Baldur’s Gate 3: Minthara Companion Guide

Minthara is the companion Baldur’s Gate 3 hides behind its first big moral choice. Nightwarden of the Goblin Camp, one of its three leaders, and a Lolth-Sworn Drow Paladin sworn to the Absolute, she starts Act 1 as a boss and can end Act 3 as a lover. Most players meet her once, at the Shattered Sanctum, and either kill her or hand her the Grove. Since Patch 5 there is a third path that costs nobody their life, and it is the reason we have more guides on her than on any companion but Shadowheart.

This page pulls those seven pages together: the good and evil recruitment routes, her stats and build, what she approves of, the romance, and every ending. The step-by-step versions are on the recruit, side with, save, approval, build, romance and endings pages.

Where to find Minthara

Her quarters are in the northwest of the Shattered Sanctum, past the chambers of Dror Ragzlin and True Soul Gut. The camp lies west of the Emerald Grove, and getting in peacefully takes one of three things: a rescued Sazza vouching for you at the gate, a Drow character, or a successful bluff that you carry news for the leaders. Fighting your way in is the one thing every page on her warns against, because hostile goblins end any chance of recruiting her.

When you reach her she is berating the goblin Rozzak about a missing scouting party. She reads your mind, recognises a True Soul, and asks whether you have come to join her hunt. The hunt is for the Grove, and she is torturing Halsin for its location. What you say next decides which of the three routes below you are on.

Three ways to recruit her

All three routes converge in Act 2. Minthara is dragged to the prison beneath Moonrise Towers for failing to find Shadowheart’s Artefact, which starts Decide Minthara’s Fate. From the main door turn right and go down the stairs, then follow the blood to the cells. Questioners Sumera and Jasin are breaking her mind; a DC 14 Intimidation check takes charge of the interrogation, a DC 18 Wisdom roll reaches past the Absolute in her head, and a DC 18 Charisma roll convinces the guards to leave. Two more DC 14 checks on the way up and on the bridge get her outside, where she agrees to join. The save page has every line; the violent option, killing the questioners, works too but risks the whole tower.

The good route only exists because of the knockout. Halsin counts an unconscious Minthara as dead and still throws the Grove celebration, and the goblin leaders page confirms the non-lethal hit satisfies his quest. The Karlach recruit page makes the same point from the other side: knock Minthara out and complete Act 1 normally, and you can have Karlach, Wyll, Halsin and Minthara in one camp. The raid or save comparison is the place to weigh the two big options before you commit.

Race, class and starting stats

Minthara is a Lolth-Sworn Drow Paladin with a Noble background, and like every origin character her race and background cannot be changed. Her build page starts her as Oath of Vengeance, which brings Inquisitor’s Might at level 1, Abjure Enemy and Vow of Enmity at level 3, and Hold Person and Misty Step as oath spells at level 5. Her proficiencies cover simple and martial weapons, rapiers, shortswords and hand crossbows, light, medium and heavy armour, and shields.

The two columns differ because the companion tier list quotes her sheet as she arrives and the build page redistributes it before level 1. Either way she lands in A tier, one place below Lae’zel and Shadowheart, on the strength of a Paladin who both heals and hits. As a boss she has 70 hit points, heals herself, closes distance with Misty Step, and drops Xyanyde, Spidersilk Armour, a Studded Shield and the Amulet of Misty Step if she dies.

Best build for Minthara

The Patch 8 build runs Paladin to level 5 for Divine Smite, Defense fighting style, Extra Attack and Branding Smite, then multiclasses into Shadow Magic Sorcerer from level 6 to 11. That side brings Strength of the Grave, Superior Darkvision, four cantrips including Booming Blade, Shield and Magic Missile, the Distant and Twinned metamagics at level 7, Darkness and Shadow Blade at 8, Quickened Spell, a second Ability Improvement into Charisma at 9, Lightning Bolt, and Fireball with the Hound of Ill Omen at 11. Level 12 goes back to Paladin for Aura of Protection and Compelled Duel.

It equips Birthright for the Charisma boost, Cloak of Protection, Armour of Resistance, Gloves of Belligerent Skies, Evasive Shoes, Killer’s Sweetheart, Ring of Protection and the Amulet of Greater Health. The weapon is the Sacred Star, a +3 weapon that inflicts Radiating Orb and still lands bludgeoning damage on a miss, with the Dead Shot as the ranged option and a plain shield in the off hand.

What Minthara approves and disapproves of

She rewards loyalty to the Absolute, courage, decisiveness and ruthlessness, and punishes diplomacy, compassion, cowardice and any slight against the Drow. Because she only becomes a party member in Act 2 on most routes, her approval page lists Act 2 and Act 3 choices only.

Her approval does not end a relationship the moment it drops. She breaks up only when the meter reaches dark red, and then she leaves camp for good.

How to romance Minthara

On the evil route the first scene comes the night after the Grove falls: a goblin party at camp, an invitation to her bedroll, and afterwards a knife at your throat that you can talk her out of. She then leaves for Moonrise. On the good route there is no Act 1 scene at all. Either way the real romance starts in Act 2 once she is freed and her approval sits at 40 or above. Support her against Orin during the mind-reading conversation at camp, let her in, and answer that you are a lover. Giving her Ketheric’s throne cements it.

Act 3 has no new romance scene. Her companion quest ends when Orin dies in the Temple of Bhaal and her Netherstone is yours, and the next long rest is your chance to reassure her. The romance page notes that the Patch 6 fix removed the bug that used to stall the evil-route romance after Act 1, and that Zethino’s love test in the circus is where the two approval answers above matter.

Every Minthara ending

Becoming a mind flayer yourself does not cost you Minthara, which sets her apart from Astarion and Lae’zel, who both walk away from an Illithid. The endings page covers the six-months-later epilogue, where she reports a successful rebellion if you did not join it.

Minthara Guides

Go deeper with our detailed guides:

• Minthara (Approval)
• Minthara (Build)
• Minthara (Endings)
• Minthara (Recruit)
• Minthara (Romance)
• Minthara (Save)
• Minthara (Side With)