I don't know where this is at for the devs, but to me I feel like Mintara was a bit of a ball fumble.
Every other companion has such a rich path to follow and Minthara is just either do action A or D. A gets you Minthara. D gets you a dead Minthara.
All the others have A, B, C, D and E.
If anything, I'd just love an alternative way to recruit her that doesn't involve senseless slaughter. It feels so one dimensional for such a rich character.
Isn't the action of killing the grove part of what makes her a complex character though? Without making that difficult and/or uncomfortable choice she loses a very impactful moment that helps the player understand both the horrible situation she's been put in and just how strong the influence of the Absolute can be. If someone as terrifyingly strong as Minthara can be manipulated it doesn't really look good for a lot of other people in the game.
I'm struggling to understand why so many people seem to associate multiple paths that lead to the same conclusion as being somehow more developed. It seems more like it waters down the character and gives Tav even more main character syndrome (which is rarely fun for anyone because it makes for less flexible rp) if they can just convince anyone of anything. Part of what makes Minthara so good (and the Drow lore in general imo) is her very black and white view of life.
Again I'm still fine with an alternative way to recruit her as long as it makes sense with the way she's already been written but it really bothers me to see so many people talk down on the current way to recruit her.
