Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Jaheira and MInsc. Why they don't have a fan thread?

I have to say that being old enough to had played the old BG games, I initially have confront feeelings about them. But after making a playthrough where I take both for the majority of act III. I really like how much content they have in the act (still want more) how it is. Almost every mission in act three have a moment for one of them, or both to interact and usually always in a cool way.

Can really tell why people usually forget them. Maybe it just because they are seen as nostalgic merchandise? (Myself was on that boat before trying them) Because they don't are a romance option? (that is a good thing for me. Not that i have anything againts romance and sex. All the oppositte! but the way every companion in this game try to jump on you is just annoying) Or simple because by the moment they show up you are use to your party and don't change it?

But taking them with me had rewarded some memorable moments. Best "conversation" till now in game for me is:

I think it’s probably because you have the other companions for longer, most of them since Act 1, so you have more time to bond with them and get invested in their stories. At least, that’s why I don’t play with companions added Act 2 or later really. But I’m glad that you’re enjoying them so much.

Jaheira is pitch perfect and amazing and I love having her in my party. It's just like the old days - heck, even better, she has so much more to say now! Minsc is also really good, he continues to be an excellent mount for the best party member of all time, Boo.

Jaheira is honestly my favourite character in the game. I love taking her with me as soon, as she joins the party - and she is especially wholesome with good Durge. Minsc, I didn't like in the old games that much, but he did grow on me in this game - and Boo is downright adorable.
And I agree, they need their own thread.
I'm planning a Jaheira cosplay for a convention next year, I hope, it works out.

I've enjoyed Jaheira so far - she seems right; still fierce, but softened a bit with age. Minsc is there, I guess - it would be a stronger, better story if Aerie were the one to rescue him. But I admit by the time I get to the city I've grown attached to the other party members. Even Lae'Zel who I thought would just be a generic warrior character I've come to like.

Boo is the best just by talking about him:

I disagree about Aerie, compared to Jaheira,she was kind of forgettable and I'm glad, she wasn't made a companion again.
No, I think, it was the right decision to go with the two iconic companions from the first two games. Even though, I'm not a big Minsc fan, I recognise, he has a big fanbase.

I would say she had a lot of potential that wasn't fully realized (like she was never given a real chance to be shown standing up to abusers and slavers - it was tacked into her epilogue. And not enough made of her gnomish connections; like followers of Baervan are supposed to play pranks on their friends so she could have been grown into a more light hearted and whimsical character). But she was, if not chronologically, in every other way the youngest character in BG2 so it would be great to bring her back as still the same big hearted and determined core character, but grown in manu other ways. Despite that all the OG romances have their fans (to be honest I never really cared for Aerie's; I always thought she would have been better written as a little sister type while Imoen can't be around).

I know, you are a big Aerie fan, since two third of your art seems to involve around her, but I think, it was a good decision. SHe wasn't very popular compared to other characters from BG 1 &2 and as I said, Jaheira and Minsc are by far the stronger choices here.
I like Mazzy and would not mind seeing her again , but she wasn't that popular compared to characters like Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen, Jan Jansen (the most quoted character ever), Viconia or Edwin. I made Mazzy often a cleric/fighter with SHadowkeeper, since I didn't personalyl like any of the cleric characters in BG2. BG1 had Branwen and Yeslick, who were both great, but BG2 did nothing for me in that regard.

And since this thread is about those two: I love, when you meet Jaheiras family - so much fun. ANd being able to convince Rion to help the refugees in Rivington is nice.
And I do like, that you can summon Boo instead of just hear him squeaking in the background like in the first two games. He is so cute.
I do like Minscs recruiting quest from finding the harper doppelgangers in Wyrms Crossing to meeting Nine Finger Keene to to the bank encounter (and yes, I rob those vaults blind) - and especially Minscs and Nine Fingers dialogue in the end.

I am a big fan, yes. That is fair (but part of the reason I have so much fanart of her is that she gets requested a lot as well). I don't really know why though; she's cute, but there are lots of cute characters in video games, yet for some reason she sticks with me. Maybe because I'm autistic? I don't think she is necessarily (although there is possibly room for her to be written that way), but she is an outsider even though its not immediately obvious to look at her that she is. But I am also a writer so I'm interested in the story as well, although I'm not saying she should replace Jaheira; just be a great addition to Minsc's quest and in general. The only problem with a Mazzy return is that Halflings don't typically live that long (well similar lifespans to Half-Elves IIRC, so like Jaheira she'd be not as spry as she used to be) and her deal was wanting to be a paladin, which wasn't strictly allowed by the rules then, but now any halfling can be. In fact one of my playthroughs is a Halfling Paladin in honor of her.


I found it a bit strange when she heckled the clown in the circus at first, but then I realized she's older and more mellow and likely spent more time with kids than she had when we knew her in BG 1+2.

Problem with Minsc, he isn't around long enough to get to know him. Can't get his approval up.

If you get Jaheira with you all way to lower city by doing the harper quests, you can pretty much push through the questline to get him before doing anything else in act 3.

But yeah, agreed. Jaheira on the other hand is such a delight to have as companion. Love her.

I do that normally, because I want to have both Minsc and Jaheira with me during the Bhaalist questline and Shadowhearts quest for obvious reasons.

The devs were pretty spot on with Jaheira, voice and everything, she was done quite well. However my fave character is Viconia and sorely disappointed in her making, voice and appearance is way off, may as well be an imposter.
Even with all that, I thought elves to be an immortal race, so they are just long lived? Jaheira looks old af, mostly body than face. More of a surprise than complaint in that regard.
I was hoping to see Imoen and apparently there is a controversy about her. Some fans believe she should be dead, but I say if Sarevok can make an appearance despite losing Bhaal's essence, then so should Imoen.
Ultimately when it comes to Dark Urge playthrough, I was hoping it would be Jaheira and Minsc recognizing you as Gorion's ward and helping your character remember them and who you are. But sadly no, devs went with a different twist.

Durge being Gorions Ward would not have made sense honestly - tehy are either don't have teh essence anymore or they ascended. Either way, that story was done. Plus, WotC had to make that character canon as a stupid human male fighter, so not muc hwiggle room, I guess.

Elves are long lived, but Jaheira is only a Half-Elf so does age gradually. Don't know about Imoen; in her original epilogue she starts hanging out with Elminster. Can't remember what happened to her in the novels. Probably dies. Almsot everyone else unlucky enough to be in them in does (including Jaheira). There's another thing where she's a half-vampire or some nonsense. In any case, as she was a powerful mage at the end of BG2 its not out of the question for her to still be around if quite a bit older.

Both come so late that they hardly matter. Especially Minsc who is only in the game for marketing purposes and a complete disgrace (12 Str).

In my head cannon all the clown parts you find around Rivington are actually Minsc body parts. So when you find him it is just dribbles deep undercover and fearing for his life. He has the entire camp fooled by throwing up a smokescreen of silly voice lines and erratic behaviour. Even Jaheira is so put off by this that she doesn't dig any deeper. And so Dribbles lives on to clown another day.

They Both suffer the Same Problem as others poit out here already..
They came in the game so Late.. that by the time they Join..
yu already care a lot more with the others yu met in act 1..
thats kinda really sad..
i love then a lot from the older games so here i always bring then when i do hero runs..
(but thats what make then overshadow by the others.. they came so late that its hard to care for then if yu never played the older games.)

That's not entirely true, anything could've happened in that 200 year span. Your disagreement would hold more merit if Sarevok didn't make an appearance because he lost Bhaal's essence with his death, unless giving him that little sliver of the ward's soul was enough to sustain him all these years. I still scratch my head over Sarevok.

The way Jaheira tells it is that Gorion's ward resisted Bhaal if you ever play Durge origin. I was only meaning that you being Gorion's ward would've been an interesting development. It's just what I would've preferred anyway.


You make a good point, I keep forgetting she is indeed a half elf, however Viconia is a full drow elf, she looks older and sounds older too, she sounds like an old woman, her voice is unsettling to me. So maybe elves do age.

Also I'm glad you agree Imoen could be a possibility. There is a book describing her in BG3 called "Candlekeep Missives", I think that's the name anyway. But she could be dead too. I guess no one will ever know until the tale is finally told, but there are a lot of characters left in the wind when you really think about it.