Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Justice for Minthara

Saying that she misses picking off her siblings one by one (something she never talked about, at least in my game) gets approval but seems to guarantee the "mildly disappointing" result.

The better choice is saying that she misses Underdark food (despite her previously mentioning being unable to properly enjoy food due to the threat of being poisoned) which also gets approval and allows you to get the "know my heart" result.

Neither "correct" answer seems rooted in her in-game dialogue. She did say that she was happy with life in Menzoberranzan despite the dangers of betrayal, but that's a far cry from relishing fratricide.

Saying that she misses her pet spiders gets disapproval, because spiders are "Lolth's creatures" - which seems odd because she was keeping spiders after Menzoberranzan, as we see in the goblin camp.

The answer to the final question needs to be correct (being captured by the Absolute) to get the best result, and it can even make up for wrong answers to the previous questions (still giving the "know my heart" result), but that makes sense if you've paid any attention at all up to that point.

The best total approval increase while still getting the "know my heart" result seems to be:

1. Spiced Ulaver wine and thinly sliced rothe steak.
2. Me.
3. Let herself be captured by the cult of the Absolute.

I suppose we could explain it away as her not truly having enjoyed fighting her siblings despite laughing it off, and I like that interpretation, but I cringe thinking of the crowd who would mistake it as evidence of being "good". (She isn't. Not in the D&D sense. Not even a little bit.)

- Entering the Tribunal
- Entering the temple of Bhaal
- After losing the duel with Orin

Up until that point, she talked about her upbringing too. I think it was when we first arrived at Baldur’s Gate that we learn her own mother tried to kill her when she came of age. She gave her fresh scars in return, or something along those lines, and she spoke of it with pride. So, to me at least, enjoying fratricide wasn’t a far-off guess even though she never mentioned it directly.

It would be nice if we got more of her talking about her early life. That way their dynamic would be more clear for everyone, especially those who are unfamiliar with the lore and how cutthroat the rest of her family is. Menzoberranzan is basically Game of Thrones taken to the extreme :'3

I didn't think that was odd. She was still brainwashed at the goblin camp, remember? It's pretty clear that she hates Lolth despite having served her. What I found weird was how the spiders were willing to serve an Absolute cultist, but I think they were in on it too.

Another interesting tidbit I found is if we answer that Minthara admires the gods most, she gives us approval too, but it’s the wrong answer. So she seems to hold some degree of admiration despite having a clear dislike for them. I don't think that's ever been stated clearly, here or anywhere else, but you can sort of make the connection to her desire for power.

Yep, she's not a "good" person. I don't think a redemption arc would fit her either, and that's perfectly fine. My personal interpretation is she definitely enjoyed picking off her siblings one by one. I don't think there's any mistaking it in how she said it. The less siblings she had, the closer she would've gotten to becoming a Matron Mother.

I think that answer is only "mildly disappointing" because she misses Underdark food the most at that point, that's what the dryad asked. It's also important to note she also associates the food with House Baenre banquets, which are something she would no longer be able to experience due to her exile (by far her biggest loss).

That one hasn't triggered for me yet. Sounds interesting. IIRC, I had her at "very high" approval near the end of Act 2 (triggering the romance scene before leaving for Baldur's Gate) and got to "exceptional" approval shortly into Act 3. I did go to the circus very early since my Warlock sensed fey magic.

That's my point - she was part of the cult, having left Lolth behind (under the influence of the Absolute), but she was still keeping spiders at the goblin camp. I suppose her motives could have been utilitarian at that point - "the spiders are useful servants for the Absolute" more-or-less. But having that answer about pet spiders offered in the love test made it seem like keeping the spiders might have been a decision based on affection.

Interesting! That answer seemed so wrong that I didn't bother testing it. Lol.

Tbh, I wonder if the writer for the love test was trying for something clever and simply failed. You mentioned Astarion, and I've read something about the test for the other companions being "off", too.

I did try answering "Drizzt" to the second question for a laugh.

Anyway - Thanks for sharing your thoughts! No one else in my gaming circle has recruited Minthy yet, and it's nice to be able to chat about her in some depth here.

It triggers when you first step foot on Rivington and talk to her. There's no exclamation point so you might've missed it if you went straight to the circus, but yeah, it should be there regardless of approval :3

Oh, I see. I mean my point was that because she's brainwashed, any decision she made back then wasn't related to how she truly felt. All that mattered to her was serving the Absolute, and I think when you play as a Lolthsworn drow, she actually refers to them as "vermin" in Act 1. When she did serve Lolth, keeping a spider was more of an obligation as they're sacred animals and harming or killing them is often punishable by death.

So yeah, in any circumstance, I don't think she kept them due to affection - as endearing as that would be lol.

So I do have that conversation available - but I hadn't been back to camp to make my usual round of the companions. My motivation to play dropped *significantly* at the beginning of Act 3, when the Emperor reveal makes an incoherent mess of the story. I don't think I've played more than 20-30 minutes at a time since.

Barring some unmentioned magical intervention, the adventurer is dead, and the Emperor is either deceiving itself or telling the most obvious lie in the history of the realms.

Except things simply continue as if the Emperor wasn't making one of the most controversial claims imaginable about the foundations of the story.

I looked ahead for some limited spoilers, and the story seems to double down on the nonsense, unfortunately. The writer for Act 3 doesn't seem to understand ceremorphosis.

I'll get to the end eventually. Probably. Maybe.

There's definitely a warping of perception - Minthara describing it as being "ecstatic to serve" - and direct commands are impossible to resist (not being perceived as something that *should* be resisted in the first place). But some degree of autonomy exists in terms of the execution of their service/devotion, and True Souls don't seem to be in direct two-way communication with the Absolute or each other most of the time, else the player character would be outed rather quickly. I get the impression that "You're still you but completely devoted to the Absolute." (But I might have the wrong impression, and I'm not sure the story is coherent or consistent in this regard, anyway.)

Whatever the case, if she calls the spiders vermin, that puts a different spin on the matter.

For Orin to take him prisoner, so the "useful" companions are spared.