Summary
Minthara is a drow paladin inBaldur’s Gate 3. While many players are likely to encounter her as a boss fight in the early part of the game, she is also a potential romance option for players who are willing to take a slightly darker path.
Baldur’s Gate 3has many player character love interests, and Minthara is one of the less obvious andharder-to-achieveoptions. This can make her romance path easier to miss in favor of others. This would be a shame, as players who pursue her will discover that Minthara is a wonderful romance option for the following reasons.
Updated on June 06, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam:WithDungeons & Dragonsteasing their brand new Player’s Handbook prior to its September release, fans of the acclaimed TTRPG might be eager to play the title while awaiting the updated rulebook. However, for those who don’t have access to an immediate campaign or player group, perhapsBaldur’s Gate 3can fill aD&D-shaped void with the way the game closely adapts the latter’s mechanics. Aside from tactical combat, fans ofD&Dcan appreciateBaldur’s Gate 3for its captivating cast of characters, particularly Minthara who initially presented herself as one of the first major bosses in Act One. However, for players who manage to work their way to her good graces, they might find a Companion whose loyalty, fierceness, and sense of humor are not present in their other comrades.
1The Perfect Partner For Megalomania
The Best Romance For World Conquest
While some Companions andNPCs inBaldur’s Gate 3tempt the player’s characters to join the dark side through selfish and malicious actions, their penchant for boring murder can be quite distasteful for players who want a more “formal” take on Evil Campaigns. This is where Minthara’s entrance becomes a moment of grandeur, as pursuing her character while doing an Evil Campaign allows players to experience a character arc where their protagonist makes a downward spiral to becoming detestably evil - with Minthara pulling the strings, or at least showing them why it’s worth the while.
Minthara’s wicked sense of humor as well as her innate cunning and ruthlessness can be an example to follow for players who want their characters to be as convincingly villainous as possible. The Drow consistently leans towards self-preservation and following one’s true ambitions, making either approach to recruiting her (razing the Grove or her trial Moonrise Towers) result in interesting interactions.
2A Unique Perspective On Drow
A Noble From Menzoberranzan
It’s not all the time thataDungeons & Dragonsgamedeep-dives into the Drow of the Underdark without involving Drizzt Do’Urden, and Minthara’s journey inBaldur’s Gate 3provides unique insights to a life spent underground. Without dwelling into spoiler territory, it’s sufficient to say that Minthara is of Noble origins in the Underdark.
Knowing she’s from Drizzt’s home of Menzoberranzan already reveals a lot of potential details about Minthara’s past that she will eventually share to players. Being a woman among Drow, it’s likely that Minthara’s nobility stems from a matriarchal lineage. Drow of the Underdark follows a matriarchal society, and fierce competition among politicians within families are often demonstrated with assassination attempts plotted and conducted even before heirs come of age - a harsh reality which may explain Minthara’s cold, calculating, and ruthless exterior.
3A Twist On The Canonical Paladin
No Need To Form A Character Around The Class
While it’s possible for players to transformanyBaldur’s Gate 3Companion into any other Classother than their canonical choice, the narrative flows much better knowing that characters involved may potentially be working off their dialogue based on their chosen vocations. Such is the case of Minthara, whose introduction as a ruthlessOath of Vengeance Paladinties well into her origins as a Drow and eventual involvement in the Emerald Grove’s events.
Acquiring Minthara ensures players have a canonical Paladin they can turn into the team’s tank should they not want to tinker or Multiclass another character. Moreover, her introduction as someone leaning into Lawful Evil is a welcome twist to the traditional Lawful Good Paladin stereotype.
4Legitimately Ride Or Die
A Loyal Love Interest For Guilt-Free Plays
Compared toother Companions inBaldur’s Gate 3whose perceptions towards the player may result in their departure from the party, Minthara is among those who will legitimately stay with the players regardless of what they do throughout the story. Whereas other Companions will praise players for doing traditionally good or traditional evil acts, Minthara leaves players with a bit of moral ambiguity to make their decisions have more realism and weight with less obvious guilt.
Having a more “reliable” romance like Minthara can motivate players to make more flexible decisions regarding the other characters. Even if reckless actions lead to Companions permanently leaving or dying, having Minthara see it all and not judging can make her a comforting presence.
5Darker Paths Mask Profound Wisdom
Minthara Has A Unique Past That She Draws Insightful Commentary From
As a Paladin, Minthara naturally needs a large helping of charisma, but her wisdom isn’t to be frowned on either. Statistically, Minthara gets a slight bonus to her wisdom score, which should make sense to players who get to know the drow, either as a close companion or particularly as a lover. Romancing Minthara requires freeing her from the influence of the cult of the Absolute and, in doing so, players are likely to see her natural and inspiring leadership come to a head.
It seems to be a combination of Minthara’s unique upbringing in the Underdark, her treatment at the hands of sinister powers like Bhaal or the Absolute, and her uniquely cynical and domineering personality that allows her to share some surprisingly powerful insights. For example, she shares insecurities with her lover about what would have become of her if the player had killed her in their crusade to stop the Absolute (as many players naturally do). Similarly, free from the Absolute’s influence, she shows a lot more pity for the average citizen, sharing a unique perspective on everyday plights thanks to her wildly different and cutthroat lifestyle in the Underdark.
6Wicked Sense Of Humor
Minthara’s Dark Witticisms Draw A Lot Of Love
Minthara’s surprisingly goofy sense of humor is a quality that draws a lot of players towards romancing the stern drow. While she may seem like quite a serious love interest on the surface, players who grow close to Minthara are likely to see her silly side. She has some particularly amusing moments in Act Three,especially at the circus!
While a lot of Minthara’s humor can be quite dark, like when she pretends to be the shapeshifting enemy, Orin, she also knows some dorky drow puns to lighten the mood! As with the mysterious cleric character, Shadowheart, Minthara seems to enjoy poking fun at her lover, oftentimes not so gently. If that’s the kind of humor that players are looking for in their romance options, then Minthara is definitely one to consider, despite her outwardly dour appearance.
7Unique Option
Minthara Initially Seems To Be A Boss Enemy
While all the romance options inBaldur’s Gate 3bring something fresh to the table, Minthara is a particularly unique option. This is in part due to her initial presence being a potential boss fight, making it slightly unclear that she can not only be recruited but also romanced. On top of this, the path to gaining Minthara as a companion and potential love interest is a slightly more convoluted one. Romancing her requires being a little evil at first, but a truly evil run may see players cutting the relationship short.
To romance Minthara, players must massacre a group of tiefling refugees in a sacred Druid Grove, who have potentially been nothing but hospitable to the characters (unlike the druids themselves, that is), all in the name of the Absolute. However, Minthara herself is the one who finds herself at the mercy of the Absolute in Act Two, and players will have to turn on the cult if they want to rescue and romance Minthara. As expected for a drow, romancing Minthara requires walking the shades of gray regarding morality.
8Hard Work Pays Off
Players Need To Earn Minthara’s Affection
SomeBaldur’s Gate 3love interestswill throw themselves at players just for talking to them and being a decent human being (looking at Gale, in particular). This is not the case for Minthara. Romancing her requires a bit more time and hard work. Players may think they’re in for an easy relationship, as Minthara can have a steamy night with the player character during the celebratory party towards the end of Act One, but she makes it clear that she needs to go her own way the day after. She is, after all, independent to a fault.
Despite this initial show of interest towards the end of Act One, it is not until late into Act Two that Minthara can be recruited and romanced long-term. Doing so also requires a relatively tricky segment in which the player has to rescue Minthara, involving some dicey rolls. They will need to pass some high charisma rolls to convince a pair of torturers to let them leave with Minthara and then continue to convince some other cultists as they leave the prison or deal with the pretty tough combat encounter in Moonrise Prison. But Minthara makes sure she is worth the player’s efforts.
9Keep Enemies Close
Players Get Unique Encounters With Usually Hostile Factions
If players want to be Minthara’s lover, they’re going to make some interesting friends. While most of theBaldur’s Gate 3relationship options tend to hang around with a similar crowd, Minthara is a follower of the Absolute, at least in Act One. This gives players some unusual connections. Befriending, if not romancing, Minthara will allow players the unique opportunity to party with a horde of goblins, who are infamously raucous. She can also put them in contact with a helpful but disturbing character to lead them throughthe Shadow-Cursed Lands in Act Two.
While players can interact with both the goblins and Kar’niss the Drider as any character, they will have completely different interactions with these unique characters if Minthara is by their side. While these examples are most notable in Act One and Two, Minthara also has a unique connection with Orin, one of the notable enemies in Act Three, that can add to the weight of those encounters. And if these friends prove to be not quite so loyal, at least the player and Minthara can face them together.
10Inspiring Leadership
Displays A Commanding Presence And Steady Determination
For players who want a lover that they can follow to the ends of the earth, Minthara is worth considering.As a paladinand one of the three pillars of the Goblin Camp, it’s no surprise that Minthara is a natural leader. While she doesn’t step on the player’s toes as leader of the camp, she maintains the commanding presence and steady determination that made her such an asset to the Absolute.
Minthara could never blindly follow, but she would gladly share her right to rule with her lover. This is most prominent in one of her potential endings as a love interest, in which she agrees to return to the Underdark as a ruler, alongside her lover, if the player character agrees to join her.
