They could add a simple cutscene like the one with Auntie Ethel in Act 1 or Mother Superior in Act 3. That would be a more seamless way to incorporate this imo.
Agree, this would be the best way to do it. Her running away would be too OOC for her imo.
It would be the easiest way for the player certainly, but I just can't imagine Minthara begging for her life after defeat. Even if the party would grant her mercy, I 'd sooner see her swallow a drow cyanide pill than surrendering.
No, it's only after going back to her general, thinking she was doing well but not able to get the artefact because the goblins are too stupid and unruly to defeat the druids. Retreat to base , reorganize and re-attack, but instead find that she is betrayed, humiliated and tortured. Only this would sway her and get her to ally with anyone fighting the absolute.
So from a game story point of view, I think the current implementation is a good way to do it. From a player point of view it's problematic because you can only find out if it worked after many hours of gameplay. Maybe a solution would be to put a message in the quest journal to confirm that Minthara will be recruitable when you find her again. At least then the player knows that the plan was correctly executed.
