Goblin Camp

Key takeaways

• The Goblin Camp and Shattered Sanctum are separate map locations, but the outdoor camp is the approach and exterior of the former temple.
• The three goblin leaders are inside the Shattered Sanctum Priestess Gut, Dror Ragzlin and Minthara.
• The camp can often be entered peacefully, especially as a drow, with disguise magic, tadpole dialogue, successful checks or Sazza’s recommendation.
• The outdoor camp contains missable activities and rewards, including Volo’s rescue, the chicken chase, Crusher’s Ring, the Glowing Shield and several hidden routes.
• Killing or openly antagonising certain goblins can turn the entire camp hostile, while carefully isolating leaders allows exploration and trading first.
• Progressing the Grove conflict can permanently change the area Revealing the Emerald Grove to Minthara, raiding the Grove or resolving the goblin leaders can close off dialogue, vendors and activities.

About this guide

Overview

The Goblin Camp is a large Act One location in the Wilderness, west of the Blighted Village. It is not simply the goblins’ outdoor courtyard. The named location includes a forest checkpoint, the fortified outdoor camp, the ruins of a former Selûnite temple, and the connected Shattered Sanctum, which serves as the goblin army’s interior headquarters. The Defiled Temple, Worg Pens and other interiors are connected child locations rather than interchangeable names for the camp itself.

The camp is the main stage for the first act’s central conflict between the goblin army, the Emerald Grove and the refugees. You can enter as an apparent ally, sneak through the fortifications, manipulate the goblins against one another, rescue prisoners, trade with Zhentarim merchants, investigate the Absolute and eventually kill or support the camp’s leaders.

There is no single required route. You can arrive from the main road, descend from the Blighted Village, reach the upper walls from the west, or use later-discovered passages. The location rewards preparation and observation more than simply charging through the front gate.

Boundaries and hierarchy

The Goblin Camp is part of the Wilderness, not a sub-area of the Blighted Village. The Blighted Village lies across a river gulch and provides several approaches, but it is a separate location. The Rosymorn Monastery Trail, labelled Mountain Pass on some maps, is another neighbouring connection rather than part of the camp.

The Shattered Sanctum is the temple’s interior and should be treated as its own major location. It contains the leaders, prisoners, trader and most of the important story encounters. It is not merely a room inside the outdoor camp.

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The practical hierarchy is

1. 01
   Wilderness
2. 02
   Goblin Camp
3. 03
   Forest road checkpoint
4. 04
   Main outdoor camp
5. 05
   Central courtyard
6. 06
   Western courtyard
7. 07
   Eastern courtyard
8. 08
   Eastern cliffs
9. 09
   Upper tier and courtyard towers
10. 10
    Shattered Sanctum
11. 11
    Entryway
12. 12
    Main nave and Absolute shrine
13. 13
    Priestess Gut’s chambers
14. 14
    Spider pit
15. 15
    Torture chamber and prison areas
16. 16
    Worg Pens connection
17. 17
    Defiled Temple connection

Forest road checkpoint

The main approach is guarded by Sentinel Olak, several goblins and two named worgs, Klaw and Small Klaw. Olak challenges the party before allowing passage. The checkpoint includes a war drum, barricades and a boulder trap.

A passive Intelligence check can reveal that the apparently disorderly roadside gathering is a goblin outpost and highlight the war drum. You can pass the checkpoint through dialogue, disguise, racial dialogue, Sazza’s recommendation or combat. Drow characters and characters disguised as drow receive particularly favourable treatment.

If combat begins, a goblin may try to sound the war drum. The checkpoint drum is unusual because the party can interact with it without automatically committing theft, although the guards’ reaction depends on how the party entered and what they do. The boulder trap on the southern hill can be triggered by destroying its barricade.

Main outdoor camp

After crossing the crumbling bridge, the party reaches the main camp. This is a busy goblin settlement rather than a conventional military fortress. Goblins feast, drink, argue, perform entertainments and move between the courtyards. The camp’s outdoor layout includes a central square, lesser eastern and western squares, ruined arches, upper walls and routes leading towards the Shattered Sanctum.

Approaching the main territory triggers a major Absolute-related cutscene. The presentation changes depending on whether the party has already used illithid powers and whether Shadowheart has been recruited or is present. If Shadowheart is absent, the Mysterious Artefact can transfer to the player character during the scene.

Western courtyard and upper approach

The western side provides a route towards the upper walls and the exterior of the Shattered Sanctum. It is useful for stealth because the party can climb around the main entrance rather than pass directly through the guarded doors.

The outdoor camp’s goblin tunnels connect ground-level areas with upper areas. These holes are used by goblins during combat, allowing them to move between levels quickly. They are not normally usable by the party, summons or small characters. Placing sufficiently large objects over them can prevent goblins from using them.

Eastern courtyard

The Goblin Camp Waypoint is in the eastern courtyard. A small stage stands near a broken statue, where Crusher boasts to nearby goblins and attempts to humiliate newcomers.

Crusher’s dialogue can be resolved through submission, intimidation, deception or violence. If the party kneels and kisses his feet, it is possible to steal Crusher’s Ring during the conversation. Killing him through the dialogue encounter can cause the whole camp to become hostile, so this is a poor choice if you still want to shop or explore peacefully.

The eastern courtyard also has a ladder behind the stage and routes to the wall. Its normal stairs are damaged, so jumping, climbing or using movement magic may be required. The upper grass near the wall is where the party arrives if it enters from behind the Blighted Village windmill.

Under the stone bridge are three blast mines. Two create poison clouds when triggered. A locked chest at the end of the route contains the Glowing Shield. The area also connects to a hidden passage that can be opened from inside the Shattered Sanctum.

Eastern cliffs and the riverside ledge

A breach in the south-eastern wall opens onto a riverside cliff. Three goblin children, Four, Five and Eight, argue over the corpse of a dead adventurer. A locked chest can be looted nearby.

Brawler Rancer wanders between a campfire and the cliff edge. A ladder leads down to a small shrine or fane to the Absolute hidden behind a waterfall. The descent includes a tripwire. A crude chest contains gold and alchemical ingredients, while love-letter drafts from Klagga to Minthara are scattered nearby.

This section is useful for players who want to approach the camp without passing the main bridge. From the forest checkpoint, the party can climb down knotted roots and reach the same general area.

Upper tier and courtyard towers

The upper tier sits above the Shattered Sanctum entrance. It can be reached using vines from the western courtyard or by using the ladder behind the eastern stage.

An open area with a fountain contains sleeping drunk goblins and bugbears. They may wake if the party makes a loud noise, throws an item or jumps near them. The party can placate them with a skill check or by giving them wine. Waking them a second time can make them hostile, although certain illithid dialogue options may prevent this.

The upper level also provides a route to the Cracked Wall, one of the entrances into the Shattered Sanctum. The wall is sturdy and favours force damage, such as an Eldritch Blast or Smokepowder Bomb. Using Silence can help prevent the explosion from attracting nearby sleeping guards.

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Main entrance

The standard route crosses the wooden bridge and approaches Olak’s checkpoint. It is the most conversational route and gives the party access to the camp’s main activities without requiring special movement abilities.

Sazza can help if she was rescued during Save the Goblin Sazza.

Blighted Village cliff route

From the road around the Blighted Village, the party can jump down towards the camp and cross a fallen log. Feather Fall is recommended. A second route begins behind the broken Selûnite statue west of the windmill and reaches the upper tier by a narrow stone bridge. Feather Fall is again useful.

Northern and western routes

The north-western approach can bypass some checkpoints but brings the party close to sleeping enemies. Silence is useful if landing near a sleeping bugbear or breaking the Cracked Wall.

Shattered Sanctum entrances

A fourth route connects the temple to the Underdark’s Selûnite Outpost, but it must first be opened from the inside. It is not a normal external entrance to the Goblin Camp.

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The Shattered Sanctum is the interior of the ruined Selûnite temple. It contains a long entryway, a main nave, side rooms, rafters, the shrine to the Absolute, the leaders’ areas, prisoners and routes to the Defiled Temple and Worg Pens.

War drums are scattered throughout the sanctum. Unlike the checkpoint drum, these are treated as theft if the party interacts with them, and a goblin playing one can make the entire local population hostile. The rafters are valuable for stealth, positioning and reaching storerooms. Several minor chests, often containing silver tableware and other loot, are found above the main floor.

There are three main outdoor entrances

1. 01
   Heavy Oak Doors The normal entrance, guarded by Warrior Trinzas. The guards can be persuaded, bypassed with drow dialogue or defeated.

Shattered Sanctum entrances: steps

1. 01
   Passageway beneath the bridge A trapped route with three blast mines. It enters the south-eastern portion of the Shattered Sanctum.

Shattered Sanctum entrances: steps

1. 01
   Cracked Wall on the second level A stealth-friendly route above the main entrance. It can be broken with suitable force damage, but noise may alert sleeping guards.

Named directory: Shattered Sanctum residents and visitors

Priestess Gut

Priestess Gut initially stands near the shrine to the Absolute. She offers to place the Brand of the Absolute on a party member and can offer supposed help with the tadpole. Her dialogue can lead to a private encounter in her chambers.

Gut is one of the three goblin leaders required for the main anti-goblin resolution. She can be confronted in several ways, including isolating her from the rest of the sanctum. Her personal loot includes the Absolute’s Talisman and Absolute’s Warboard.

Dror Ragzlin

Dror Ragzlin conducts a ritual around a dead mind flayer in the central sanctum. This encounter is dangerous because nearby goblins can be drawn into the fight. If you intend to preserve a neutral or friendly relationship with other camp residents, isolate the room before attacking.

Dror Ragzlin carries Faithbreaker. Killing him is part of the usual route for Defeat the Goblins, although the quest can be resolved through different alliances and progression states.

Minthara

Minthara is the drow leader of the goblin attack force. She can be found in the sanctum and is central to the choice between defending the Emerald Grove and supporting the raid.

Speaking to Minthara can reveal the Grove’s location, but doing so may advance or enable the raid. Paladins can also incur oath consequences when helping her identify the Grove. Her equipment includes the Boots of Striding, while a locked chest and nearby study contain further rewards.

Prisoners and torture rooms

The sanctum includes prisoners and torture-related encounters. Liam can be freed and can reveal a hidden tunnel connecting the sanctum to the outside camp. Brakkal and Smythin are among the other named captives or victims associated with the location.

The spider pit is beneath the shrine. Two giant spiders are kept there, and the party can use dialogue, stealth or combat to manipulate the encounter. The larger spider may be persuaded to attack the goblins. A deeper route through cracked tiles connects towards the Defiled Temple.

Roah Moonglow and the storeroom

Roah Moonglow is a Zhentarim trader in the south-eastern part of the sanctum, accompanied by Erna and Yerle. Her inventory contains useful Act One equipment, weapons, scrolls and other supplies, with stock affected by normal trader refresh rules.

A storeroom behind her contains six Firewine Barrels and six Smokepowder Barrels, as well as grenades and weapon coatings in crates. The locked chest requires a DC 18 Sleight of Hand check and contains several hundred gold. The storeroom can be reached by fighting through, entering from the rafters or using a small-character route through a rocky crevice.

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The Absolute’s goblin army

Most camp residents are goblins, bugbears, worg handlers or other creatures supporting the Absolute. Their apparent lack of discipline is misleading. The camp has checkpoints, drums, guarded entrances, patrol routes, leaders and several alarm mechanisms.

The camp is not governed by a conventional law system. Instead, stealing, attacking guards, killing certain named residents or playing sanctum war drums changes local hostility. This makes staged assassinations and isolated fights much safer than open combat in the courtyard.

Zhentarim presence

Roah Moonglow’s presence shows that the camp is not exclusively a goblin settlement. The Zhentarim are trading with the Absolute’s forces, and Roah’s later appearance in Moonrise Towers depends on surviving the camp.

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The following are fixed or character-associated rewards documented for the camp and Shattered Sanctum. Trader stock and ordinary containers can vary with game state and are not listed as fixed collectibles.

The sanctum also contains barrels, grenades, weapon coatings, silverware, gold and ordinary containers. The barrel stock in Roah’s storeroom is especially useful for preparing explosive traps, but moving or stealing it may attract attention.

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Zhentarim presence

Defeat the Goblins

The major Grove-related route usually requires dealing with Priestess Gut, Dror Ragzlin and Minthara. You do not need to kill every goblin immediately. A careful party can:

Killing all three leaders grants the A Headless Horde inspiration to Soldier-background characters, whether or not the main quest has already been formally started. Knocking out Minthara can also count for this purpose in the relevant progression state.

Defeat the Goblins: steps

1. 01
   Enter peacefully.
2. 02
   Speak to traders and complete camp activities.
3. 03
   Rescue Volo and investigate prisoners.
4. 04
   Deal with Gut privately.
5. 05
   Isolate Dror Ragzlin’s audience chamber.
6. 06
   Decide Minthara’s fate.
7. 07
   Resolve Halsin and the Emerald Grove conflict.
8. 08
   Return for remaining loot and exploration.

Rescue the Druid Halsin

Halsin is in the Worg Pens rather than the outdoor courtyard. He may be found in bear form, and his rescue is closely connected to the Grove conflict and Save the First Druid.

Do not assume that killing the outdoor camp’s guards automatically resolves the Halsin objective. Enter the Shattered Sanctum and continue into the relevant child areas.

Rescue Volo

Volo starts in the central courtyard as a forced performer. Speaking to him begins the route that takes him into the sanctum. His rescue can later lead to his appearance at camp and to additional story content.

Save the Goblin Sazza

If Sazza is rescued from the Emerald Grove, she can help the party pass the checkpoint and sanctum entrance. This is one of the most useful ways to obtain peaceful access while playing a non-drow character.

Chicken chase

Krolla’s game can be won for gold and inspiration. The event changes if the owlbear cub has survived and reached the camp. Players interested in the cub should explore the owlbear nest before treating the chicken chase as a routine activity.

Abdirak and Loviatar

Abdirak is a visitor associated with Loviatar rather than a goblin camp leader. His torture-related scene can grant benefits depending on how the party handles pain, suffering and approval checks. His room contains Loviatar’s Scourge, a Ritual Axe and a Ritual Dagger. These are separate from the three-leader objective.

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For a balanced playthrough that preserves the most options:

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Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Approach the checkpoint without attacking. Use dialogue, disguise, drow identity or Sazza’s recommendation if available.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Activate the Goblin Camp Waypoint. It is in the eastern courtyard and makes later returns much easier.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Explore the central courtyard. Speak to Volo, inspect the chicken chase and note Krolla’s position.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Deal with Crusher carefully. If you want Crusher’s Ring, use the dialogue route. Do not kill him casually if you want the camp to remain peaceful.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Search the eastern courtyard and bridge underside. Disarm the blast mines and retrieve the Glowing Shield.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Climb to the upper tier. Use the western vines or the eastern ladder. Avoid waking the drunk guards unless you are ready to fight.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Enter the Shattered Sanctum through the Heavy Oak Doors or Cracked Wall. The Cracked Wall is useful for stealth, while the doors provide the most straightforward dialogue route.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Visit Roah Moonglow before starting a camp-wide battle. Buy equipment and inspect the storeroom.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Speak to Gut, Minthara and Dror Ragzlin in an order that suits your plan. Isolate fights where possible. Dror’s audience chamber is particularly dangerous if alarms spread.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Rescue Volo and Halsin. Search the Worg Pens and prisoner areas rather than assuming they are in the central sanctum.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Return to the outdoor camp. Complete any remaining activities, loot the upper walls and inspect the eastern cliffs.

Abdirak and Loviatar: steps

1. 01
   Only then commit to the Grove resolution. Revealing the Grove to Minthara, supporting the raid or killing the leaders can change the availability of NPCs, traders and activities.

War drums

War drums are the camp’s alarm system. The checkpoint drum is comparatively safe to inspect, but sanctum drums are treated as theft and can turn the local population hostile if played. Destroy or avoid them before starting fights when possible.

Goblin tunnels

Goblins can use ground holes to move rapidly between levels during combat. Blocking them with barrels or crates can prevent reinforcements from taking these routes. This is a tactical environmental interaction rather than a normal travel system for the party.

Cracked Wall

The second-level wall is sturdy and has unusually restrictive damage properties. Force damage is particularly effective, and Silence can hide the noise from nearby sleepers.

Hidden passage

The passage near the eastern side of the outdoor camp connects to the torture chamber in the Shattered Sanctum, but it is opened from inside. Once discovered, it becomes a useful covert route between the outdoor camp and the sanctum.

Explosive storeroom

Roah’s storeroom contains a large supply of Firewine and Smokepowder Barrels. It is an excellent location for preparing an ambush, but accessing it without permission requires stealth, movement abilities or combat.

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The Goblin Camp is highly state-dependent.

Because the camp contains traders, story characters, fixed loot and faction decisions in one area, it is worth making a manual save before entering the sanctum and another before speaking to Minthara about the Grove.

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Is the Goblin Camp the same as the Shattered Sanctum?

No. The Goblin Camp is the outdoor location and the exterior of the ruined temple. The Shattered Sanctum is the temple’s interior location, reached through the camp. They are connected but should be treated as separate areas.

Do I have to fight my way through the main gate?

No. You can use dialogue, drow identity, disguise, Sazza’s assistance, stealth, the upper route, the eastern cliffs or movement abilities to bypass parts of the checkpoint.

Where are the three goblin leaders?

Priestess Gut, Dror Ragzlin and Minthara are in the Shattered Sanctum, not the outdoor courtyard.

Where is Halsin?

Halsin is in the Worg Pens, a connected child area of the Shattered Sanctum.

Can I shop before attacking?

Yes. Roah Moonglow trades in the Shattered Sanctum. Her inventory and continued availability depend on how the camp’s conflict is resolved.

What is the safest way to enter the sanctum?

For a normal playthrough, pass Warrior Trinzas at the Heavy Oak Doors through dialogue. For a stealth playthrough, use the upper Cracked Wall, but prepare force damage and Silence.

Should I kill all the goblins immediately?

Usually not. Exploring first lets you obtain trader stock, complete the chicken chase, rescue Volo, speak with Abdirak, locate Halsin and collect fixed rewards. The best order depends on whether you intend to defend the Grove, support Minthara or pursue a more complicated alliance.

Sources

• Goblin Camp - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
• Shattered Sanctum - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
• Defeat the Goblins - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki