Unlocking Minthara: A Comprehensive Guide to Recruiting the Drow Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
Yes, you absolutely can get Minthara to join your party in Baldur’s Gate 3! However, the path to recruiting this intriguing Drow Paladin is fraught with moral quandaries and requires careful planning. The traditional route involved siding with the goblins and participating in the raid of the Emerald Grove, leading to the slaughter of the Tiefling refugees. Fortunately, clever players have discovered alternative methods that allow you to recruit her without necessarily committing such heinous acts.
The Traditional (Evil) Route: Embrace the Goblin Horde
For a long time, the only known method of recruiting Minthara involved actively assisting the goblins in their assault on the Emerald Grove. This means betraying the Tieflings and the Druids, solidifying your character’s reputation as a villain.
Siding with the Goblins: A Step-by-Step
- Meet Minthara: Find Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum, after you’ve progressed through the Emerald Grove and received the quest to deal with the goblin leaders.
- Reveal the Grove’s Location: Tell Minthara the location of the Emerald Grove. This sets the stage for the raid.
- Participate in the Raid: Engage in the battle against the Tieflings and Druids. You must actively fight alongside the goblins.
- Recruit Minthara (Act 2): After the raid, Minthara will appear in Moonrise Towers in Act 2. If she survived, you can then recruit her as a companion.
Consequences of the Evil Route
- Loss of Companions: Siding with the goblins will automatically cause Wyll and Karlach to leave your party. Their moral compasses will not allow them to condone such actions.
- Halsin’s Disapproval: Naturally, Halsin will be impossible to recruit if you destroy his grove.
- Narrative Impact: This choice significantly impacts the narrative, locking you into a more “evil” storyline.
The Non-Lethal (Knockout) Method: A Morally Grey Approach
This method, discovered by creative players, allows you to recruit Minthara without directly causing the deaths of the Tieflings or Druids. It involves cleverly exploiting the game’s mechanics.
The Knockout Strategy: Steps to Success
- Attack the Goblin Camp: Begin the assault on the Goblin Camp as you normally would.
- Knock Out Minthara: Instead of killing Minthara, use non-lethal attacks to knock her unconscious. Make sure you have the “Non-Lethal Attacks” passive toggled on.
- Defeat the Other Leaders: Eliminate the other goblin leaders – Dror Ragzlin and Gut.
- Progress to Act 2: Continue the game as normal. Even though Minthara is knocked out, the game should register this as a victory against the goblins.
- Find Minthara in Moonrise Towers: In Act 2, Minthara should appear in Moonrise Towers. If the game registers her as having survived, you can rescue and recruit her.
Potential Issues and Considerations
- Patch Dependence: This method relies on specific game mechanics that could be patched out in future updates.
- Inconsistencies: Some players have reported inconsistencies with this method, with Minthara not appearing in Act 2 despite following the steps correctly.
- Dialogue Bugs: Encountering some dialogue bugs is possible when using this method.
The Skip-the-Grove-Raid (Good) Route: A Path of Non-Interference
This route is for players who want to avoid any involvement in the Emerald Grove conflict altogether. It involves bypassing the questline related to the grove and heading directly to Act 2.
Avoiding the Conflict: A Path Less Traveled
- Ignore the Emerald Grove Quest: Instead of engaging with the Emerald Grove and the Goblin Camp, focus on other quests and explore the world.
- Head Directly to Act 2: Find a way to progress to Act 2 without resolving the Emerald Grove situation. This might involve exploring alternative routes or using specific dialogue options.
- Find Minthara in Moonrise Towers: In Act 2, you might find that the game has progressed as if you had raided the grove. Minthara may be present in Moonrise Towers, offering you the opportunity to rescue and recruit her.
Benefits and Drawbacks
- No tiefling deaths.
- Can be more tedious.
Minthara’s Romance and Story Arc
Minthara’s romance is unique and often considered more “evil” than other romance options. Her story arc is intertwined with the Absolute, and her recruitment can reveal more about this overarching threat.
Romance Requirements
- High Approval: Maintain a high approval rating with Minthara.
- Evil Actions: Siding with her often requires making morally questionable choices.
- Specific Dialogue Options: Choose dialogue options that align with her values and goals.
Minthara’s Quest
Unlike some other companions, Minthara doesn’t have a clearly defined “companion quest” in the traditional sense. Her recruitment process itself serves as her primary questline. However, her interactions and story in Act 2 and beyond provide plenty of opportunities to learn more about her past and motivations.
Recruiting Minthara: A Complex Decision
Recruiting Minthara is not a simple decision. It involves weighing the moral implications of your choices and considering the impact on your relationships with other companions. However, for players who are willing to embrace the challenge, Minthara can be a valuable and intriguing addition to their party.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can Minthara join the party?
Yes, Minthara can join your party, but the methods for recruiting her vary significantly in terms of their moral implications.
2. Can you get Minthara as a companion without killing Tieflings?
Yes, it’s possible, through the knockout or skip-the-grove-raid method, to get Minthara as a companion without directly killing the Tieflings. However, this might still result in their eventual demise depending on the state of the grove.
3. Is there a way to recruit Minthara without being evil?
Arguably, no method is truly without consequences, but the knockout and skip-the-grove-raid methods provide the most morally ambiguous routes to recruiting her.
4. Can you recruit Minthara and Jaheira?
Yes, recruiting Jaheira is independent of your choices regarding Minthara in Act 1. Your choices regarding the Nightsong in Act 2 primarily determine whether Jaheira and Minsc join you.
5. Is it possible to get Minthara and Halsin?
Normally, it’s impossible to recruit both Minthara and Halsin, as their ideologies and allegiances are directly opposed. If you get Minthara, you will not be able to get Halsin and Vice versa.
6. Can you trick Minthara?
While you can technically trick Minthara in various ways, such as by collapsing the bridge she’s standing on, this will result in her death and prevent you from recruiting her.
7. Is Minthara romanceable?
Yes, Minthara is a romanceable character, offering a more “evil” and dominant relationship option.
8. Can you get Minthara in Act 1?
No, you set the stage in act 1 but do not acquire her until the events in act 2 occur. You can begin the recruitment process in Act 1 by siding with her at the goblin camp, but she will not officially join your party until Act 2 at Moonrise Towers.
9. Who leaves if you recruit Minthara?
If you actively participate in the goblin raid on the Emerald Grove, Wyll and Karlach will immediately leave your party.
10. What happens if you knock Minthara out?
If you knock Minthara out using non-lethal attacks and then complete the Goblin Camp quest, the game may register her as having survived, allowing you to recruit her in Act 2.
11. Do you lose Karlach if you side with Minthara?
Yes, Karlach will leave the party if you side with Minthara and the goblins because Karlach and Minthara have diametrically opposed ideologies.
12. Where can I find Minthara?
Minthara can initially be found in the Shattered Sanctum within the Goblin Camp. If you side with her, you can find her again in Act 2 at Moonrise Towers, where she can be recruited.
13. Can you romance Minthara and Shadowheart?
Yes, it is possible to romance both Minthara and Shadowheart; however, it requires careful management of their approval ratings and understanding the timing of the relationship.
14. Can you romance Minthara without raiding the Grove?
Yes, through methods that bypass directly causing harm to the Tieflings and Druids, it is possible to romance Minthara without necessarily raiding the grove in the traditional sense.
15. Can I save Minthara?
Yes, you can rescue Minthara in Act 2 if you manage to get her to appear in Moonrise Towers after utilizing one of the non-lethal recruitment methods in Act 1.
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