Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a rich tapestry of companions, each with their own compelling storylines and romance paths. Among these, Minthara, the Drow Paladin, stands out as a particularly intriguing – and previously controversial – option. For a long time, players faced a difficult choice: recruit the powerful Minthara or save the innocent Tieflings of the Druid Grove. Choosing Minthara meant leading goblins to slaughter the refugees, a morally reprehensible act for many players aiming for a “good” playthrough.
Thankfully, Larian Studios has listened to player feedback and introduced a game-changing update. Patch 5 for Baldur’s Gate 3 delivers a new, morally sound method to recruit Minthara, allowing you to have your cake and eat it too – or rather, recruit your Drow and save your Tieflings. No more agonizing decisions or sacrificing your virtuous playthrough! This guide will walk you through the updated process of recruiting Minthara without bloodshedding the Grove, paving the way for her companionship and, yes, even romance.
The New, Good-Aligned Minthara Recruitment Method
The core change lies in how you handle Minthara during the “Defend the Grove” questline in Act One. Previously, siding with Minthara meant actively participating in the raid on the Tiefling camp. Now, the key is non-lethal takedowns. By cleverly using non-lethal attacks, you can incapacitate Minthara, making her available for recruitment later in Act Two without harming the Tieflings.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
Step 1: Activate Non-Lethal Attacks
Before engaging Minthara and the goblins, ensure your party is equipped to deal non-lethal damage. Baldur’s Gate 3 provides a simple toggle for this:
- Open your Hotbar: Look for the “Passives” button, usually located on the left side of your hotbar.
- Toggle Non-Lethal Attacks: Click the “Non-Lethal Attacks” icon. This will activate non-lethal damage for melee attacks for the selected character. You’ll see an indicator next to their portrait confirming the setting is active.
Important Notes:
- Melee Only: Non-lethal attacks only work with melee weapons. Spells and ranged attacks will still deal lethal damage.
- Party-Wide Setting: You need to activate non-lethal attacks individually for each character you want to use for this purpose.
- Indicator: Always double-check the indicator next to your character portrait to confirm non-lethal attacks are enabled.
Step 2: Make Minthara Temporarily Hostile
To ensure Minthara’s recruitment path triggers correctly, you need to make her temporarily hostile before knocking her out. This signifies that you are engaging in combat but not necessarily aligned against her in the long run.
According to player reports and community testing, a reliable way to achieve this is by performing a minor act of theft or aggression in her vicinity. A simple method suggested by players is to attack the patrolling “eye” (Worg) near Minthara.
How to trigger temporary hostility:
- Locate Minthara: Find Minthara in the Goblin Camp, typically in the Defiled Temple area.
- Provoke Hostility: Attack the nearby Worg “eye” or commit a minor theft in her sight. This should trigger a “temporarily hostile” status on Minthara and her immediate guards.
Step 3: Knock Her Out (Non-Lethally)
Once Minthara is temporarily hostile, engage her in combat. The crucial step is to reduce her health to zero using only melee attacks with non-lethal mode activated.
Combat Tactics for Non-Lethal Takedown:
- Switch to Melee: Equip your characters with melee weapons.
- Disable Spellcasters: Instruct your spellcasters to focus on buffing, healing, or crowd control spells that don’t directly damage Minthara. Avoid offensive spells.
- Focus Fire: Concentrate your melee attacks on Minthara until her health bar is depleted.
- Confirm Unconscious: Ensure Minthara is rendered “unconscious” and not killed. The game will visually and textually confirm this.
Post-Combat Note:
- No Long Rest Immediately: After knocking out Minthara, avoid taking a long rest until you have dealt with the other Goblin leaders and progressed the “Defend the Grove” questline. Resting too early might cause issues with the quest progression. Complete the goblin leader objective, ideally siding with the Tieflings, before resting.
Step 4: Find Her at Moonrise Towers
If executed correctly, Minthara will not be present when you deal with the rest of the Goblin Camp. Instead, she will reappear in Act Two at Moonrise Towers. This is where the new recruitment path truly shines.
Recruitment in Act Two:
- Moonrise Towers: Progress through the main storyline until you reach Moonrise Towers in Act Two.
- Locate Minthara: Explore Moonrise Towers. Minthara should be present in the main chamber or a nearby area.
- Standard Recruitment: You should now be able to interact with Minthara and proceed with her recruitment through dialogue options, similar to how you would recruit other companions.
Why This Change Matters for Minthara Romance and Good Playthroughs
This updated recruitment method is a significant win for players who want to experience Minthara’s unique character and romance arc without compromising their “good” aligned playthrough.
- Ethical Choice: You can now recruit Minthara without participating in the massacre of innocent Tieflings. This aligns with a more morally consistent playthrough for players who prefer heroic characters.
- Romance Accessibility: Minthara’s romance path is now open to a wider range of players who were previously unwilling to commit evil acts to recruit her. You can now explore her complex personality and romance storyline without the moral baggage of the Grove raid.
- Expanded Companion Roster: Enjoy having Minthara in your party alongside other “good” aligned companions, creating a more diverse and nuanced group dynamic.
Other Noteworthy Patch 5 Features
While the Minthara recruitment change is a highlight, Patch 5 brought other significant improvements to Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Epilogue: A new epilogue scene set six months after the game’s ending provides closure and further interaction with your companions.
- Customizable Difficulty: Players now have more control over difficulty settings, allowing for a tailored gameplay experience.
- Hidden Dice Rolls: You can now hide dice rolls for a more streamlined and less immersion-breaking experience, especially during dialogue checks.
- Enhanced Lip Sync: Improved lip animations during romantic scenes, including those with Minthara and Astarion, enhancing visual fidelity.
Embrace the New Minthara Experience
Patch 5 has truly revolutionized Minthara’s recruitment, making her a viable companion for all playthrough styles. No longer must you choose between morality and Minthara. Follow this guide, recruit Minthara without sacrificing the Tieflings, and embark on a richer, more fulfilling Baldur’s Gate 3 adventure – perhaps even one filled with Drow romance!
