Should you side with the goblins or tieflings in Baldur's Gate 3?

Choosing between the goblins and the tieflings is one of the most impactful decisions in Act One, and the vast majority of players will want to side with the tieflings — though siding with the goblins is a valid (if dark) path for evil playthroughs.

Siding with the Tieflings (the "good" path)

This is the default heroic route and has the most content and companion approval tied to it.

1. Speak with Zevlor in the Hollow at the Emerald Grove and agree to help the refugees.
2. Travel to the Goblin Camp and eliminate the three goblin leaders: Dror Ragzlin, Priestess Gut, and Minthara the drow commander.
3. With their leadership destroyed, the goblin threat collapses and the tieflings can safely leave for Baldur's Gate.
4. Return to Zevlor to report your success, then enjoy a celebration at camp as a reward.
5. Companions like Wyll and Karlach strongly approve of this choice, while Astarion leans the other way.

Completing this path also unlocks continued storylines with several tiefling characters in Act Two at the Last Light Inn, including Dammon (essential for Karlach's quest) and others.

Siding with the Goblins (the evil path)

• Talk to Minthara in the Goblin Camp and reveal the location of the Emerald Grove to her.
• Assist with the raid on the grove, resulting in the deaths of the tiefling refugees and druids.
• This path locks you out of most tiefling-related content across the rest of the game and tanks approval with most companions.
• The one notable gain is that Minthara can be recruited as a companion in Act Two — though there is also a way to knock her unconscious on the tiefling-friendly path and still recruit her later without betraying the grove.

The bottom line: Siding with the tieflings is the richer, more rewarding experience with far more companion content, quest continuations, and story payoff in later acts. Siding with the goblins is a legitimate dark-playthrough option, but it cuts off a significant amount of the game's content and most companions will disapprove heavily. If your goal is to recruit Minthara without going evil, the double-cross method — initiating the raid then defending the grove — lets you knock her out and recruit her in Act Two while still saving the refugees.