Hello there,
I hope this doesn't come across as a rant. I just need to write my thoughts somewhere, or to share some copium among Minthara fans.
The game is amazing, and I'm so thankful Larian created this unique character which quickly became one of my favourites when I played the EA a week before release. And I was curious to see her character progression.
This resulted in me dedicating my first playthrough to Minth and going full Anakin.
I don't even like doing evil runs in games, but I did what was necessary to recruit her.
And apparently, you have to do this if you want to play the game without skipping the huge raid quest, since she is the only companion you get if you do something absolutely wrong.
Not just something evil, just something unnecessary wrong.
While the game gives you a lot of freedom with the directions you want to go with your companions, you get instantly locked into the crazy evil path (at least in the early game, with the addition of loosing 3 other companions) if you want this one companion.
I think a lot of things have already been said about her romance options just disappearing after the camp party/act1 and the lack of dialogue/banter after recruiting her.
She doesn't even appear in the Journal log at all once she is in your party.
I'm really happy for the community that the other companions have so much depth, but I get kind of sad when I look at Minthara.
I really like edgy/evil (not crazy evil) characters with a redemption arc, or the option to soften/(fix?) them during a playthrough. That's also why Sebille is my favourite character in DOS2. But Minthara feels like a character with so much wasted potential.
Because
after we rescue her, she shows her true character, and for the first time you can hear her real thoughts without being manipulated by the cult, and that she is sorry for what happened.
She seems exactly like the edgy, more evil-aligned person who had to go through a lot of pain and loss, what results in her not showing her feelings. Which is also amplified by her having a noble background and living a dangerous life.
She is harsh but approves of a lot of good decisions. And despises unnecessary cruel/evil actions. I like that.
Most of the players won't even see that. Because the game kind of pushes you to fight her. Following her plan while she is still being manipulated seems crazy after helping the grove and building connections with the tieflings and druids .
The voice and thoughts we hear when first meeting Minthara aren't even hers, but those of a crazy cult that is demanding us to go on a hunt. Let's go on a hunt!
What.
I just got here, now I'm supposed to switch sides and going full murderhobo?
Which leads to her being shoved into the abyss by the majority of players as a result of being introduced as an ENEMY and not as the possible companion she really is or can become.
-I kind of wish they would have put more options in the beginning that result in either talking her out of it/ making her question "her beliefs" while she is in the presence of the prism.
-Or her just leaving/fleeing the raid if we choose to betray her because she thinks this ain't no fight she can win with the player's group on the other side.
So we can still recruit her later on in a good playthrough with a redemption arc/personal vengeance quest. (Even with Halsin in the party, in an intended way.)
-Or simply triggering a cutscene after being defeated and being able to convince her.
Also, if you skip the raid, you don't even get a real romance scene, let alone a scene where we see her building a deep connection to the player.
I'm sorry if this text makes no sense, or if I'm getting too passionate. I just needed to get this "feedback" out because the current state of this character feels unsatisfying, and she seems to have a lot of wasted potential, which sadly results in her being left behind in a roster of really cool playable characters.
Otherwise, I loved the part when she opened up and trusted the player after we freed her and got her involved with the party. But it just stalled afterwards.
It would be great to have the option to make her join the player's party for the sake of experiencing her amazing character, not for the sake of being evil.
Maybe she was never really supposed to grow as a character, which would be a shame.
Her voice acting, appearance and design, attitude, and story are superb, in my opinion.
I really don't want to talk bad about this game, I love Larian studios and their work of love. I'm really thankful for this experience but Minthara feels like she could be so much more than she is right now.
