Minthara is a merciless Drow in Baldur’s Gate 3 and is one of the goblin camp leaders. She appears during the first chapter of ACT-1 and can be recruited later in the game (Act 2). You will first encounter Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3 either as an opponent (Save the First Druid) or on your side (Attack the Grove), depending on your path.
In this guide, we will explore how to choose Minthara as an ally in BG3 and side with her to raid Emerald Grove.
How to side with Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3
To side with Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3, you first need to find her in the goblin camp. The camp is located West of Emerald Grove. You will first have to defeat the forces attacking Emerald Grove before you can look for Minthara. You can enter the camp by either rolling a successful persuasion on the guards or by sneaking in through the broken wall.
Once inside the camp, go deeper until you reach the Shattered Sanctum (X: 329, Y: 44) in BG3. Since you possess a tadpole in your head, the goblins will regard you as an ally.
Before you venture into goblin camp, we recommend that you steal the sacred idol from Druid Grove. This will create contention between Druids and Tieflings, and they will attack each other. This will make your later job a lot easier.
As you interact with Minthara initially in BG3, she will recognize you as a True Soul and a servant of the Absolute. Make sure you select the following options to side with Minthara.
- “A hunt? Who is the target?”
- “Quiet. I have everything under control”.
- “We don’t need the prisoner. I already know the place you are looking for”.
- “Nothing stays hidden from me”.
- “[Intelligence] Obscure memories of the grove with images of half-remembered places.”
Upon a successful roll, talk to Minthara again and select the following options.
- “How did a drow come to be commanding a tribe of goblins?”
- “Let me see your map. I will show you where the grove is”.
- “And once I am inside?”
- “It shall be so”.
At this point, Wyll will start questioning your allegiance and get angry. Reply with
- “The refugees aren’t my problem.”
This will also initiate the “Raid the Emerald Grove” quest, and Wyll will run away to warn the druids of Emerald Grove. But, you will have successfully started your journey to allying and romancing Minthara. You can still back out later and side with the Druids during the raid if you reconsider.
How to help Minthara raid the Emerald Grove in BG3
Now that you have decided to side with Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3, return to your camp and replace Wyll with any other party member (Gale, in our case). Make sure that you are equipped properly for what is about to happen next. Fast travel to the Druid Grove via the Emerald Grove Environs waypoint. Take a full rest until the next light so that Minthara forces will gather at the grove’s gate in the meantime.
A cutscene will play with Wyll threatening you. Roll successful intimidation. Or select “Let them try” if the roll fails. This will start a battle with Wyll. At this point, the whole grove turns against you. This is a challenging battle if you are not well prepared.
Open the Druid Grove gate during the battle in BG3 to let Minthara and the goblins in. They will help you with the battle against Druids and the remaining Tieflings (if you failed to create a rift between Druids and Tieflings before, Zevlor will destroy your party).
We also recommend buffing the ogres and spiders to deal extra damage to the residents of the grove. If you have followed everything up to this point, the goblin’s victory is all but sure. After clearing the grove’s entrance for Minthara in BG3, a cutscene will start. She will ask you to aid her in killing everyone inside the grove.
Make sure to find and kill any survivors or refugees inside the Emerald Grove (especially The Hollow). Keep an eye out for the Tiefling, Rolan. He uses a lot of long-range magic spells and can take down a few of your party members if you aren’t careful.
The next major battle takes place inside Sacred Pool. If you stole the sacred idol from there already, this area won’t have many enemies to tackle. If not, be prepared to fight at least three druids, Kagha, Rath, and Silver. This is the most difficult boss battle of the Druid Grove.
We recommend using your goblin allies on the frontline and fighting from afar. Only use Jump or Misty Step to close the distance if you are sure enough to take down the opponent. After completing this battle, return to The Hollow and open the stone door to access the Secluded Chamber.
This area is full of Tieflings, including Nadira. This is not a difficult battle if you manage to sow discord between Druids and Tieflings. Otherwise, clear the area out as fast as you can.
Talk to Minthara in BG3 and select “It is an honor to fight alongside you.” For the next dialogue options, select.
- “What’s happening?”
- “My destiny. It’s so much clearer now”.
Now, return to your camp and talk to Minthara again. This time, reply with.
- “Yes. I am yours, Minthara”.
Now go to bed, and Minthara will join you. After a long, steamy cutscene, Minthara will betray and try to kill you. You can, however, convince her to put down the blade. You both will have a heartfelt conversation, and she will invite you to meet her at Moonrise Towers to continue serving the Absolute. This will mark the end of your journey with Minthara in BG3 for the time being until you meet her again.
There may be certain instances where raiding the grove may become bugged for you. This manifests when you, the goblins, are supposed to enter the grove to raid it which eventually leads to the quest’s end. This bug prevents the game from ending, causing you to be stuck. To fix it, try reloading a previous save file and/or talking to the survivors.
What happens if you side with Minthara?
The main consequence of siding with Minthara is the death of the Druids and the Tieflings. None of them deserved to die. This firmly makes you an evil character. The fact that hundreds of innocents die to your decision begs the question: should you side with Minthara or not?
The answer depends on how you want to proceed with your character’s progression and story. If this is a route you want to take with your character, then side with Minthara. Siding with Halsin puts you on the morally good side of things. You’ll also lose a few of your party members, including Karlach and Wyll, if you side with Minthara. In any case, you won’t be able to save the Tieflings.
Can you recruit both Halsin and Minthara Baldur’s Gate 3?
As of patch 5, it is possible to recruit both Halsin and Minthara in a good playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3. All you need to do is follow some specific steps.
- Go to the Goblin Camp and free Halsin. Make him stay near the Worg Pens.
- When you reach Minthara’s quarters, please don’t talk to her. It is very important.
- Steal something or hit Minthara to make her Temporarily Hostile.
- Fight with Minthara and turn to non-lethal attacks to knock her out.
- Steal everything from her, including her armor.
If you do this, Halsin will consider it a kill, as he wants you to kill all the Goblin leaders. Now, save the Emerald Grove and move to Act 2 as planned. Once you reach the Moonrise Towers, you will find Minthara kept as a prisoner in the jail cell. All you need to do is free her, and she will willingly join your party alongside Halsin.
The only drawback is that you won’t get the sex scene with Minthara when you long rest at the camp.
How to side with Minthara and keep Karlach and Wyll
If you decide to betray Halsin and side with Minthara and the goblins in BG3, both Karlach and Wyll will leave your party. If you want to side with Minthara but Keep Karlach and Wyll, there is a way to accomplish this.
When you meet Minthara in the goblin camp, DO NOT give her the location of the druid camp. Then, proceed with the rest of the quest. You get the option to recruit her during Act 2. Save her once you find her in Moonrise Towers, and she’ll join your party. This works because, technically, you didn’t betray the druids, which is the main intent behind Karlach and Wyll’s exit from your party.
Can you recruit Minthara without killing anyone?
If you want to recruit Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3, you are forced to kill Tieflings or even the druid in this situation. Instead, you must follow Tiefling’s commands.
Let any of your characters, such as Astarion, steal the idol and prevent the ritual from happening. Instead of wasting your time killing the innocent NPCs, leave the area and let the druids and Tieflings settle it themselves.
Now, you can report the incident to Minthara. As she reaches the camp, everyone will be dead, leaving no trace of blood on your hands. This makes it the least evil recruit Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Baldurs Gate 3 Minthara mod
There is an easy way out in the form of a mod in Baldur’s Gate 3 that allows you to recruit Minthara without putting much effort. Simply download the Baldur’s Gate 3 Script Extender mod. In this mod, you can make Minthara your companion by using a ring that allows you to cast a summoning spell.
There have been a total of two versions of the mod so far, with regular updates when needed by the modder. Plus, you can also change some of Minthara’s other flags as well with this mod.
