but they are also caught in an internal dispute with the Druids over whether they may remain in the Grove. Your conversations and investigations determine which parts of this crisis can be resolved peacefully and which become violent.

The central route for protecting the refugees is to undermine the Goblin offensive by defeating or incapacitating Minthara, Dror Ragzlin, and Priestess Gut. The quest also connects closely to the rescue of the Arch Druid Halsin, whose absence affects the Grove's leadership and the wider conflict. You do not have to approach every objective in one fixed order, but the Goblin leaders and the Grove's internal crisis should be treated as linked parts of the same situation.

This quest has consequences beyond Act 1. If the refugees survive, they can reappear in Acts 2 and 3 and open further storylines. Conversely, siding with the Cult of the Absolute, permitting the Grove's destruction, or allowing particular refugees to die can remove later content. Wyll and Karlach have especially strong reactions to turning against the refugees, and either companion may leave permanently in that outcome.

Where this sits

ArrivalEnter the Grove and learn why the refugees are in danger.

InvestigationUnderstand the Druid dispute and locate the Goblin leadership.

ResolutionSave the refugees or commit to the opposing faction.

1Reach the Emerald GrovelocationThe refugee crisis becomes active after the Grove is reached.
2Assess the Grove's internal conflictinvestigationThe Tieflings' safety is also affected by the Druids' plans.
3Find HalsinobjectiveThe Arch Druid's rescue is a major route into the Goblin stronghold.
●Stop the Goblin leaderscombatDeal with Minthara, Dror Ragzlin, and Priestess Gut.
5Secure the refugees' futureaftermathThe outcome determines later refugee content.

This quest spans the Grove's internal dispute and the external threat from the Goblin forces; it is not required to be completed as a strictly linear sequence.

Requirements

You need access to the Emerald Grove and enough freedom to investigate both the refugee crisis and the Goblin leadership. The game permits several approaches, so no single class, companion, or combat build is mandatory.

RequiredReach the Emerald GroveThe quest's central refugee and Druid disputes take place there.
RequiredChoose a position in the conflictYou can work toward protecting the Tieflings or support the Cult of the Absolute's forces.
RequiredAccess the Goblin leadershipThe three leaders must be reached through exploration, dialogue, stealth, or combat.
RecommendedPreserve refugee livesAvoiding unnecessary deaths is essential if you want later refugee storylines and the Leave No One Behind trophy.
OptionalBring Wyll or KarlachBoth companions have strong personal ties to the refugees and may react strongly if you side against them.

Objectives

Protect the Tiefling refugees in the Emerald Grove.Keep the refugee community from being destroyed by the Goblin forces or by the Grove's escalating internal conflict.
Resolve or contain the Grove's Druid crisis.Investigate the threat posed by the Druids' plans and avoid choices that needlessly place the refugees in danger.
Rescue the Arch Druid Halsin.Halsin's rescue is often central to restoring a path toward a safer resolution for the Grove.
Defeat or incapacitate Minthara, Dror Ragzlin, and Priestess Gut.Removing the three Goblin leaders is the core offensive requirement on the refugee-saving route.
Keep the refugees alive for later acts.Their survival preserves additional storylines in Acts 2 and 3.

WalkthroughSpoilers

01
Learn the refugees' situation
Enter the Emerald Grove and speak with the refugees
Explore the Grove before committing to a faction and speak with the Tieflings who explain why they are trapped there. Pay attention to Zevlor's concerns, because the refugees' immediate safety and their dispute with the Druids are both part of the larger quest.
Location: Emerald Grove
TipUse this first visit to gather information and identify which refugee-related conversations and side objectives are available.
02
Prevent the Grove from turning on the refugees
Investigate the Druid and Tiefling dispute
Follow the Grove's internal conflict rather than treating the Goblins as the only threat. Resolving internal tensions or finding a peaceful answer to Kagha's influence can make it easier to protect the refugees from an avoidable escalation.
Location: Emerald Grove
Watch outChoices that allow the internal conflict to spiral can kill refugees or close off significant side quests even before the Goblin leaders are dealt with.
03
Reach the Goblin leadership
Find a route into the Goblin stronghold
Travel to the Goblin-held area and look for a way to move through it without immediately turning every nearby group hostile. Dialogue, deception, stealth, and combat can all provide access, but an indiscriminate attack may create a more difficult encounter sequence.
Location: Goblin stronghold
TipExplore before starting a fight when possible; information about the leaders and the imprisoned Halsin can help you decide which encounters to handle first.
04
Rescue Halsin
Rescue the Arch Druid Halsin
Locate Halsin inside the Goblin-held area and free him from captivity. His rescue connects the Goblin investigation to the Grove's leadership crisis and can provide a clearer route toward resolving the refugee situation.
Location: Goblin stronghold
Watch outDo not assume that reaching Halsin alone completes the quest. The Goblin leaders and the Grove's political conflict still affect the final outcome.
05
Defeat or incapacitate Priestess Gut
Deal with Priestess Gut
Approach Priestess Gut using conversation or combat, depending on your route through the stronghold. If you intend to preserve flexibility, avoid creating unnecessary alarm around the entire area before you are ready to handle the other leaders.
Location: Goblin stronghold
TipA private or controlled confrontation is generally easier to manage than allowing the whole stronghold to join the fight.
06
Defeat or incapacitate Dror Ragzlin
Defeat Dror Ragzlin
Confront Dror Ragzlin and remove him from the Goblin command structure. This encounter can become much more dangerous if surrounding forces are alerted, so position the party carefully and use the environment to control who can reach the battle.
Location: Goblin stronghold
Watch outA loud or poorly contained fight can pull additional Goblins into the encounter and turn a targeted leader objective into a wider stronghold battle.
07
Defeat or incapacitate Minthara
Stop Minthara's assault plans
Find Minthara and prevent her from leading the assault against the Emerald Grove. On the refugee-saving route, she must be defeated or otherwise incapacitated rather than supported as the Goblin attack's commander.
Location: Goblin stronghold
TipDecide whether you are preserving a quiet route through the stronghold before speaking to her, because your dialogue choices can determine whether the surrounding Goblins become hostile.
08
Secure the refugees' future
Return to the Grove and confirm the refugee outcome
After the Goblin leadership has been dealt with, return to the Emerald Grove and speak with the relevant Tiefling and Druid leaders. Confirm that the refugees are safe before leaving the region, since this outcome determines which characters and storylines can appear in later acts.
Location: Emerald Grove
Watch outLeaving refugees dead, siding with the Cult of the Absolute, or allowing the Grove's destruction can permanently remove later content and may cause Wyll or Karlach to leave.
Missable

Mission mechanics

This quest is built around overlapping state changes rather than a conventional chain of isolated objectives. The Grove's internal dispute, Halsin's captivity, the Goblin leaders' plans, and the refugees' survival all influence one another. A decision that appears to concern only one faction can therefore change access to dialogue, combat encounters, companions, and later quests.

The three Goblin leaders can be approached through different play styles. Direct combat is not the only possible solution, and the game supports dialogue, stealth, deception, and controlled incapacitation. The practical difference is not just difficulty: raising an alarm can change the surrounding encounters, while a contained approach may let you resolve several objectives without fighting the entire stronghold at once.

Refugee survival is the most important hidden-looking requirement. The quest's later consequences are not limited to the immediate resolution at the Grove. The refugees' presence in Acts 2 and 3 depends on earlier outcomes, and the Leave No One Behind trophy requires keeping specific refugees alive across multiple acts.

What works and what does not

Strengths

Multiple approaches support combat, dialogue, stealth, and deception.
The quest ties local faction politics to a wider Act 1 conflict instead of isolating the refugee story from the Goblin threat.
Protecting the refugees creates meaningful continuation in Acts 2 and 3.
Companion reactions give the faction decision lasting party consequences.

Weaknesses

The quest can be difficult to read as a single objective because several related crises progress at the same time.
A choice that seems like a local resolution can permanently remove later refugee content.
Refugee survival may require attention to events outside the most obvious Goblin-leader objectives.
Siding against the refugees can result in permanent companion loss, not merely a different reward.

Best uses

Use it as a planning framework for completing the Grove, Goblin, and Halsin storylines without committing prematurely to the hostile route.
Pair it with a refugee-survival checklist when pursuing later Tiefling content or Leave No One Behind.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

Protect the refugees and oppose the Goblin assault.
The Tieflings can survive and reappear in later acts, where additional storylines and side quests become available.
Spoiler
Side with the Cult of the Absolute's forces.
The Emerald Grove and its refugees can be destroyed, locking out significant content and potentially causing Wyll and Karlach to leave permanently.
Spoiler
Resolve the Grove's internal conflict peacefully where possible.
Reducing the Druid-Tiefling crisis helps secure refugee safety without adding an avoidable source of deaths or hostility.
Spoiler
Allow individual refugees to die during related events.
Specific later quests, appearances, and the requirements for Leave No One Behind may be lost even if the broader conflict is resolved in the refugees' favor.
Spoiler

Checklist

Visit the Emerald Grove and speak with Zevlor.Establish the refugees' immediate situation before choosing a side.
Investigate the conflict between the Tieflings and Druids.Do not treat the Goblin leaders as the only source of danger.
Look for Halsin in the Goblin stronghold.His rescue is closely tied to resolving the Grove's leadership crisis.
Defeat or incapacitate Minthara.This prevents her from leading the assault on the Grove.
Defeat or incapacitate Dror Ragzlin.Removing him weakens the Goblin command.
Defeat or incapacitate Priestess Gut.Complete the three-leader objective on the refugee-saving route.
Avoid siding with the Cult of the Absolute against the refugees.That route can destroy the Grove and remove later content.
Check that key refugees survive before leaving Act 1.Later appearances and Leave No One Behind depend on specific survivors.Optional
Confirm companion reactions before committing to the hostile route.Wyll and Karlach can leave permanently if the refugees are betrayed.Optional

Failure conditionsSpoilers

The Emerald Grove is destroyed.Choosing the Cult of the Absolute's side or allowing the assault to succeed can end the refugee-saving route and remove later Tiefling content.
Important refugees die.Individual deaths can close specific later quests and can prevent the requirements for Leave No One Behind from being met.
The Goblin leaders remain active.Leaving Minthara, Dror Ragzlin, or Priestess Gut in position can leave the threat to the Grove unresolved.
Wyll or Karlach leave after the refugees are betrayed.Siding against the Tieflings can cause these companions to abandon the party permanently.

On failure

The quest contains many branching states rather than one universally safe checkpoint. Make a manual save before major faction decisions, before the Goblin assault route is committed, and before entering fights that could kill named refugees.

Rewards

Surviving Tiefling refugees
Keeping the refugees alive preserves their later appearances and storylines in Acts 2 and 3.
Amulet of Misty Step
This item is identified among the notable rewards associated with defeating Goblin leaders.
Unique weapons
Various distinctive weapons can be obtained during the encounters with the Goblin leaders.
Later refugee quests
The principal long-term reward is access to additional Tiefling-related content after Act 1.
Leave No One Behind progress
Protecting the required refugees contributes toward the trophy's multi-act survival condition.

Characters in this mission

KarlachCompanion who may leave if the refugees are attacked.

AftermathSpoilers

The refugees' story continues

Saving the Tieflings is not only an Act 1 resolution. Their survival allows them to reappear in Acts 2 and 3, where they can unlock further storylines. If your goal is to preserve the most content, treat every refugee death as potentially significant and verify the Grove's outcome before moving on.

Trivia

The quest is commonly treated as a major Act 1 storyline even though its objectives are spread across the Emerald Grove, the Goblin conflict, and the rescue of Halsin.
The three Goblin leaders associated with the quest are Minthara, Dror Ragzlin, and Priestess Gut.
The Leave No One Behind trophy extends the refugee-survival challenge across multiple acts rather than checking only the Act 1 Grove outcome.
Wyll and Karlach provide especially consequential companion reactions to the decision to side against the refugees.

Sources

Save the Tiefling Refugees quest coverage — GameSpot
Baldur's Gate 3 quest guide material — DiamondLobby
Baldur's Gate 3 Tiefling and Goblin quest guide — GamesRadar+
Community discussion of refugee survival outcomes — Reddit
Tiefling refugee quest guide — TheGamer

Relationships

Locations

Emerald GroveTakes place inThe settlement where the Tiefling refugees seek shelter and where the central faction conflict unfolds.

Characters

MintharaGoblin leaderOne of the three Goblin leaders who must be defeated or incapacitated on the refugee-saving route.
Dror RagzlinGoblin leaderA principal Goblin target connected to the threat against the Emerald Grove.
Priestess GutGoblin leaderOne of the three Goblin leaders tied to the quest's central objective.
ZevlorRefugee leaderThe leader representing the Tiefling refugees in the Grove.
HalsinArch DruidHis rescue is closely connected to the resolution of the Grove's crisis.

Party

WyllCompanionA companion with strong ties to the refugee-saving route.
KarlachCompanionA companion who may leave if the refugees are attacked.