The new difficulty pertains to Honor Mode (which is present in DOS2) and is speculated to feature permadeath and limits you to one save. Sounds like torture but I know some people dig that lol. Concerning the datamine of Minthara, below is an excerpt from the same source, detailing a 'new' way to get Minthara in a future patch:
Visit the Grove in Act 1. Then visit the Goblin Camp and tell Minthara you will help her raid the Grove. Without long resting, go to the Grove and move the idol of Sylvanas, setting off the Druid/Teifling conflict. Flee from the fight. Then go back to the goblin camp and free Halsin, tell him the grove has been sealed so he joins your camp. Go to Act 2 and visit Moonrise Towers. Save Minthara and tell her to join your camp. Go to long rest and get the CRD (Camp Relationship Dialogue).
So it's not a 'good path' at all, it's neutral at best, and it seems to be a response to the exploits instead of an attempt to make her character more accessible. You won't be able to have the tieflings/Halsin and her in the same path, which is a disappointment for a majority of people. It would still be wise to send feedback to the Larian website.
