Quick Links
The Goblins of the Blighted Village in Baldur's Gate 3 provide a unique first challenge on your way to completing the first Act. You can ignore them or fight them, but within the Goblin's raided outpost is a singular Gnome whose treasures and insight might be of interest to you.
Tied to a windmill and being harassed by a horde of Goblins, what justice-seeking adventurer would you be if you left the poor man to his fate. And what a shame it would be if someone - some brave soul, came and rescued him for totally amiable reasons...(like extorting him for more reward gold).
How To Dismiss The Goblins And Save The Gnome Peacefully
Your first priority in this village should be speaking with the Goblins in the far right corner, where a Gnome is being tortured on the windmill fans. Your goal is to dismiss the Goblins in this corner without a fight (if you killed the Goblins at the front gate, this is unavoidable).
Like with the entrance gate, you'll have a better time of this if you are a Drow or have a mage with the capability of casting Disguise Self to become a Drow. This will allow you to more easily dismiss these Goblins by lowering the DC by three. If you don't, however, you'll need to rely on your choice of a Charisma-based save.
It is recommended that if you do not have a high-enough Charisma score or receive the special bonuses for being a Barbarian or a Drow, that you do not attempt to convince the Goblins.
Failing this check will put you at an extreme and dangerous disadvantage that can, at lower levels, be a death sentence for certain characters. The alternative in this situation is to set up a good ambush and take the Goblins out the violent way.
Speak with the Goblin leader and convince him to let the Gnome go. When he relents, all the Goblins and the single hiding Bugbear within the village will leave without issue.
When they're gone, run around on the left side of the windmill to enter and pull the "Brake" lever, not the release, unless you intend on releasing the Gnome from his life-subscription policy permanently.
This will stop the windmill fans and allow you to speak with and release the Gnome, who you can learn more information from, extort for more gold, and be given clues about his pack.
The pack he offers in recompense for saving his life can be found in a small cellar door behind the windmill and against its crumbling wall. Loot everything inside for a few unique magic items and some gold.
How To Fight The Goblins And Save The Gnome
If you failed to convince the Goblin leader to leave, you'll be in for a world of hurt with the sheer amount of forces you must fight up front. Additionally, if you haven't killed the other goblins in camp, going too far in one direction might accidentally trigger the inclusion of even more enemies into the initiative order.
If you plan on killing all the Goblins in camp, it is recommended to start first with the Goblins at the head of camp near the gate and then deal with the ogres before attempting this corner of the map.
Dealing with the Ogres can also include recruiting them to fight against the Goblins, making the fight against them even easier.
The list of enemies in this corner is quite long. You'll be facing:
- Fezzerk, the Goblin Boss
- Goblin Devourer (Shielded Melee)
- x3 Goblin Tracker (Ranger)
- x2 Goblin Devout (Mage)
- x2 Worg
- Bugbear Warrior
To set up appropriately for this fight, you'll want to take positions on the rooftops in the main part of town with one or two ranged characters.
Before the fight starts, take out the Bugbear hiding between the house and the town's outer wall (to the right of the nearby gate).
He's asleep, making him an easy target. Otherwise, leaving him will mean he flanks you halfway through the fight.
Take the rest of your party out of town through the gate nearest the windmill, facing a shack you haven't opened yet. Notice an incline along the wall leading to a broken section. Jump over it and sneak behind the windmill.
Leave at least one character on the ground and send a ranged character up the ladder and into position near the hole in the windmill facing outside. This will be a good sniping position.
When you're ready, hit the brake lever. This will alert the Goblins and send them to investigate.
Begin firing with your support on the rooftop to draw their attention away from the windmill. This will allow you to move the unit on the ground into a better position, and your ranged character in the windmill will then be able to target the enemies in the back. Shoot and then move to hide. Repeat as necessary.
Shoot the Goblin Devouts first, as their buffs can make the rest of the Goblins annoying to deal with, and then take out the bow-wielding Trackers.
Your positioning in the windmill might mean you only get to sometimes hit the worgs. Don't worry too much, and just hit whomever you can. Rinse and repeat with your two forces until the Goblins are dealt with. This will allow you to then free the Gnome.