How to get Minthara approval and get her as a companion in BG3

The Drow character, Minthara is a rather difficult companion to obtain. You may have to get blood on your hands to get her on your team, making her one of the most interesting characters in the game. While she’s a durable companion, expect your party members to have second thoughts on the whole ordeal.

✓ At a glance

• Complete Minthara’s companion quest by siding with Goblins.
• There are 16 ways to get Minthara’s approval.

Who is Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Minthara is a Lolth-Sworn Drow Paladin who can be found in the Shattered Sanctum in Baldur’s Gate 3 as a Goblin Leader. She’s one of three leaders planning to take down Druid Grove under the orders of the Absolute, a mystical deity. Gaining her trust involves betraying the Druids and the Tieflings by revealing their location. This does not seem to influence your equation with Baldur’s Gate 3 Guardian.

Note that you shouldn’t free Halsin before meeting Minthara as this will make her hostile. Wyll, one of the other companions in the game, will straight out refuse to join your party if you help Minthara. The other companions will also treat you with disdain until you recover your approval ratings.

Minthara companion quest guide in BG3

Following Minthara’s companion quest involves siding with the goblins and then heading to Moonrise Towers. Freeing her can be done without combat or by defeating her questioners. Most of her companion quest happens in Act 2 of the game. Follow the list of instructions we’ve mentioned below to win her trust.

How to raise Minthara’s approval

Here’s 16 ways to raise Minthara approval in Baldur’s Gate 3:

1. Agree to attack Druid Grove.
2. Ally with the Goblin horde.
3. At Druid Grove, betray Zevlor during the battle. Blow the warhorn and open the gate for Minthara’s hunting party.
4. Searching for her desires at camp.
5. Actions that benefit her goals, be it violence or cruelty.
6. Decline Jaheira’s drink.
7. In the Tollhouse at Gerringothe Thorm: “I bring you death” opener or succeding skill checks to defeat her.
8. In the House of Healing, as a paladin, tell Malus Thorm you are duty-bound to end him.
9. Alternatively, succeed in skill checks and make the sisters kill each other or “Attack”.
10. Waning Moon: “Attack” the Distiller Thisobald Thorm OR Decline his drink.
11. In the Tollhouse at Gerringothe Thorm: “I bring you death” opener or succeding skill checks to defeat her.
12. In the House of Healing, as a paladin tell Malus Thorm you are duty-bound to end him.
13. Alternatively, succeed in skill checks and make the sisters kill each other OR their master OR “Attack”.
14. Waning Moon: “Attack” the Distiller Thisobald Thorm OR Decline his Drink.
15. Allow/encourage Shadowheart to kill the Nightsong.
16. After defeating Ketheric Thorm Minthara will sit on his throne, tell her “It suits you.”

How to decrease Minthara’s approval

And here’s what you shouldn’t do as it lowers Minthara approval:

1. Siding with the Tiefling refugees and the Druids of the Druid grove.
2. Attacking the goblins at the Goblin camp.
3. Rescuing Halsin from the Worg Pens at the Shattered Sanctum.
4. Killing any of the other Goblin leaders.
5. Failing Persuasion or Intimidation checks with her after defeating the Tieflings.
6. In the Tollhouse, give Gerringothe Thorm all of your gold.

How to romance Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3

You can romance Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3 after siding with the goblins. Following Minthara’s plan will result in the defeat of the Druids. At the Goblin campsite, you will be able to speak your mind with her. Speak with her and say “Yes, I’m yours, Minthara.”

After that, you can head to your bedroll to initiate a romance scene. “Do as she says” and “I want you” are the choices you’ll need to romance her. Learn more in our Baldur’s Gate 3 romance guide. Oddly, those who picked the Dark Urge origin character have the option to snap her neck here.

How to recruit Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Helping Minthara involves giving her the Emerald Grove location. Don’t read the following section if you want to go in without any spoilers. You can either head to Minthara directly or after interrogating a tortured victim nearby.

Patch 5 brought a new method that lets you recruit Minthara even if you are a good-aligned character. Here’s how to recruit Minthara in BG3 without spilling blood:

• Find Minthara at the Shattered Sanctum past the Goblin Camp. You should have no issue with it if you use your Illithoid Wisdom to form a psychic connection with the goblins. It’ll help you bypass most ability checks too. 
• She’ll be in a Secluded Chamber talking to a goblin. You can access this place via a ladder near the Worg Pens’ doorway.
• Commit a crime in front of her to start a fight. This makes her temporarily hostile. Knock her out with a non-lethal attack. Ensure that you do this before meeting Dror Ragzlin, another Goblin Camp leader.
• Proceed into Act 2 and things will pan out the same way.

And if you’ve decided to recruit Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3, no matter the cost, here’s what you should do in Act 1:

• Tell Minthara the location of the Emerald Grove.
• She’ll tell you to return to the Emerald Grove and pretend to be their ally. Just pretend to be on the side of the Tieflings during the raid. 
• When Minthara arrives with her Goblin army, she will contact you telepathically. Open the gate to begin a combat encounter with the Tieflings.
• Druids like Nettie and Rath are particularly difficult to dispatch. Zevlor has High Defense so watch out for this Tiefling. Don’t worry too much though as Minthara’s reinforcements include goblins and large spiders.
• After the battle, keep picking dialogue choices that align with Minthara’s interests. The Goblins will throw a celebration and this is when you can talk to your other companions. Besides Astarion and Lae’zel, the others will condemn the move. Karlach, Wyll, and Halsin will outright leave your camp.
• Speak with Minthara during the celebration and affirm the start of a relationship with her. Head to your bed roll and select Minthara as a partner. This will lead to a romance sequence.
• You can either pry into her desires or her fears after this. Minthara will start fighting you if you fail any Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation checks. Note that asking her about her desires doesn’t turn her into a companion just yet. You can also tell her about Shadowheart’s artifact but we don’t know how it will affect the story.
• You’ll eventually learn about Minthara’s mission to get to the Moonrise Towers with the help of a Spider’s Lyre to summon Kar’Niss. A Drider will guide you with a moonlantern to protect you from the Shadow Curse. You’ll also have to deal with a Harper ambush.

And now that you’re on good terms with her, here’s how to recruit Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3 in Act 2:

• During the Infiltrate the Moonrise Towers quest, you’ll find Minthara being questioned about the location of the artifact by Ketheric and Z’rell. A Wisdom roll can save her. Next, use Intimidation or Deception to convince the questioners to leave in the prisons. Or you could take them down in direct combat.
• Now, you can use a Wisdom check to reach her mind. Get Minthara out of Moonrise Towers by succeeding Intimidation, Deception, or Persuasion checks as you encounter other characters.
• Once you leave Moonrise Towers, you will be able to fill Minthara in on everything you’ve learned. You can then invite her to your camp, a move that Astarion, Lae’zel, and Shadowheart will approve of. She will then become a companion.

Is Minthara worth recruiting in Baldur’s Gate 3?

While you may have to get through Druid and Tiefling blood to get to her good books, Minthara is a solid companion in combat. Just remember that the rest of your companions won’t take this lightly. Characters will Wyll and Halsin will outright hate you. And now that the developers have fixed bugs that limited Minthara’s dialogue, an evil playthrough is certainly worthwhile.

Minthara’s background and inspiration

Oddly enough, Minthara has a Noble background. This would mean gaining Inspiration by keeping the social hierarchy of the Forgotten Realms intact. Inspiration lets you reroll dice rolls at crucial moments in the game’s story. Here are some background goals for a Noble in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Protector Of The Duke – Rescue Counsellor Florrick from the burning inn.
• Lest Ye Be Judged – Learn Astarion’s history as a magistrate.
• Noblesse Oblige – Dismiss a companion for interrupting a conversation.
• Soul For Sale – Acquire a Soul Coin for your personal collection.
• Blueblood Solidarity – Learn Wyll’s family history.

Minthara’s starting skills and attributes

Minthara starts off with the Boots of Striding, Ring Mail Armour, and Simple Boots. She will also have a Studded Shield and a Xyanyde, a simple melee weapon. Minthara’s high Constitution score results in a solid amount of health that lets her take a beating. And as a Paladin, good Strength and Wisdom stats let Minthara make the most of her divine abilities. Here are Minthara’s skills:

• Athletics
• Insight
• Intimidation
• Medicine
• Persuasion
• Religion

And here are Minthara’s ability scores:

• Strength: 15
• Dexterity: 12
• Constitution: 15
• Intelligence: 12
• Wisdom: 18
• Charisma: 16

Best equipment for Minthara

Here’s the best equipment Minthara can use in BG3:

• Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength: Strength Saving Throw +1; Increases the wearer’s Strength to 23
• Killer’s Sweetheart: When you kill any creature, your next Attack Roll will be a Critical Hit. Once spent in combat, this effect refreshes after a Long Rest.
• Balduran’s Giantslayer: On a hit, double the attack damage from your Strength Modifier. This weapon grants you an Advantage on Attack Rolls against Large, Huge, or Gargantuan creatures. Perfect for monsters, then. Weapon Enchantment +3. Giant Form (Class Action)
• Vivacious Cloak: You gain 7 temporary hit points after casting a spell while in melee.
• Helldusk Armour: You’re considered Proficient with this armor while wearing it. When you succeed a Saving Throw, the caster receives Burning for 3 rounds. You have resistance to Fire Damage and cannot be Burned. You take 3 less damage from all sources.

Best feats for Minthara

Here are the best feats for an Oath of Vengeance Paladin like Minthara in BG3:

• Ability Improvement: Use these two ability points to raise your Strength or Charisma.
• Great Weapon Master: Grants +10 damage with a -5 to a damage roll for the odds of hitting an enemy. Boosted damage at the cost of accuracy is a good option, particularly since it can be toggled on and off. When a melee attack scores a critical hit or kills a creature, you can also make another melee attack as a bonus action.
• Alert: Helps with Initiative, letting you start attacking at the beginning of a round. Also, it prevents you from being surprised by enemy ambushes. This lets you strike fast and strike hard against foes, especially with extra attacks later in the game.

Best Minthara build in BG3

As a Drow Paladin, expect her to use Divine Smite against her foes. And if her Oath of Vengeance subclass is not to your liking, remember that you can respec in Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian Studios has ensured that you can mix and match skills to great effect.

Here are Minthara’s proficiencies in BG3:

• Skills – Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, Religion
• Gear – Martial and Simple Weapons, Heavy Armor

Here are Minthara’s Lolth-Sworn Drow features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Base Racial Speed: You can move 9m per turn in combat.
• Superior Darkvision: Can see in the dark up to 24m.
• Drow Weapon Training: You have Proficiency with the Rapier and Shortsword.
• Fey Ancestry: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

And here are the Paladin features that Minthara has access to:

• Divine Smite – You can expend spell slots to deal additional radiant damage on a successful melee attack.
• Divine Health – The divine magic flowing within you prevents disease from affecting you.
• Abjure Enemy – Frighten an enemy, Fiends and undead have Disadvantage on this Saving Throw.
• Vow of Enmity – Gain Advantage on Attack Rolls against an enemy.

✓ Antony’s annotation

Use respec or get new hirelings if you want another Paladin

If you’re not okay with destroying Emerald Grove, respec an existing companion or get a hireling on Paladin duty.

Level 1-3

Her Oath of Vengeance build gives Minthara Channel Oath Charges, Lay On Hands, Inquisitor’s Might, and Divine Sense. Note that this doesn’t let you be as good as a healer as the other subclasses. Inquisitor’s Might gives weapon attacks an additional 2 Radiant damage and can Daze enemies for 1 turn. This will be your main source of damage early on.

At level 2, consider picking from Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Shield of Faith, Divine Favor, and Cure Wounds. This offers a nice mix of offensive and defensive capabilities. You also get to pick a Fighting Style. Here are the fighting styles Minthara can pick from:

• Defense: +1 to Armor Class while wearing any kind of armor.
• Dueling: When wielding a melee weapon that is not two-handed or versatile in one hand, deal a bonus of two damage with that weapon.
• Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die with any two-handed melee weapon, that die can be rerolled once.
• Protection: When you have a shield, cause a Disadvantage on an attack against your allies when you are within 1.5m.

Great Weapon Fighting is good when you’re using two-handed weapons. And at level 3, we’d recommend learning the Command spell to take advantage of Minthara’s high Charisma. Minthara also gains Divine Health, a passive that protects your companion from diseases.

Here are the other bonuses a Paladin gets at level 3:

• Abjure Enemy: Frighten an enemy. They’ll be easier to hit and cannot move. Fiends and undead have Disadvantage on this Saving Throw.
• Vow of Enmity: Gain Advantage on Attack Rolls against an enemy.
• Receives Bane: Up to 3 creatures receive a -1d4 penalty to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws. This makes enemies more likely to miss swings and shots.
• Receives Hunter’s Mark: Mark a creature as your quarry to deal an additional 1d6 Slashing Damage whenever you hit it with a weapon attack. If the target dies before the spell ends, you can mark a new creature without expanding a Spell Slot.

Level 4-7

And at level 4, you get access to Baldur’s Gate 3 feats. While you can use Ability Improvement to gain two ability points, Great Weapon Master gives +10 to damage while reducing attack rolls by -5. While this impacts accuracy, this can be toggled at will to maximize damage when needed. You get another spell and Protection from Evil and Good is a good option. The target can’t be Charmed, Frightened, or possessed by certain creatures, and when these creatures attack it, they do so with a disadvantage.

Level 5 opens up the Oath of Vengeance Paladin even more with more spell slots, another prepared spell, and an extra attack. Minthara also gets access to two subclass spells:

• Hold Person: Hold a humanoid enemy still. They can’t move, act, or react. Attacks from within 3m are always Critical Hits.
• Misty Step: Surrounded by silver mist, you teleport to an unoccupied space you can see.

As for the new spell, pick Branding Smite. It deals 2d6 radiant damage and Possibly marks your target with light, preventing it from turning Invisible. These Smite abilities are particularly great at clearing hordes of Undead. And at level 6, you get Aura of Protection and another prepared spell. We recommend Magic Weapon as it grants a weapon +1 bonus to Attack and Damage Rolls.

Level 7 gives Minthara Relentless Avenger, a feature that increases your movement by 4.5m when you land an Opportunity Attack on a moving enemy. As for the level 3 spell, pick Lesser Restoration as it can cure creatures of disease, poison, paralysis, or blindness. I’d suggest looking at how to save Pandirna in Baldur’s Gate 3 but Minthara wants the entire Druid’s Grove destroyed.

Level 8-12

Level 8 brings another feat for Minthara and we recommend Great Weapon Master. As for the spell, consider Compelled Duel to draw enemies away from weaker allies. Level 9 brings two more level 3 spell slots and two subclass spells for the Oath of Vengeance Paladin. Blinding Smite and Elemental Weapon are good options here. And here are the subclass spells that Minthara gets access to in level 9:

• Haste – Target yourself or an ally to become Hastened. The creature has a +2 bonus to Armour Class, Advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws, its Movement Speed is doubled, and can take one additional Action per turn. When the condition ends, the creature becomes Lethargic.
• Protection from Energy: Raises the caster’s resistance to every energy type. It’s a situational skill that can save your life against some bosses.

At level 10, the Oath of Vengeance Paladin gets a Lay on Hands charge, Aura of Courage, and Revivify. As long as Minthara is conscious, Aura of Courage gives nearby allies protection from being frightened. Reviviy is another great option to have during difficult encounters as Minthara.

Level 11 and 12 aren’t impactful as Minthara’s own class so we recommend multiclassing into another offensive-focused class. Here’s how to multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Paladins can be frontline fighters thanks to their proficiency in Light, Medium, and Heavy Armour. They can use Shields to sustain direct assault damage too. As for weapons, Minthara benefits from Simple weapons and Martial weapons proficiency. And considering that Paladins swear oaths, Minthara could even become an Oathbreaker. A high Charisma stat also means that she’s a better pick for dialogue options over someone like Lae’zel.

But if you’re determined to make use of one of the best Baldur’s Gate 3 classes, Nightwarden Minthara is a good bet. Remember that she gets access to feats at level 4 like other characters. You’ve got a decision on your hands. Charisma from our best Baldur’s Gate 3 Bard build might help.