Minthara: Difference between revisions

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Minthara
Baldur's Gate character
Minthara as he appears in Baldur's Gate III
First game	Baldur's Gate III (2023)
Voiced by	Emma Gregory
In-universe information
Race	Drow
Class	Paladin

Minthara Baenre is a character from the 2023 video game Baldur's Gate III, a Larian Studios roleplaying game set in the Forgotten Realms universe of Dungeons & Dragons.

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The character proved popular with players. In an interview with IGN, Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke noted that during the game's early access period they could see how many players romanced Minthara, and were surprised by the large number, stating "There's certainly people that have had no moral scruples."^[1] Media outlets were a bit more mixed. Jasmine Gould-Wilson in an article for GamesRadar+ described the choice of killing the Grove to recruit her as a question of "would you risk it all for the favor of one person? And just how bad could things get if you did?" She further noted that prior to meeting the character she couldn't comprehend why someone would take that avenue, and the impact and ramifications of recruiting fundamentally changed the tone of her playthrough.^[2] Liana Ruppert of Game Informer on the other hand was highly critical of her character, describing her as "kind of a jerk", stating that on playthroughs where she did recruit Minthara she found herself starting the game over shortly after. She further added "Just like any good role-playing adventure, there are good choices, bad choices, and choices that make you feel like you need a cold shower. Minthara is the latter two".^[3]

The staff of PC Gamer rated Minthara the lowest of all Baldur's Gate 3 companions, acknowledging that while she was "hot", the cost of recruiting her by killing innocent characters in the game felt too steep. Associate editor Ted Litchfield did however praise the effort that went into developing her character, stating that developing a full companion and all the resources devoted to it and her story arc for a character that "at least 60% of players would kill is a big part of why Baldur's Gate 3 is such a historic [role playing game]."^[4] Matthew Byrd of Den of Geek on the other hand was more favorable towards the character on his own rating scale of the characters, though found it difficult due to the significant detriments for recruiting her and how much one was tied to an "evil" playthrough of the game in order to do so. That said, despite acknowledging she was a "tough sell" for some players, he praised her depth and called her one of "the most well-rounded, well-written, and capable" companions.^[5] Meanwhile, Jack Doyle in an article for The Mary Sue considered her his favorite companion in the game, praising both the character and her romance, and the fact that unlike other characters she was a developed villain. He clothes with stating "you’re gonna have to do some pretty dastardly things to get Minthara [...] Was it worth it? Yes. I’d resurrect everyone I killed just to stick a knife in them a second time for Minthara to look my way."^[6]

Kotaku's praised the character for allowing a deeper glimpse into Drow culture in Dungeons & Dragons lore, particularly towards their sexual orientation and treatment of men. She noted that Minthara's own attitudes were not as narrow, and added that doing so allowed the character to not only be "a physically powerful woman, but, more importantly, an interesting character".^[7]