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Tiefling Refugee Celebration

The Tiefling Refugee Celebration is a special camp event in Baldur’s Gate 3, held after the party helps the tiefling refugees survive the Emerald Grove crisis.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • The celebration is triggered by resolving the Grove crisis in favour of the refugees, then speaking to Zevlor, or Cerys if Zevlor is dead, before taking the next Long Rest.
  • Defeating the goblin leaders is the reliable route to both the celebration and the refugees’ safe departure.
  • The celebration takes place at camp, not inside the Emerald Grove Its exact visual layout depends on the party’s ordinary camp environment.
  • It is one of the best opportunities in Act One to start or advance companion romances, often with lower approval requirements than usual.
  • Prior choices determine which refugees attend, who replaces dead or missing characters, and whether special scenes occur.
  • Travelling to the Rosymorn Monastery Trail or leaving Grymforge by elevator can resolve the refugee quest automatically and kill the refugees if their situation has not been secured.

About this guide

Base game, Act One camp event. Spoilers for the Emerald Grove, companion romances and the fate of the tiefling refugees.

Overview

The Tiefling Refugee Celebration is a special camp event in Baldur’s Gate 3, held after the party helps the tiefling refugees survive the Emerald Grove crisis. It is not a permanent settlement, dungeon or explorable map region. Instead, it is a temporary version of the party’s normal campsite, populated by the refugees and several story-dependent visitors.

The event marks the apparent end of the refugees’ first journey. With the goblin threat removed, they prepare to leave the Emerald Grove and continue towards Baldur’s Gate. It is also one of the most important social scenes in Act One: companions have special conversations, several romances can progress, camp followers may join the festivities, and some refugees who later appear in Acts Two and Three can be seen before they leave the Grove.

The celebration is sometimes called the tiefling party or tiefling celebration, but it should be kept separate from:

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Reliable route

The event can also follow a successful defence of the Grove, provided the party remains aligned with the tieflings. The celebration is mutually exclusive with the Goblin Celebration, which occurs after siding with the goblins during Raid the Emerald Grove.

Reliable route: steps

  1. 01
    Enter the Emerald Grove and speak with its inhabitants.
  2. 02
    Learn about the conflict between the druids and the tiefling refugees.
  3. 03
    Prevent the goblins from destroying the Grove.
  4. 04
    Defeat the goblin leaders, usually through the quest Defeat the Goblins.
  5. 05
    Return to the Grove.
  6. 06
    Speak with Zevlor.
  7. 07
    Take a Long Rest at camp.

Why defeating the goblins matters

Stopping the Rite of Thorns alone is not enough to guarantee the refugees’ safety. The Rite can be ended by dealing with the goblin leaders or by resolving the Shadow Druid plot surrounding Kagha, but the goblins still need to be defeated if the refugees are to travel safely.

Zevlor’s death

If Zevlor has died, the party should speak with Cerys instead. Cerys can fulfil the reporting function and allow the celebration to proceed, although the precise set of people present may differ from a normal Zevlor-led outcome.

Automatic failure and progression warnings

The refugee quest can automatically resolve when the party:

The game warns the player to finish outstanding business before proceeding. Continuing can result in the refugees being killed and the Grove being sealed. This is not the same as simply taking several Long Rests. The commonly repeated claim that the quest automatically advances after a fixed number of rests has been disproved.

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For the fullest version of the celebration, consider the following order before reporting back to Zevlor:

This is not required to trigger the celebration. It is simply the best way to preserve optional content.

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There is no unique map with a separate waypoint called Tiefling Refugee Celebration. The event uses the party’s campsite, with the refugees distributed around the familiar camp space.

The precise positions can vary according to the camp environment, but the following arrangement is useful:

A practical route is to walk around the entire camp once before speaking to a companion. The event contains short conversations that are easy to miss if the player immediately goes to sleep after speaking with one romance candidate.

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The celebration’s attendance list is conditional. It is not a complete census of the tiefling refugees.

Automatic failure and progression warnings: steps

  1. 01
    Resolve Save Arabella.
  2. 02
    Investigate Kagha if you want the Shadow Druid outcome.
  3. 03
    Recruit the available companions in the Wilderness and at the Grove.
  4. 04
    Complete companion scenes that you want to see before the party.
  5. 05
    Rescue the refugees and prisoners whose survival affects later appearances.
  6. 06
    Rescue Barcus from the Blighted Village and Grymforge if you want his fireworks scene.
  7. 07
    Make sure Alfira survives if you want her songwriting interaction.
  8. 08
    Return to Zevlor or Cerys.
  9. 09
    Save the game before the Long Rest, particularly if you are pursuing multiple romances.

Refugee leadership

Zevlor

Zevlor is normally the principal organiser and the person who confirms that the refugees are ready to leave. He appears at the celebration if he survived the Grove conflict.

His presence ties the event directly to Save the Refugees. Speak to him before resting. If the player has already resolved the goblin threat but the party has not spoken to him, the event may not start as expected.

Cerys

Cerys can take Zevlor’s place if he has died. She is therefore both a refugee character and a progression substitute for this event.

Refugees commonly associated with the celebration

The following named characters have celebration-related appearances or dialogue, subject to survival and earlier choices:

Not every name in this directory appears in every playthrough. Several are replacement characters or conditional attendees.

Bex and Danis

Bex and Danis appear together near a trunk used as a bench. Bex is drunk enough to attempt dancing before realising that she has had too much to drink. Their presence is a small but memorable indication that the refugees are trying to enjoy a rare moment of safety.

Ikaron and Guex

Ikaron and Guex can be found bantering together. Ikaron is troubled by the refugees who died and does not initially feel comfortable celebrating. A Charisma check can persuade him to join in. Guex is more openly optimistic, looking forward to reaching Baldur’s Gate and leaving behind tents, caves and repeated flight.

Lakrissa and Zae

Lakrissa attends if she survives. If she does not survive, Zae replaces her. Zae invites the player character to dance.

The dance can be resolved through freeform movement or several DC 10 Performance or ability-based options. A successful non-basic dance can grant the Celebrant inspiration to characters with the Entertainer background and may increase companion approval.

Alfira and Chell

Alfira can offer a special songwriting interaction. The player can suggest that she write a song about the victory, the refugees, the party’s identity or another suitable subject. If Alfira is dead or otherwise unavailable, Chell can appear instead, but does not provide the same songwriting questions.

Komira, Locke and Arabella’s fate

If Kagha allowed her snake to kill Arabella during Save Arabella, Arabella’s parents, Komira and Locke, may be present at the celebration. They can poison Kagha, after which Komira attempts to attack her. Kagha’s earlier actions and whether she repented affect the context of this confrontation.

Mol

Mol may attend if she survives and the party sides with the refugees. She is associated with the celebration through her theft of wine and her position among the tiefling children.

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Companion directory

Every recruited companion can be spoken to at the celebration. Conversations are often more permissive than ordinary romance progression, making this one of the most important relationship checkpoints in Act One. The exact dialogue depends on approval, previous romance flags, which companion is approached first and whether another romance is already active.

Companions present

The celebration does not force a single romance. If several romance scenes are available, the player may be offered a choice after going to sleep. The event can therefore be a good time to save before resting if the player is trying to preserve a particular relationship route.

Astarion

Astarion frames the evening as a chance for the party to receive a more suitable reward for its heroics. Agreeing to his proposition can make him a romance option for the night.

Gale

Gale can have event dialogue reflecting his relationship with the player character and his personal circumstances. He may also be affected by the order in which the player speaks to potential romance partners.

Karlach

Karlach’s celebration dialogue reflects her enthusiasm for the party’s victory and her connection to the refugees. Her romance progression is especially sensitive to her approval and earlier interactions.

Lae’zel

Lae’zel can respond to the celebration in her characteristically direct manner. Her relationship scene may become available even at a lower approval threshold than during ordinary camp progression.

Shadowheart

Shadowheart has party-specific dialogue and can become a romance option if the player has established sufficient approval and has not exceeded the relevant relationship limits.

Wyll

Wyll changes position, moving towards the waterside. His conversation can lead into a romance scene, particularly if the player shows interest in dancing or in him directly.

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Companions present

Barcus

Barcus can attend if he has been rescued from both:

After rescuing him in Grymforge, the party must ask him to join the camp. During the celebration, he can be persuaded to set off fireworks despite insisting that the victory belongs to the player and the refugees rather than to him.

This makes Barcus’s fireworks a conditional celebration feature, not a standard reward.

Volo

Volo can be spoken to during the celebration. He proposes giving the player character a dramatic new “nom de guerre”. Suggested names include titles such as “Grovekeeper” or “Goblinsbane”, although Volo wants something grander before wandering away to think.

Korrilla

Korrilla can appear briefly regardless of some earlier interactions. She initially teleports to a waterside spot near Wyll and any hirelings. If the player stands too close to that location, she may disappear and move towards Gale’s camp position instead. Her appearance is brief and is best treated as a hidden visitor rather than a normal celebration resident.

Withers, Scratch and the Owlbear Cub

Withers remains at his normal camp location and offers no special celebration service. Scratch and the Owlbear Cub can be present if recruited, reacting to the unusual number of people around camp.

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Folk Hero inspiration

Characters with the Folk Hero background can receive the Guardian of the Forgotten inspiration from helping the refugees. This is tied to the broader refugee rescue outcome rather than to a purchasable object at the celebration.

Entertainer inspiration

A character with the Entertainer background can gain Celebrant inspiration by successfully performing a more elaborate dance with Zae. The simple arm-and-hip movement is treated as too dull for this purpose.

Fireworks

If Barcus has become a camp follower, he can be persuaded to provide fireworks. This is a scene and spectacle rather than a conventional inventory reward.

Romance opportunities

The celebration gives many companions a special romance window. A typical requirement is around 20 approval, alongside restrictions concerning existing romances. The event can sometimes permit multiple candidates to become available, with the player choosing between potential scenes when going to sleep.

Practical romance checklist

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The celebration is a crossroads for the refugees’ wider storyline.

If the refugees survive

The refugees leave the Grove and continue towards Baldur’s Gate. Survivors may later appear in:

Their later appearances depend on individual survival, the protection of Last Light Inn and the party’s actions in Acts One and Two.

If the refugees die

The celebration does not occur in its normal form. The Goblin Celebration is a separate outcome, and the refugees’ later quests and appearances are lost or changed.

If individual refugees die

Some replacement behaviour is progression-dependent and should not be treated as a universal one-for-one rule. The game’s refugee roster changes according to who survived the Grove, who stayed or left, and whether Rolan’s group was persuaded to remain.

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The event can substitute certain characters

Missing characterPossible replacement or change
ZevlorCerys can perform the reporting role
LakrissaZae can appear and invite the player to dance
AlfiraChell can appear, without Alfira’s songwriting interaction
IkaronA replacement may appear depending on the relevant survival state
GuexAnother refugee may occupy the celebration role
DanisA different refugee may appear in his place

Leaving the Act One region too early

Travelling to the Rosymorn Monastery Trail or exiting Grymforge through the elevator can resolve the refugee quest before the party has secured their route. This is the most important missable trigger associated with the celebration.

Killing or abandoning named refugees

The attendance list is built from the player’s earlier actions. Killing or allowing characters to die can:

Allowing the Grove to be destroyed

Siding with the goblins leads to the mutually exclusive Goblin Celebration and destroys the refugee storyline in its ordinary form.

Taking the celebration for granted

The party is not automatically populated with every refugee who has ever appeared in the Grove. Some refugees have already left, died, moved to another location or been replaced by a different event-specific character. The celebration is a curated progression scene rather than a complete refugee gathering.

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The following names are associated with the celebration event or its immediate attendance conditions. They are grouped by function rather than treating every person as a permanent resident.

Companions

Related named areas, kept separate from the celebration

These places are not subareas of the camp event. They are separate locations connected by the refugees’ storyline.

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Related named areas, kept separate from the celebration

Is the Tiefling Refugee Celebration a location?

No. It is a special camp event that temporarily changes the population and dialogue of the party’s campsite.

Do I need to kill every goblin?

The reliable objective is to defeat the goblin leaders and secure the Grove. The precise combat route can vary, but merely stopping the Rite of Thorns does not by itself make the roads safe for the refugees.

Can the celebration happen if Zevlor dies?

Yes. Cerys can replace him for the relevant progression conversation, although the event’s attendees and dialogue may change.

Can I romance more than one companion at the party?

The celebration can make multiple romance scenes available, depending on approval and existing relationships. The player may then choose between possible scenes when going to sleep.

Does taking several Long Rests fail the refugees’ quest?

No fixed number of Long Rests automatically fails the quest. The major documented progression triggers are travelling to the Rosymorn Monastery Trail or using the Grymforge elevator before resolving the refugee situation.

Does Barcus always appear?

No. He must be rescued from the Blighted Village and Grymforge, then invited to the camp. Only then can he participate and provide fireworks.

What happens after the celebration?

The refugees leave the Grove and continue towards Baldur’s Gate. Survivors can reappear in Act Two and Act Three, although later events can still determine whether they live.

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Sources