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Emerald Grove/Combat

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The practical reality of "removing" an outsider

Depending on party choices, the Druids Druids of the Emerald Circle attempt to massacre the Tiefling Refugees in their midst, resulting in one of the most chaotic and sprawling conflicts in the game.

“
Bloody bigots.
„
— Tilses

Combat triggers[edit section | visual editor]

If one of the following events occurs, a cutscene[1] plays during which the druids are instructed to Remove the outsiders.:

  • The Attack them. dialogue option is selected when the party is challenged on first attempting to enter the Sacred Pool.
  • The Reach for your weapon.[2] dialogue option is selected when a party member interacts with Kagha during Save Arabella⁠Save Arabella.
  • The Reach for your weapon.[2] dialogue option is selected when the party interacts with Kagha after completing Save Arabella⁠Save Arabella.
  • The party attacks[3] one of the disguised Shadow Druids[4] [verify]
  • The party steals the  Idol of Silvanus [verify]
  • The party attacks a druid [verify]

Combatant clusters[edit section | visual editor]

After the cutscene ends,[5] most druids and tieflings reposition to one of four fight clusters, and two shelters[6] spread throughout the grove.[7] Repositioning characters can run through combat without being added to the turn order or drawing attacks of opportunity. Once combat has begun, initiative orders in each location are separate, and combat proceeds independently. However they can be combined by luring combatants into proximity with each other.[8] The locations and combatants are as follows:

Sacred Pool[edit section | visual editor]

Inner Sanctum

Entrance to the Sacred Pool

Lower Hollow[edit section | visual editor]

In the space between Dammon's Smithy, Ethel's Ethel's[12] Shop, and Okta's Okta's Kitchen

Eastern Hollow[edit section | visual editor]

In the space between the Oxen and the hatch to the Tiefling Hideout.[14]

Upper Hollow[edit section | visual editor]

By Arron's stand

Prison[edit section | visual editor]

The adult tiefling civilians take shelter in the Makeshift Prison

Tactics[edit section | visual editor]

It is useful to place a character in each of the three fight locations ahead of time, as their presence stops the initiative order – once it is their turn. It also allows individual party members to both participate in every fight and choose the order in which they finish. For example, individual party members can be used to prioritize finishing an easier fight first, allowing that party member to heal, then have them join a harder fight – which remains paused in the meantime.

Tactical notes[edit section | visual editor]

  • Persistent area attacks like Cloud of Daggers Cloud of Daggers can be hazardous, as allies are prone to path through them
  • Kagha Kagha and Elwyn Elwyn will repeatedly cast Moonbeam Moonbeam, which can one-shot the lower level tieflings
  • Caution should be exercised when placing Shadowheart Shadowheart in the eastern hollow as an allied Silver Silver will still trigger Fear of Wolves Fear of Wolves

Keeping druids out of battle[edit section | visual editor]

Individual fights can be made significantly easier by eliminating druids before they can join others: Findal, Nettie, and Arron can all be safely killed or incapacitated without triggering wider combat. The  Iron Flask is extraordinarily well suited to this objective. A character can initiate combat in the inner sanctum, throw the flask, and immediately flee the room. The Spectator Spectator contained in the flask cannot use the door, and remains stuck. Any druids in the room are then drawn into combat even if they would otherwise leave. They will not try to flee the fight, and are nearly guaranteed to be killed. The character who threw the flask can then leisurely approach the combat cluster they wish to join. This always results in Kagha and Loic's defeat. If the character throwing the flask has high enough initiative to start at the top of the order, they can time their throw to release the spectator after Rath and Silver leave, but before Marcoryl, Findal, or Nettie have the chance to.

Maximizing Tiefling allies[edit section | visual editor]

Subsequent behaviour[edit section | visual editor]

After combat in a cluster ends, its members will run for the prison. Unlike the repositioning at the outset, characters will be drawn into combat with any hostile character they encounter en route. Any hostile druids[21] who reach it will break down the door and begin combat with the refugees sheltering within. Any tieflings who reach the prison will defend it if there are druids present. If there are no druids present, they return their initial position. They can be drawn back into combat, but will not return to the prison unprompted (either through a combat they are in merging with one at the prison, or through kidnapping tactics) if it is attacked. Rath and Silver take up permanent guard outside the prison door. Wyll returns to his outset position with the tieflings who were in his cluster. This makes the Eastern Hollow a choke point. Anyone trying to reach the prison from either the upper hollow or the inner sanctum will be drawn into combat there one is ongoing, or if hostile characters are present. Characters traveling from the eastern hollow, the sacred pool, inner sanctum, and the upper hollow, might be pulled into combat in the lower hollow depending on their precise pathing, and the location of characters in the lower hollow.

Aftermath[edit section | visual editor]

Once combat ends for good, the tieflings reposition again. Most return to where they were before hostilities commenced, with the following exceptions:[verify]

Notes[edit section | visual editor]

  1. ↑ Each combat trigger appears to have a slightly different cutscene.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 If other party members are present, they may[verify] question the wisdom of attacking Kagha, and the speaking character is given the chance to back down. If the character is alone, reaching for a weapon is enough to trigger grove-wide combat
  3. ↑ In testing if the first attack missed and the second hit, everyone (Rath and Silver included) in the inner sanctum was temporarily hostile. The "your violence has not gone unnoticed" dialogue played, and bribing proved ineffective
  4. ↑ If a disguised Shadow Druid is attacked, the combat log may register them as killed. However, during the ensuing cutscene with Kagha, the attacked druid can be seen dropping their Wild Shape and fleeing alongside their rat-disguised comrades.
  5. ↑ Aradin Aradin and his crew flee the grove at this point if they stayed after the initial gate battle, as does Volo if he did not already leave for the Goblin Camp.
  6. ↑ The children (with the exception of Arabella if she is dead and Mirkon if he was not saved from the Harpies) take cover in their hideout. Adult refugees take shelter in the prison. For more details see the prison entry in the cluster list.
  7. ↑ Unlike during the goblin invasion⁠goblin invasion, the secluded chamber is empty.
  8. ↑ e.g., fleeing from the druids in the inner sanctum can draw draw them into the lower hollow combat. All four combats can be combined in this manner, although whether this is desirable is questionable; the sheer size of the initiative order can make combat somewhat tedious, especially as the NPC AI begins suffering from decision paralysis.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Findal is only present if he has been saved from the Underground Passage. If combat starts when the party talk to Kagha immediately after the Save Arabella interaction, he starts combat in the Inner Sanctum cluster, otherwise he is in the Eastern Hollow cluster.
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 When combat is initiated through dialog at the entrance to the sacred pool, Maggran, Mino, and Jeorna fight any party member(s) present there. Kagha and Loic relocate to the Lower Hollow
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 If combat starts during the Save Arabella interaction, Marcoryl will start combat in the Inner Sanctum cluster. Otherwise he is in the Lower Hollow cluster.
  12. ↑ Ethel runs out of the grove while characters are repositioning, even if she was actively in a conversation at the time
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 If Rolan was persuaded to stay, he, Cal, and Lia participate in the fights. If not, all three leave the grove immediately. Should one of the siblings fall in battle, the others flee the grove as soon as they are out of combat even if the fight as a whole is still in progress. They can be drawn into additional combats during their flight, but resume fleeing once they are able.
  14. ↑ Entering the hideout immediately removes the character from combat. While they cannot fast travel, this can be used as an opportunity to regain health, switch out weapons, use Arcane Recovery Arcane Recovery, etc. Depending on the placement of NPCs, characters may be able to leave the hideout in stealth, setting them up for attacks with advantage. A character with a sufficiently high initiative can exploit this mechanic regardless of NPC position, by leaving the hideout, making their attacks, and then re-entering the hideout without ending their turn.
  15. ↑ In testing Silver occasionally got "stuck" on the path from the hollow to the sacred pool, and did not enter combat even with enemies in proximity. If then shoved, he paced around and joined the lower hollow combat.
  16. ↑ Even if Maggran is drawn into another combat on his way from the site of his cluster to the Prison, he still proceeds directly there.
  17. ↑ If the party did not previously approach close enough to trigger the attempt on her life, the assassin seemingly never spawns in this case
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Only if Arka was persuaded to spare Sazza. Ironically the first thing she does after returning to the prison is to shoot Sazza.
  19. ↑ If cured from her paralysis, Pandirna takes up guard outside the prison door. She appears to only enter combat when the Tieflings hiding inside are threatened – not if combat is merely in her vicinity.
  20. ↑ Remember to grab all the potions you want from Ethel Ethel first.
  21. ↑ Sometimes druids will begin to move towards the prison while they are still in their previous combat. This behavior does not appear to be consistent, and the druid in question may or may not change their mind and return to their cluster's combat
  22. ↑ Asharak at the table with Zevlor and Tilses, Toron on a ledge overlooking them
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