The Teddy Bear - Halsin
“Nature's fury shall not be checked."
What else did you expect? Halsin is a Circle of the Moon Druid and is in Wild Shape pretty much the entire time. The closest thing Baldur's Gate 3 has to a tank build, he has a massive health pool and can goad enemies to attack him.
[check out my other builds!]
Gameplay Notes
Halsin can Wild Shape into a Cave Bear with an insanely high health pool that can multiattack, so put him on the front lines and start clawing at people. [I refuse to Wild Shape Halsin into anything but the Cave Bear, but if you use the normal Polar Bear shape, you can do Goading Roar, which will help make sure damage is redirected to Halsin and not other party members, filling more of the tank role]
Stats and Leveling
Final build: Level 12 Circle of the Moon Druid
Character’s (default) stats: STR 10 / DEX 14 / CON 14 / INT 8 / WIS 17 / CHA 12
Level 1 - Druid Level 1
- Cantrips: Guidance, Produce Flame [you do you though]
- 1st Level Spells [note that concentration will carry over in Wild Shape, so those spells will probably be most helpful]
Level 2 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 2
- Wild Shape
Level 3 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 3
- 2nd Level Spells [I am a Moonbeam fan]
Level 4 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 4
- Feat: Tavern Brawler
- Cantrips: add Thorn Whip
Level 5 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 5
- Wild Strike [basically Extra Attack but for Wild Shape]
- 3rd Level Spells
Level 6 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 6
- Primal Strike
Level 7 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 7
- 4th Level Spells [Conjure Woodland Being has stolen my heart]
Level 8 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 8
- Feat: Alert
Level 9 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 9
- 5th Level Spells [I know this isn’t a healing build, but Mass Cure Wounds is a good safety net]
Level 10 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 10
- Improved Wild Strike [three attacks? heck yes]
- Cantrips: add Shillelagh
Level 11 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 11
- 6th Level Spells [Heroes’ Feast is good, since spell slots aren’t super necessary in combat for this build]
Level 12 - Circle of the Moon Druid Level 12
- Feat: Mobile [it’s the most helpful in Wild Shape at this point, I think]
Items
Armor - Armour of Moonbasking (3 Lower City Sewers)
Melee Weapon - Sorrow (1 Emerald Grove) [I have so many thoughts about this!!!!!!!]
Ranged Weapon - Spellthief (1 Emerald Grove) [I guess? this is never going to get used, really]
Amulet - Corvid Token (3 Rivington)
Helmet - Shapeshifter Hat (3 Devil’s Fee)
Ring 1 - Shapeshifter’s Boon Ring (1, 2, or 3 Strange Ox)
Ring 2 - Ring of Free Action (2 Moonrise Towers) [or Explorer’s Ring (1 Underdark), since literally any other build would benefit more from items than this one]
Gloves - Herbalist’s Gloves (1 Myconid Colony) [or just keep his Druidic Bracers… this is barely an improvement]
Boots - Grovetender Boots [maybe I’m missing something, but unless the Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo (3 Astral Plane) magically start working while in Wild Shape, his non-magical default is the best in slot]
Cloak - N/A [none of them would work anyway]
Lore and Flavor
It’s relatively well known that Halsin was initially not planned as a companion, but was added at launch due to his popularity among players. This is one of the many ways that his story has changed from Early Access to launch, including the fact that he was initially at fault for Isobel’s death. This is an absolutely incredible post that details the Shadow Curse and the war against Ketheric (parts 1 and 2 are also awesome) that has insights into Halsin combined from relatively disparate sources in game, and I cannot recommend it enough.
The thing I want to talk most about is Sorrow, the glaive that’s found in the Hidden Vault of the Emerald Grove. The BG3 wiki says that the Druid Notebook, found near Halsin’s bed implies the glaive was Ketheric’s. Let me be clear in saying that many pieces of lore in this game are vague and open to interpretation, and I don’t know how universally held that belief is, but I think that there is absolutely no way that this glaive used to be Ketheric Thorm’s. I believe (like the author of the Tumblr post linked above) that Sorrow belonged to the previous archdruid of the Emerald Grove, that Halsin replaced him after his death, and that Halsin had to put his master’s shade to rest. [P.S., here’s some cool Early Access datamining about Halsin and the glaive!]
So why would Halsin carry the glaive, if it represents such painful, wretched memories to him? I think precisely because it represents the fall of the lands to the Shadow Curse, the death of his friends and mentors (and in a way, the death of the life he wanted for himself, based on how little he wishes to be an archdruid), and the responsibility he has to right the wrongs of the past. I cannot stop myself from imagining him preparing to join Tav at camp — to finally journey into the Shadow Cursed Lands after a century of guilt and grief — and feeling drawn to Sorrow once more.
Okay, okay. I know. Druids don’t have proficiency with glaives (although… the 2024 rules for DnD include the choice of a Primal Order, of which Warden provides proficiency with martial weapons and medium armor, so the world of weapons can be a druid’s oyster). I don’t mind the lack of proficiency, given the fact that this build just should not be making weapon attacks. Go into Wild Shape and slap some people around instead.
[random side note that’s unrelated to the build, but I was listening to Kid A while writing this, and Halsin is SO How to Disappear Completely to me. the dissonance? the lyrics? his life being definded by responsibility that he’s grown detached to, lost int he past? idkkkk it just hit different. maybe I’m unknowingly holding the Sorrow glaive and am filled with it’s emo-ness]