BG3 could've taken a cue from its predecessors in terms of companion acquisition and management. They should all be recruitable. Some more difficult to get than others, such as with Minthara (which would actually make it even more rewarding), but it should ultimately be down to companions choosing to leave, stay, or try to kill you, based on player decisions.
I feel that this evil/good barrier is way too forced when it comes to companions. I would never choose to massacre the inhabitants of the grove, therefore I'm missing out from experiencing someone who seems to be even more interesting than what Viconia was back in the day. I'd be OK with cosmetic or gear rewards being locked to good or evil playthroughs, but not with such a potentially interesting character.
The sense of missing out is killing me, but not to the point of being forced to do an evil playthrough for the sake of it. This particular hard lock is frustrating, and the reason why there's mods and other shenanigans that attempt to contravene this.
So, yes. Make Minthara recruitable without the need to massacre refugees and tree huggers. And give the most awesome weapon that laughs maniacally whenever someone dies by the player's hand as a reward.
