Baldur's Gate 3 Writer Says Minthara Has No "Redemption Arc", Is Just Horrible
22.12.2023 - 03:21
/ thegamer.com
/ Adam Smith
/ Swen Vincke
Minthara is definitely one of Baldur's Gate 3's spicier companions, and a firm fan favorite for those that enjoy a little bit of bloodshed in their RPGs. Back at launch, you couldn't actually recruit Minthara without slaughtering a bunch of Tieflings (or turning her into a sheep), and while a recent patch has allowed players to not have to make that choice anymore, it's still very clear that she isn't a particularly pleasant person.
Of course, that hasn't stopped her fans from cozying up to her during their playthroughs, and Minthara does have a softer side to her once you break down the walls she puts up around people. It's this soft side that makes people believe she goes on somewhat of a "redemption arc" by traveling with the party, but Baldur's Gate 3 lead writer Adam Smith has firmly reminded us all that no, Minthara is still a very horrible person.
In a recent interview with IGN (thanks PC Gamer), both Adam Smith and Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke sat down to talk about some of the game's characters, offering up little tidbits of information or further explanations around their backstories and motives. The chat eventually moves onto Minthara, as the two talk about the struggles of developing a character that was once blocked off for so many people.
It's during this section in which Smith talks about Minthara's more unique personality, as a person that shows a more tender side to the individuals that she likes, but still has that "pragmatic, evil person" lurking underneath. Baldur's Gate 3 is not an RPG that lets you recruit the bad guy and they suddenly turn into a nice person. Minthara is just horrible and only seems to be not horrible around you when you recruit her because she likes you.
She's a very paranoid person, and I think that the tenderness that you can find in her... it's not a redemption arc, she's horrible... but she's got a lot of love for the individuals.
When asked how Smith would've liked to have built on Minthara had the developers had more time, he explains that he'd like to give her more interactions with Orin as she "has history" with her, but that all he'd add would be a few lines of dialogue. Smith also acknowledges fan requests for Minthara to be an Origin character, but says it's not happening as it would be "a completely different game". Baldur's Gate 4 maybe?