Originally Posted by Marielle
This, to be honest, is particularly surprising to me. Spending so many resources on secondary, fanservice characters that managed to be definitely worse than their originals in BG2, and yet abandoning their own, unique and special character like that. BG3 wouldn't have lost anything from the absence of Jaheira and Minsc (I may be subjective, but I can't deal with them after the first playthrough without using the spacebar in dialogs, so annoying are they), but on the contrary, would have gained if they had instead fully developed Minthara. Her lines, in terms of intelligence and “interestingness” for me as a player, far surpass the level of those two combined. You have to “hunt” for her lines, reload to see if she still reacts to this or that event, but the number of lines, alas, is small. How is it possible to make a game like this? Owlcat doesn't have a single unfinished companion, not in Pathfinder or Rogue Trader, no one deprived of content, even though they had significantly less money to make games than Larian. Minthara reminds me of a talented child who sits quietly in the last desk because the adults don't notice her.

Even if Larian had unlimited resources it wouldn't have made a difference. Minthara is not in this state because they spent more effort on other companions, the truth is simply (as much as I hate saying it) they just don't care about anything outside the scope of their intended good path. This was their mindset even during Early Access and is reflected throughout the entire development, which is why this isn't just an issue with Minthara either, as Sarevok and Viconia equally got shafted as characters that weren't even their own. Same story with Gortash, Orin, Ketheric, Nere, Marcus and the entire evil path. It's also the reason why they discarded Minthara (and Astarion) like utter trash in these extended evil endings too, which were supposed to enrich their characters further and fully include them... which they forced so hard it broke both their own lore and player's roleplay by doing so (I don't think I'll ever recover from that).

So as someone who never played BG1/BG2; I equally despise what was done to Sarevok and Viconia as well, because the story consistently kept bringing up these characters only to end up being braindead shallow villains - one with Unholy Daddy issues, the other with Unholy Mommy issues. A sad and pathetic desecration of established characters just to have 'notable' villains for their heroes to slay, when literally anyone could've been in their place and Orin and Gortash could've been made more prominent in ACT III, who are awfully lacking in presence.

Jaheira and Minsc on the other hand - I absolutely adore with all my heart. Jaheira's commanding presence followed by her snarky 'hello' captivated me from the moment she stepped into view because when a character is properly established and has their place cemented within the story, one can just sit back and admire its growth as the story evolves. Jaheira is such a well and beautifully written character I LOVE interacting with so much, because (just like Minthara) she wasn't written to 'appease the players' like the Origin companions, but to be an interesting character with a uniquely defined personality that enjoys butting heads against the player.

I love that she is flawed and fallible, snarky yet straight-as-an-arrow with her honesty. Someone that can both lecture and criticize, yet also crack jokes and even take jokes; like when I called her ancient and she burst-out laughing, then approvingly called me a bastard for saying it like it is. I LOVE that sort of dynamic because it makes characters so much more natural and forms an actual camaraderie that eventually evolves into a beautiful friendship, like two best friends messing with one another. Same with Minsc and Boo, freaking love Minsc! Minsc is so positively... Minsc! He is the Minsciest companion of them all, the biggest Minsc-reant! I cannot imagine ACT III without him ever again.

So I am extremely grateful Jaheira and Minsc exist, because unlike the Origin companions they weren't written to 'appease the player' and bombard me with exhausting feelings and intimacy, but to be interesting characters - which makes them feel more real, thus interacting with them much more enjoyable.