Minthara: _*carefully dissects and analyzes each and every companion's personality_ Tav: "What about Gale?" Minthara: "What *_about_* the stereotypical mage?"
At first, I thought she would just be Neutral Evil. While she in fact, as a Vengeance Paladin, incorporates the very best of Lawful Evil: Just, straight-forward, filled with determination. And, of course, power-hungry and completely ruthless.
I think she's the proper Lawful Evil character power fantasy. The charismatic villain leader with a grand plan of domination, who plans to rule with power, influence, violence and fear. She's clearly thought it through too, with her own code of honour and strong convictions. She doesn't need to be liked, because she actually enjoys wielding power and crushing her enemies. Her epilogue is such a representative case: amass power and go on a conquest in the Underdark to carve out a seat of power in Menzoberranzan. The one thing that I think stands out is her cold and rational stance on the pursuit of power; she would not pursue power if the price is too great (she notes that Wyll paid for his power with corruption of the soul), does not indulge in impulsive pleasure killings, and defers to authority with complete obedience when it suits her needs. That's what makes a Lawful Evil character succeed on a far grander scale than Chaotic Evil (Impulsive Cruelty) and Neutral Evil (Selfishness), in that Lawful Evil never loses sight of the big picture. It's far harder to single out a Lawful Evil villain because they actually have capable friends and henchmen, and their personal discipline means that they are often no pushover in combat either. However, as she herself admits, pride is her weakness, and as a tyrant that can definitely be deadly because while they focus on the big picture and think that everyone should logically understand that they are the best person to accomplish this with, they don't realize what the fear and hatred that they inspire can make people do, and how short-sighted and ambitious they can truly be. Which is why she's so interested in finding a mate that is her complimenting equal, I suppose, so she's free to do her world-domination-progression thing with trustworthy protection and even more efficiency. Just imagine how much trouble Tav + Minthara can cause in the Underdark (and for Lolth) with a cunning player at the controls.
I'm glad to find someone else who appreciated Minthara so much. All the companions are well written, and she is no exception, but she is a character that is often done poorly, and never as a companion, easily my favourite of the game.@@ralk7048
'completely devoid of malice' My guy, seems like you need to learn that just because someone isn't openly angry and 'logical' it doesn't mean that they aren't malicious or evil. In fact, malice often poses as cold calculating indifference. Minthara is malicious as fuck, don't be a fool.
Other than Lae'zel. She and her are very alike. Brutal, precise, no nonsense, deeply appreciate the art of warfare and has very little value in the concept of "innocence". Lae'zel is honorable, Minthara is tyrannical.
I didn't have Minthara in my party but there's something about her voice that I really like. I think it's because I was expecting some kind of high-pitched anime thing but instead she has this super raspy, kinda snooty, very mature voice that's sort of unique.
Quite appropriate for an older Drow noble that has seen a lot and would be a powerful, young contender for the position of House Matron. The hard, clipped, yet slightly purring tone brings all that lore about the terrifying Lolth-based Drow alive. It's big flavour, but I wished I'd also see some followers of Eilistraee (the good Drow).
For a drow especially, yes. Drow are not known for being honest. Rather the other way around, they pride themselves on their deception skills. But then again, a real master can deceive without speaking a single falsehood. You can still always trust them to hold their own wellbeing in the highest regard and if that means they have to be honest then it is exactly what they will be.
@@BIGESTblade actually she reminds me of a couple drow from the war of the spider queen books. There's a certain breed of drow that simply prefer not to navigate their society by constructing intricate webs of lies and manipulation, but rather survive through a cold, insightful pragmatism and an almost brutish application of power when necessary. Minthara is definitely the latter.
@@MisterCynic18 Yes, that kind of drow exists, but not even immensely successful brother of Minthara, Jarlaxle Baenre ,could go at it alone. He survived by being too dangerous to antagonise but not strong enough to be a threat to any house. Aswell as being in good relations with all important people. That was, however, only possible because he was male and therefore had no shot at any sort of leadership position higher than Archmage and Weaponmaster. Minthara, on the other hand, is a female. Which means she has a target on her back. House Baenre is significantly less chaotic than other houses, but even there you need plenty of friends to simply not die.
You can talk to them whenever someone new enters the party and they'll share their opinion on them. Although, most superficial since they just met, it's still some character development.
@@codyvandal2860She is loyal to the new prince because he is the rightful ruler of the Gith, while Vlakkith is a usurper. That is more of the mindset of a lawful neutral character. She supports him because the law says he should be the king, not because she has strong moral convictions that Vlakkith's entire society that she built is wrong.
@@ethanduncan1646 Not explicitly in a grand announcement but indirectly over the course of the journey her comments do illustrate a change in her view. By the end she refers to their condition as 'intolerable slavery' and so on. It's also possible for her to stay in Faerun rather than return to her people if you pass a persuasion check at the end.
Never underestimate the wisdom of Drow Matriarchs. They may be cruel assholes but they generally can see things for what they are while others would turn a blind eye.
If you aren't able to read people quickly and accurately, you aren't gonna be able to become/stay a Matron Mother for long. I loved the Drow books where you see from the perspective of female Drow, and realize that a lot of their hubris/arrogance are a cover to not appear weak to their mother/sisters/daughters. Quenthel Baenre was always a fun perspective to read in particular. She's a horrible person, but it's fun to learn that she is aware of her own weaknesses. Also funny that her own sentient snake whip doesn't particularly like her.
Drows pretty much live in a society of backstabbing and murdering all the time, mostly because of their own actions. I wouldn't say they have a very high wisdow per see.
I love the fact it's Emma Gregory who voices her, who most people would know as the voice for an awful lot of female Warhammer 40k characters and book narration. Listing to her play someone so amusingly evil is great.
She also voices that infamous female dwarf from Driftwood. "You are safe among friends, never forgetit" . Magister, Yarrow, and many other voices in DOS2. Or even more precise, Madora in DOS1.
Drow racism is usually well above Super Saiyan God levels above everyone else, though. Even the other Elves aren’t spared of this. Doesn’t matter if they’re female.
@@90skidcultist Other elves are the primary targets for drow racism. Drow hate other elves more than literally anything else. They do however value strength and that is a way of earning respect with them. They'll still get rid of you when you are no longer needed, but you won't be treated like garbage.
@@BIGESTblade True. They’re classic fascists. …Want to “purify” their own race/species first. Then work their way out to “deal” with the other “lesser” species. Humans would be the “end-game” threat for them. As they’re everywhere & are quite powerful.
@@90skidcultist Not really, no. It's more about other elves collectively deciding to send them to live in Underdark shithole most likely hoping that drow would die there. Drow do have a legitimate beat with other elves.
@@Mistasandman knocking them out ig is akin to killing them they just don't "die" so you can have a sort of non-death play experience most of the time as long as you don't end them with non-melee damage
To be fair, there was this old saying, comming from the days of 3.5 and prior, that says that all the wizards become evil when they reach level 5 and learn to throw fireball because they were useless and mocked through the first four levels. Having to defend yourself with throwing daggers or a staff with just 1 to 4 d4 of hit points once you are out of spell slots is a painful experience.
She’s right though… in every battle in in the AI seems to focus on Gale and take him or any spellcaster out she is 100% correct in saying that mages get rkt in Warfare
I mean, Jaheira has murdered her way through the underdark before. Her adventures with the Bhaalspawn should be inspiring quiet whispers of "OH SHIT. IT'S HER." everywhere she goes. And depending on the choices the player made in Throne of Bhaal, she may or may not be *close* personal friends with a literal god. Jaheira at the end of ToB is a damn near unstoppable killing machine. Even if she multiclassed using AD&D rules.
That's assuming the player becomes a god. I refused that. Because the cost is leaving the party behind. It's made very clear. Don't need to be a god to get results and go to hell and back. What is a god when mortals can slay them?
@@Veldazandtea This woman lives and has strength of a sort. She lost her parents to plague, her husband to war, but she persevered. Her farm has prospered, her name is respected and her children are fed and safe. She lived as she thought she should. And now she is dead. Her land will be divided, her children will move on, and she will be forgotten. She lived a good life, but she had no power; she was a slave to death. I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?" - Some ex-elf who kinda had a point.
Her analysis on Gale was so on point considering his suicidal hunger for karsus's power which is killing him as well as the entire Kingdom. I mean take it that sundries wizard bro was out there for immortality only to get killed faster. Voldemort dying younger than Dumbledore despite his hunger for longer life 😂
Tldw: Shadowheart: Fine, but Shar is cringe. Astarion: Total slave to vampire daddy, kinda cringe. Lae'zel: Impressive, called me cringe when I asked her how she got so cool. Gale: Wizards exist only to blow themselves up, cringe. Jaheira: Very impressive, shame the Harpers are cringe.
She’s callous but I don’t deny that she has at least one point with each when it comes to their flaws. To be expected I suppose, to survive in the Underdark requires discerning weakness to be exploited rather than seeing strength to be nurtured.
If you stay neutral and don't side with the Druids or Goblins, you get Minthara, Wyll, and Karlach in the same party. However, the Tieflings still venture out and mostly die in Act 2.
@@zerwif you can actually depose or fix kagha by following the quest from looking at her personal chest and exposing her as working for the shadow druids and the tieflings will live
I like how she describes Karlach, a lonely warrior with a burning heart yearning for love and companion, live in the moment, and it is beautiful. Pity there ain't any beautiful ending for Karlach... :(
If this is your first game from Larian Studios, you might be happy to hear that we have a good chance to get some, maybe most, of that cut content back. For Free. Larian Studio gave "Divinity: Original Sin" and "Divinity: Original Sin 2" a definitive edition upgrade that added back a lot of the cut content. So let's hope Larian does the same for Baldur's Gate 3. @@bezretmet
the issue with that is in lore Mindflayers simply copy their host's memory. In lore you can also resurrect victims after their body transformed. So Mindflayer Karlach is not our Karlach, based on lore, at least.@@booskie4316
I think what’s fascinating about Minthara is that she’s brutally blunt…but also extremely insightful and thoughtfully so. She’s proud and haughty but not to the point of having no empathy or awareness of others beyond her own perception. You can see why people are drawn to her despite her rough edges. She’s a great example of how to write Lawful Evil - because from her perspective, she is doing what us right and just for the world.
It's even proven once Shadowheart does her questline. Shar is a petty murder hobo. That wants her worshippers to murder for her. Shar is too afraid of what others think of her. Her worshippers are afraid and have something to hide. It's living in fear.
I'm trying very hard on my 2nd playthrough to get minthara this time, but everytime i see the lovey dovey tiefling couple in the grove i can't bring myself to do it, i think i may need to start over and embrace the dark urge.
So I killed Kagha for the tieflings, but the druids wiped out most of the other tiefling at the same time, including zevlor. That led to the tieflings leaving the grove anyway and trying their luck on the roads. then i led the goblins into a basically empty druid grove and now minthara likes me even though i didnt kill a single tiefling. well except the ones that captured laezel.
I honestly like her more than most of the other companions. She has a nice bit of depth to her despite being evil. Granted my first playthrough has been a mostly evil playthrough, so I probably haven't seen all the sides to the few companions I have left.
Spoilers: It's an act. Minthara is, and always will be, a sociopathic liar that pursuits power only for herself and enjoys torturing and killing in anyone's name. If you play as the Durge and embrace it, at one point you can show her your gorey thoughts through telepathy. Up until then she laments for those she killed for the Absolute. When you show her your gore-ridden thoughts, she is straight up ecstatic to propel you to your goal. This bitch cray, and I love her for it.
@@classicrocker8780actually, i think that's a bit of drow lore showing through! Think about it. If you're dealing with someone that unhinged, you may not be able to get away. Where's the safest place then? As their trusted right hand man. That's just an average tuesday for drow. If someone's that eager to act as a weapon, then they're gonna do whatever it takes to NOT be staring down the barrel.
@@jessblues848 If you are playing an evil character you wont be getting Halsin either, and then in act 2 you wont get Jaheira, which means later you cant get Minsc.
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 Not to mention all the great loot you get from killing the baddies in this game. Tiefling refugees aren't exactly swimming in magical items. lol
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 But she has lines for Jaheira here? Surely you can recruit both of them, unless there's a way to recruit her while not playing an evil character.
How goes it again? "Never in my life have I been so offended by something that I 100% agree with". She might throw some shade while she does it, but her assessments are on point, and some of them are actually quite insightful.
The problem is she gets a bad introduction with a brainless murder hobo siege. It's very undrow like. It would only make sense if she had more drow support. Goblins aren't meant for sieges. They're fodder. Without support from others that's all they are. Do you think they stand a chance against druids and shape shifting animals? The siege itself is a stupid idea. Why not a more sneaky route with killing Zavron and Kagha? Can eve work int he shadow druids and kill the leadership (quietly) before heading back to the drow. This would be a more drow like way of doing things and have more varid playstyles.
@@unit38421 Regardless of how the lore justifies it it's giving minthara a bad first impression, giving people little incentive to have her as a companion because "Murder hobo or miss out". That would have worked better for an orc or some other more direct character. The problem with goblins is there're not that good at any single thing. They're a jack of all trades race. They CAN fight and sneak, but a drow will do stealth much better. So we have this race that can fight OR sneak, lead by a drow, and the drow tries to siege instead of sending the player to assassinate without a big battle? Any drow leader worth their salt will try to have the leadership assassinated first and siege after. The very fact that the player can free the goblin proves they can sneak out. Which means they can sneak in.
Apparently the reason a lot of the companion content was cut was because their quests ended in the Upper City, which is an entire section of the Act 3 map that was cut for time reasons. In order to restore the Minthara companion content (or other stuff like Karlach good ending etc) they would have to restore the entire Upper City, or remake the quests to take place in other locations. Unfortunately the best we can hope for is a definitive edition like Divinity OS 2 got, but even then it sounds like quite a lot more content got cut in BG3 than the DOS2 definitive edition added. Hopefully with the massive success of BG3 they can afford to make a more extensive definitive edition this time, but even in that best case scenario expect to be waiting at least a year.
I'm sure Larian thought of it. There's a line where Astarion's begging for some blood and you can tell him "Animals only", and he's all "But what DEFINES an animal anyway? Would you consider kobolds to be animals? Gnomes?" And if you're a gnome, he says "halflings?" instead. XD
4:08 love how she's mocking Gale while he's standing in the background, you can even see him looking towards you while she ends her sentence with ''... goes up in smoke.'' xD
Honestly what i love about Minthara is that when you first meet her, she just comes off as an evil death bringing sadist, but after you get to know she is actually a truly insightful and wise character. She gives me this vibe of being a wise and seasoned advisor who you can go to for whenever you needed advice. Sure she can have her moments of violence and wanting to eradicate someone, but she tells it how it is and has no quarrel with admiring people for the struggles they've gone through.
Its funny that she wants to break the mould and make a New World so as to not be content with the imperfections of this World... But any World is flawed and imperfect so she'll do the same and be content with the imperfections that she would make.
You are... right. Minthara is the most power hungry of all companions, though she fails to elaborate why she needs this power in the first place. She wants to change the world, to dominate, yet she lacks vision. I can't say for sure whether it is a good or bad thing. Her wisdom and ruthlessness complements evil PC too perfectly, yet their relationship totally lacks any disagreement from her part.
Emma Gregory does such agreat job as her voice-actress! The only other role i remember her from is her General Sulla from the "Ciaphas Cain" audiobooks
there's something interesting I've noticed about the way Minthara speaks to Tav. It's most evident when speaking about Lae'zel and Astarion. She seems to speak to Tav in a subtly mocking tone that is all at once respectful and educative despite the light mockery. It fits with her views of Tav as her savior mixed with her life long nature as a drow. Her writing and voice actor are super on point. I love it.
I wish there was a way to get her without having to murder the Grove or completely ignoring her. A way to convince her of the Absolute's truth like you can with Nere.
ppl basically only learn it in their evil dark urge playthrough when they decide to ally with absolute and/or kill as many ppl as possible (even women and children)
@@CJ-wh7ik got her on my 1. run without playing dark urge just being chaotic, helping someone here killing someone there and demanding pay for everything
@@HrHaakon There's no neutrality other than the one that wishes to relinquish both sides they are neutral to. Otherwise neutrality is nothing but complacency.
Yeah, the genocide route of dealing with sides/factions is the appropriate way to deal with the problem of "pick a side, or step aside." After all, beating those sides only proves that their opinions are ultimately meaningless.
@@fistan5447 i recruited jahiera with sharran shadowheart, you can recruit every companion all at once, but halsin and minthara are buggy when both are recruited together
I find it so very funny that about 4:18, when referring to Gale as being a 'State of suspended combustion' you can just see him doing some idle animations in the background, makes me feel like Minthara's gossiping
I didn't even know that Minthara was a possible recruitable character, I got in a mess at the goblin camp, and ended with me looting her undergarments from her cadaver...
Like I appreciate baldur gate and minthara being a much needed morally evil character but I do wish we had the option of guiding away from her violent power hungry tendencies
Even with her story not being complete I find her to be the most realistic character. It's if Salvatore did the writing for her himself. The epitome of what Id expect from a Beanre noble.
Because the other give their opinion on other characters when they joined (and react to different events happening to others too), but since she's recruited way after the other she can't do that
Minthara: _*carefully dissects and analyzes each and every companion's personality_
Tav: "What about Gale?"
Minthara: "What *_about_* the stereotypical mage?"
‘What about Gale?’
‘Who?’
she went full meme on gale
She justified bringing up her stereotype by mentioning the fact that gale actually does fit in the criteria
@@alexhb7949Yeah I swear Gale is a magnet for enemies and basically dies in every fight that's harder than average.
@@sharpasacueball that's cause the AI knows to take out the heavy hitters first
I love how she's roasting the shit out of the others in a way that's completely devoid of malice. She's just being completely straight up and honest
At first, I thought she would just be Neutral Evil. While she in fact, as a Vengeance Paladin, incorporates the very best of Lawful Evil: Just, straight-forward, filled with determination. And, of course, power-hungry and completely ruthless.
I think she's the proper Lawful Evil character power fantasy.
The charismatic villain leader with a grand plan of domination, who plans to rule with power, influence, violence and fear. She's clearly thought it through too, with her own code of honour and strong convictions. She doesn't need to be liked, because she actually enjoys wielding power and crushing her enemies. Her epilogue is such a representative case: amass power and go on a conquest in the Underdark to carve out a seat of power in Menzoberranzan.
The one thing that I think stands out is her cold and rational stance on the pursuit of power; she would not pursue power if the price is too great (she notes that Wyll paid for his power with corruption of the soul), does not indulge in impulsive pleasure killings, and defers to authority with complete obedience when it suits her needs. That's what makes a Lawful Evil character succeed on a far grander scale than Chaotic Evil (Impulsive Cruelty) and Neutral Evil (Selfishness), in that Lawful Evil never loses sight of the big picture. It's far harder to single out a Lawful Evil villain because they actually have capable friends and henchmen, and their personal discipline means that they are often no pushover in combat either.
However, as she herself admits, pride is her weakness, and as a tyrant that can definitely be deadly because while they focus on the big picture and think that everyone should logically understand that they are the best person to accomplish this with, they don't realize what the fear and hatred that they inspire can make people do, and how short-sighted and ambitious they can truly be. Which is why she's so interested in finding a mate that is her complimenting equal, I suppose, so she's free to do her world-domination-progression thing with trustworthy protection and even more efficiency. Just imagine how much trouble Tav + Minthara can cause in the Underdark (and for Lolth) with a cunning player at the controls.
I'm glad to find someone else who appreciated Minthara so much. All the companions are well written, and she is no exception, but she is a character that is often done poorly, and never as a companion, easily my favourite of the game.@@ralk7048
'completely devoid of malice' My guy, seems like you need to learn that just because someone isn't openly angry and 'logical' it doesn't mean that they aren't malicious or evil. In fact, malice often poses as cold calculating indifference. Minthara is malicious as fuck, don't be a fool.
A drow, devoid of malice ? You mean a dead drow ?
she roasted the whole party so precisely
I dunno not much roasting of Lae’Zel
@@michaelbootes4822 agreed. She seemed to have nothing but admiration for her
Other than Lae'zel. She and her are very alike. Brutal, precise, no nonsense, deeply appreciate the art of warfare and has very little value in the concept of "innocence".
Lae'zel is honorable, Minthara is tyrannical.
As the majority of Drow female leaders would be.
irl shed be the person that says a lot of offensive stereotypes, but only the ones that aren't exactly wrong
I didn't have Minthara in my party but there's something about her voice that I really like. I think it's because I was expecting some kind of high-pitched anime thing but instead she has this super raspy, kinda snooty, very mature voice that's sort of unique.
You mean like a male, a transwoman?
@@cheesygoodness55 No. Also, piss off.
@@cheesygoodness55 are you happy with yourself champ :/
Quite appropriate for an older Drow noble that has seen a lot and would be a powerful, young contender for the position of House Matron. The hard, clipped, yet slightly purring tone brings all that lore about the terrifying Lolth-based Drow alive.
It's big flavour, but I wished I'd also see some followers of Eilistraee (the good Drow).
Dunno man, she sounds like an early stage of what Miley Cyrus sounds now
For as much of an evil, really bloody evil character she is, she's got a lot of honest and pretty solid insight on the companions.
For a drow especially, yes. Drow are not known for being honest. Rather the other way around, they pride themselves on their deception skills. But then again, a real master can deceive without speaking a single falsehood. You can still always trust them to hold their own wellbeing in the highest regard and if that means they have to be honest then it is exactly what they will be.
@@BIGESTbladewell perhaps she trust the MC enough to share her thought honestly
@@indra-ty9iz Drow do not trust anyone, least of all family and close companions.
@@BIGESTblade actually she reminds me of a couple drow from the war of the spider queen books. There's a certain breed of drow that simply prefer not to navigate their society by constructing intricate webs of lies and manipulation, but rather survive through a cold, insightful pragmatism and an almost brutish application of power when necessary. Minthara is definitely the latter.
@@MisterCynic18 Yes, that kind of drow exists, but not even immensely successful brother of Minthara, Jarlaxle Baenre ,could go at it alone. He survived by being too dangerous to antagonise but not strong enough to be a threat to any house. Aswell as being in good relations with all important people. That was, however, only possible because he was male and therefore had no shot at any sort of leadership position higher than Archmage and Weaponmaster. Minthara, on the other hand, is a female. Which means she has a target on her back. House Baenre is significantly less chaotic than other houses, but even there you need plenty of friends to simply not die.
I wish we could have asked every companions about how they feel about others, this is actually really great way for character study
You can talk to them whenever someone new enters the party and they'll share their opinion on them. Although, most superficial since they just met, it's still some character development.
"Minthara spits facts about the party for five minutes"
she is shorter than the mc but it still feels like she's looking down on you
Some people are into that.
@@steelheart538 *I* am into that.
So basically she is very much like Laezel. Something close to Lawful evil. Brutal, murderous, but all about discipline.
Laezel can move to more Lawful Neutral depending on your choices
@@codyvandal2860 the prince is lawful good and she reaches similar alignment with him
@@codyvandal2860She is loyal to the new prince because he is the rightful ruler of the Gith, while Vlakkith is a usurper. That is more of the mindset of a lawful neutral character. She supports him because the law says he should be the king, not because she has strong moral convictions that Vlakkith's entire society that she built is wrong.
@@ethanduncan1646 Not explicitly in a grand announcement but indirectly over the course of the journey her comments do illustrate a change in her view. By the end she refers to their condition as 'intolerable slavery' and so on. It's also possible for her to stay in Faerun rather than return to her people if you pass a persuasion check at the end.
I dont find her lawful evil... she is not a good either... she is... just her.
I love her respect for Lae'zel. They are very similar in a lot of ways. Brutal, efficient, matter of fact.
Shows up, gets an accurate profile of every party member on a pretty worrying level, refuses to elaborate, stays.
Never underestimate the wisdom of Drow Matriarchs. They may be cruel assholes but they generally can see things for what they are while others would turn a blind eye.
That depends but their wisdom comes from centuries of political Intrigue and surviving assassinations.
@@serronserron1320The best way to learn anatomy and medicine.
@@MiGujack3and psychology
If you aren't able to read people quickly and accurately, you aren't gonna be able to become/stay a Matron Mother for long. I loved the Drow books where you see from the perspective of female Drow, and realize that a lot of their hubris/arrogance are a cover to not appear weak to their mother/sisters/daughters.
Quenthel Baenre was always a fun perspective to read in particular. She's a horrible person, but it's fun to learn that she is aware of her own weaknesses. Also funny that her own sentient snake whip doesn't particularly like her.
Drows pretty much live in a society of backstabbing and murdering all the time, mostly because of their own actions. I wouldn't say they have a very high wisdow per see.
I love the fact it's Emma Gregory who voices her, who most people would know as the voice for an awful lot of female Warhammer 40k characters and book narration. Listing to her play someone so amusingly evil is great.
Ooh if you know what warhammer books in particular she has done, I'd love to know. Im not usually one for audio books, but her voice is enchanting.
Evil Jennet Sulla😂
She is English? Or American?
@@coops1992 English.
She also voices that infamous female dwarf from Driftwood.
"You are safe among friends, never forgetit" .
Magister, Yarrow, and many other voices in DOS2.
Or even more precise, Madora in DOS1.
I was wondering why it seemed like she had so much respect for the female characters then I remembered that Drow society is matriarchal.
That’s why she sits on your face 😂
Drow racism is usually well above Super Saiyan God levels above everyone else, though. Even the other Elves aren’t spared of this. Doesn’t matter if they’re female.
@@90skidcultist Other elves are the primary targets for drow racism. Drow hate other elves more than literally anything else. They do however value strength and that is a way of earning respect with them. They'll still get rid of you when you are no longer needed, but you won't be treated like garbage.
@@BIGESTblade True. They’re classic fascists. …Want to “purify” their own race/species first. Then work their way out to “deal” with the other “lesser” species. Humans would be the “end-game” threat for them. As they’re everywhere & are quite powerful.
@@90skidcultist Not really, no. It's more about other elves collectively deciding to send them to live in Underdark shithole most likely hoping that drow would die there. Drow do have a legitimate beat with other elves.
She even has lines for Wyll... you basically have to skip the grove quest to get them both in the party
If you knock her out in the fight you don't have to skip it.
@@Mistasandmani did that but i'm goblin camp she didnt appear later
@@Mistasandman knocking them out ig is akin to killing them they just don't "die" so you can have a sort of non-death play experience most of the time as long as you don't end them with non-melee damage
@@dognbundad so does that mean you can still encounter this character if you say, take out their base then?
@@imperialtrooper927 as long as you don't kill her in Act 1 you can recruit her in Act 2
Emma Gregory is a amazing actress, love all her performances in the Warhammer audio dramas.
Is she in Hammer & Bolter? Or one of the other 40k animated series? The voice sounds so familiar
Holy crap it's Lady general Sulla!
@@fallout44454 I was wondering why her voice sounded so familiar.
@@joeb3505 She narrates the parts of Aleya Tanau, the Sister of Silence featured prominently in the Watchers of the Throne series.
@@Avengedtenfoldshe also voices the sister of battle in 40k 9th ed trailer.
Both Lae’zel and Minthara have similar personality types.
So it makes sense that she sees herself in Lae’zel
The assumption about Gale 😂, reminds me of the meme that every wizard can die of a 1d4 damage from a stick weapon
A wizard just died of 1d4 emotional damage.
@@ChessWyrm a successful cast of vicious mockery saying "get rekt nerd" will do that 😆
To be fair, there was this old saying, comming from the days of 3.5 and prior, that says that all the wizards become evil when they reach level 5 and learn to throw fireball because they were useless and mocked through the first four levels. Having to defend yourself with throwing daggers or a staff with just 1 to 4 d4 of hit points once you are out of spell slots is a painful experience.
She’s right though… in every battle in in the AI seems to focus on Gale and take him or any spellcaster out she is 100% correct in saying that mages get rkt in Warfare
@@makeytgreatagain6256 It's common sense, you either take down the enemy's spellcasters or they are going to ruin your day.
I mean, Jaheira has murdered her way through the underdark before. Her adventures with the Bhaalspawn should be inspiring quiet whispers of "OH SHIT. IT'S HER." everywhere she goes.
And depending on the choices the player made in Throne of Bhaal, she may or may not be *close* personal friends with a literal god.
Jaheira at the end of ToB is a damn near unstoppable killing machine. Even if she multiclassed using AD&D rules.
Anybody with a +6 weapon and (G)WW is a killing machine in ToB.
@@Jen-Yueh_Hu
Or improved haste. That spell is also amazing.
That's assuming the player becomes a god. I refused that. Because the cost is leaving the party behind. It's made very clear.
Don't need to be a god to get results and go to hell and back. What is a god when mortals can slay them?
@@Veldazandtea
This woman lives and has strength of a sort. She lost her parents to plague, her husband to war, but she persevered. Her farm has prospered, her name is respected and her children are fed and safe. She lived as she thought she should. And now she is dead. Her land will be divided, her children will move on, and she will be forgotten. She lived a good life, but she had no power; she was a slave to death. I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?"
- Some ex-elf who kinda had a point.
you're expecting competent writing. we didn't get that.
Minthara roasting Gale more than that orb in his chest ever could.
I could listen to that voice for hours. It's so good.
Wow, she's beautifully written.
Too bad her introduction sucks big time. a drow with such profound wisdom has no business being a murder hobo.
The writing and voice acting across this whole game is nothing short of phenomenal.
LMFAO, Gale in the backgroud literally like 4:16 🧍♂
Her analysis on Gale was so on point considering his suicidal hunger for karsus's power which is killing him as well as the entire Kingdom. I mean take it that sundries wizard bro was out there for immortality only to get killed faster. Voldemort dying younger than Dumbledore despite his hunger for longer life 😂
The level of the writing and acting in this game is incredible, this clip proves that.
4:15 "I suspect it is only a matter of time before he goes up in smoke"
BLURRED GALE IN THE BACKGROUND TURNS IMMEDIATELY
Tldw:
Shadowheart: Fine, but Shar is cringe.
Astarion: Total slave to vampire daddy, kinda cringe.
Lae'zel: Impressive, called me cringe when I asked her how she got so cool.
Gale: Wizards exist only to blow themselves up, cringe.
Jaheira: Very impressive, shame the Harpers are cringe.
YOUR ALL COMMENT IS CRINGE KID AMATOR
xD
I lost it when I read the Lae'zel part
She’s callous but I don’t deny that she has at least one point with each when it comes to their flaws.
To be expected I suppose, to survive in the Underdark requires discerning weakness to be exploited rather than seeing strength to be nurtured.
All the while PTSD inducing culture and religion sounds like hell
I really wish i could recruit her without murdering everyone in the grove and making karlach leave...
If you stay neutral and don't side with the Druids or Goblins, you get Minthara, Wyll, and Karlach in the same party. However, the Tieflings still venture out and mostly die in Act 2.
@@zerwif How that affect Karlach personal quest, since Dammon the tielfling smith is no more there? (or does he make it to night inn?)
@@zerwif you can actually depose or fix kagha by following the quest from looking at her personal chest and exposing her as working for the shadow druids and the tieflings will live
i cant believe this is possible. i lost 10 hours if i go back and re-do it sigh.
@@xOrangelinkxwait so you can have minthra and have the triflings live?
I like how she describes Karlach, a lonely warrior with a burning heart yearning for love and companion, live in the moment, and it is beautiful. Pity there ain't any beautiful ending for Karlach... :(
it was cut! ugh so hateful
If this is your first game from Larian Studios, you might be happy to hear that we have a good chance to get some, maybe most, of that cut content back. For Free.
Larian Studio gave "Divinity: Original Sin" and "Divinity: Original Sin 2" a definitive edition upgrade that added back a lot of the cut content.
So let's hope Larian does the same for Baldur's Gate 3. @@bezretmet
Karlach can stay on Faerun if you let her become a mindflayer.
the issue with that is in lore Mindflayers simply copy their host's memory. In lore you can also resurrect victims after their body transformed. So Mindflayer Karlach is not our Karlach, based on lore, at least.@@booskie4316
@@booskie4316 Worst outcome.
I think what’s fascinating about Minthara is that she’s brutally blunt…but also extremely insightful and thoughtfully so. She’s proud and haughty but not to the point of having no empathy or awareness of others beyond her own perception. You can see why people are drawn to her despite her rough edges.
She’s a great example of how to write Lawful Evil - because from her perspective, she is doing what us right and just for the world.
Okay but she's kinda spitting facts about Shar worship tho...
Shit, she and that Hag both peel back how petty Shar worship is at the end of the day lol
@@BlueMagicite petty worship for a petty god
It's even proven once Shadowheart does her questline. Shar is a petty murder hobo. That wants her worshippers to murder for her.
Shar is too afraid of what others think of her. Her worshippers are afraid and have something to hide. It's living in fear.
I'm trying very hard on my 2nd playthrough to get minthara this time, but everytime i see the lovey dovey tiefling couple in the grove i can't bring myself to do it, i think i may need to start over and embrace the dark urge.
You can also recruit her in Act 2 if you simply skip the grove conflict rather than resolve it.
So I killed Kagha for the tieflings, but the druids wiped out most of the other tiefling at the same time, including zevlor. That led to the tieflings leaving the grove anyway and trying their luck on the roads. then i led the goblins into a basically empty druid grove and now minthara likes me even though i didnt kill a single tiefling. well except the ones that captured laezel.
@@haudraufmaus Did Karlach and Wyll remain in your party?
@@Rowan3733 Wyll left, Karlach I hadn't yet recruited. I wonder if that will still be possible.
@@haudraufmaus Karlach would have "heard" about the goblin attack and not join you
Every word she has spoken has been both harsh and true. Damn.
I honestly like her more than most of the other companions. She has a nice bit of depth to her despite being evil. Granted my first playthrough has been a mostly evil playthrough, so I probably haven't seen all the sides to the few companions I have left.
Evil characters normally have much more capacity for depth than good ones.
Spoilers:
It's an act. Minthara is, and always will be, a sociopathic liar that pursuits power only for herself and enjoys torturing and killing in anyone's name.
If you play as the Durge and embrace it, at one point you can show her your gorey thoughts through telepathy.
Up until then she laments for those she killed for the Absolute.
When you show her your gore-ridden thoughts, she is straight up ecstatic to propel you to your goal.
This bitch cray, and I love her for it.
@@classicrocker8780actually, i think that's a bit of drow lore showing through!
Think about it.
If you're dealing with someone that unhinged, you may not be able to get away. Where's the safest place then?
As their trusted right hand man.
That's just an average tuesday for drow. If someone's that eager to act as a weapon, then they're gonna do whatever it takes to NOT be staring down the barrel.
I wish there was a way to recruit her while saving the grove. She sounds like a very interesting character.
You already have to lose five companions going evil playthrough, its only fair you get atleast one to compensate lol.
@@evangelosvasiliades1204you only lose two
@@jessblues848 If you are playing an evil character you wont be getting Halsin either, and then in act 2 you wont get Jaheira, which means later you cant get Minsc.
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 Not to mention all the great loot you get from killing the baddies in this game. Tiefling refugees aren't exactly swimming in magical items. lol
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 But she has lines for Jaheira here? Surely you can recruit both of them, unless there's a way to recruit her while not playing an evil character.
I wish there was a way to clear the path for the tieflings to leave the druid grove then side with the goblins.
There is, at least in journal. "The surviving tieflings left the grove" and then help minthara.
There are still tiefling corpses all over your camp after that happens anyway@@tyranmcgrathmnkklkl
Yes, save the tiefligs but slaughter druids...... wow
How goes it again? "Never in my life have I been so offended by something that I 100% agree with". She might throw some shade while she does it, but her assessments are on point, and some of them are actually quite insightful.
That's how you actually write an interesting villain character, specially a drow. And why people are pissed about what they did to Viconia.
@@lenlimboAgreed. That's why it's a shame that she comes at such a great cost.
The problem is she gets a bad introduction with a brainless murder hobo siege. It's very undrow like. It would only make sense if she had more drow support.
Goblins aren't meant for sieges. They're fodder. Without support from others that's all they are. Do you think they stand a chance against druids and shape shifting animals? The siege itself is a stupid idea. Why not a more sneaky route with killing Zavron and Kagha? Can eve work int he shadow druids and kill the leadership (quietly) before heading back to the drow. This would be a more drow like way of doing things and have more varid playstyles.
@@VeldazandteaShe actually makes a complaint along those lines later on, if you side with her.
@@unit38421 Regardless of how the lore justifies it it's giving minthara a bad first impression, giving people little incentive to have her as a companion because "Murder hobo or miss out". That would have worked better for an orc or some other more direct character.
The problem with goblins is there're not that good at any single thing. They're a jack of all trades race. They CAN fight and sneak, but a drow will do stealth much better. So we have this race that can fight OR sneak, lead by a drow, and the drow tries to siege instead of sending the player to assassinate without a big battle?
Any drow leader worth their salt will try to have the leadership assassinated first and siege after. The very fact that the player can free the goblin proves they can sneak out. Which means they can sneak in.
Idk, think I dismissed Minthara too easily. She straight up spittin’ facts on all accounts
Her voice and her intensity leaves me breathless shes so amazing 😭❤
Of course she likes Lae'zel 😂
The devs should add the the cut minthara content, i read theres whole quest lines involving here that didnt make it, they must bring it back
Apparently the reason a lot of the companion content was cut was because their quests ended in the Upper City, which is an entire section of the Act 3 map that was cut for time reasons. In order to restore the Minthara companion content (or other stuff like Karlach good ending etc) they would have to restore the entire Upper City, or remake the quests to take place in other locations. Unfortunately the best we can hope for is a definitive edition like Divinity OS 2 got, but even then it sounds like quite a lot more content got cut in BG3 than the DOS2 definitive edition added. Hopefully with the massive success of BG3 they can afford to make a more extensive definitive edition this time, but even in that best case scenario expect to be waiting at least a year.
@@sethnewlin510 or they just go and do it as a DLC which i would honestly pay for
You know, at the very end i almost expected her to say "I would rather betray the world than have the world betray me."
Cao Cao!!
Seeing her "gnome in a war" commrnt makes me wish I had kept Gale since my MC is a deep gnome
What Minthara has to say about the Harpers and groups like them. She raises some valid points...
This Dommy Mommy is going to be in my party for my next playthrough.
She's basically what I wanted Shadowheart to be. I'm not going to murder a bunch of innocents to get her though
I wonder if Mithara would add 'no offense' after saying 'wizards have the life expectancy of a gnome in war' to a gnome player. (probably not)
I'm sure Larian thought of it. There's a line where Astarion's begging for some blood and you can tell him "Animals only", and he's all "But what DEFINES an animal anyway? Would you consider kobolds to be animals? Gnomes?" And if you're a gnome, he says "halflings?" instead. XD
Next playthrough I'ma have to RP the shit out of a character so that I can have her as a companion. I fucking love whoever voiced her.
Minthara my beloved, I would murder an entire Grove of druids and tieflings for you
"THIS WORLD IS IMPERFECT."
"wat?"
"IF ONLY I COULD WIPE AWAY THE IMPURITIES."
"Is anyone else...listening to thi-"
"TO MAKE IT AS BEAUTIFUL AS ME."
4:08 love how she's mocking Gale while he's standing in the background, you can even see him looking towards you while she ends her sentence with ''... goes up in smoke.'' xD
Now I wanna see what she says if you are a Gnome Wizard.
Man I love the writing in this game
Honestly what i love about Minthara is that when you first meet her, she just comes off as an evil death bringing sadist, but after you get to know she is actually a truly insightful and wise character.
She gives me this vibe of being a wise and seasoned advisor who you can go to for whenever you needed advice. Sure she can have her moments of violence and wanting to eradicate someone, but she tells it how it is and has no quarrel with admiring people for the struggles they've gone through.
Thanks for the video, as like many other people on their evil playthroughs, not many companions were left over after they all left me...
I will never be able to take her seriously after shoving her of to death in every single playthrough. She never lived more than 3 turns of combat.
Its funny that she wants to break the mould and make a New World so as to not be content with the imperfections of this World... But any World is flawed and imperfect so she'll do the same and be content with the imperfections that she would make.
You are... right. Minthara is the most power hungry of all companions, though she fails to elaborate why she needs this power in the first place. She wants to change the world, to dominate, yet she lacks vision. I can't say for sure whether it is a good or bad thing. Her wisdom and ruthlessness complements evil PC too perfectly, yet their relationship totally lacks any disagreement from her part.
Emma Gregory does such agreat job as her voice-actress!
The only other role i remember her from is her General Sulla from the "Ciaphas Cain" audiobooks
there's something interesting I've noticed about the way Minthara speaks to Tav. It's most evident when speaking about Lae'zel and Astarion. She seems to speak to Tav in a subtly mocking tone that is all at once respectful and educative despite the light mockery. It fits with her views of Tav as her savior mixed with her life long nature as a drow. Her writing and voice actor are super on point. I love it.
I wish there was a way to get her without having to murder the Grove or completely ignoring her. A way to convince her of the Absolute's truth like you can with Nere.
Keep making more wishes bro
@@elseggs6504 ikr, I forgot all about this comment, lmao
Minthara truly the most BASED Companion...
Me, playing a High Elf: The only thing I want to hear from you is your dying wail, sinspawn.
The wisdom of evil
never knew she was a companion. murdered her every time clearing the camp you meet her in
ppl basically only learn it in their evil dark urge playthrough when they decide to ally with absolute and/or kill as many ppl as possible (even women and children)
@@CJ-wh7ik got her on my 1. run without playing dark urge just being chaotic, helping someone here killing someone there and demanding pay for everything
Speaking as a wizard main both here and tabletop everything she said about wizards is true.
They're always the first to be hunted down in any adventuring band.
Her opinion on the Harpers’ neutrality is insanely based. Pick a side, or step aside.
Neutrality *is* a side.
@@HrHaakon There's no neutrality other than the one that wishes to relinquish both sides they are neutral to. Otherwise neutrality is nothing but complacency.
@@HrHaakon Geralt plez
This is such a leftist take lmao
Yeah, the genocide route of dealing with sides/factions is the appropriate way to deal with the problem of "pick a side, or step aside."
After all, beating those sides only proves that their opinions are ultimately meaningless.
I didn't even know she was an important character. My first save i just pushed her down a pit and killed her-
This may have been the most point blank examination of every character by someone who is capable of seeing the bigger picture.
Wait, how on earth did you manage to rescue Minthara AND have Jaheira? Do Last Light Inn not attack you if you demolish the grove?
No
Nope. I even killed last light inn aswell since the dark urge demanded it and I was still able to get her to join with some lying.
@@PerfectParadox noice, btw there's no way for her or Minsc to join if you keep Shadowheart as Sharran though right?
@@fistan5447 i recruited jahiera with sharran shadowheart, you can recruit every companion all at once, but halsin and minthara are buggy when both are recruited together
@@jkrpgaming How do you get Halsin and Minthara?
I find it so very funny that about 4:18, when referring to Gale as being a 'State of suspended combustion' you can just see him doing some idle animations in the background, makes me feel like Minthara's gossiping
0:55 - 1:15
My Favourite line in the Game.
She got fuckin one tapped by me when i slaughtered her precious goblin village at level 2. A pity
I was about to ask where are her opinions of Wyll and Karlach?
Then I remembered they leave the group if you get this close to Minthara.
I didn't even know that Minthara was a possible recruitable character, I got in a mess at the goblin camp, and ended with me looting her undergarments from her cadaver...
She knows that wizards either get focused down before they throw a fireball, or they accidently blow themselves up by their own fireballs.
Those who played DOS:2...the VA is the "Keeping it together Bree" lady, I am losing it
Minthara may be my new favourite character.
even minthara simps for lae'zel, i fell for both... i think i have a thing for strong women...
you can tell she is honest, when she straight up tells you that none can hold the candle to lazael and her undying loyalty to you.
She's surprisingly insightful, I'll give her that
Great writing!
Minthara has a wonderful wisdom to her
Like I appreciate baldur gate and minthara being a much needed morally evil character but I do wish we had the option of guiding away from her violent power hungry tendencies
Minthara AND Jaheira both in the party at the same time? How?
Jaheira, Viconia de vir, Mintara😊
Just walked over to last light inn and made friends with her lol.
@@Baragys
Viconia is in the game? I can't wait to find her.
Had to idea she was a companion or had this much dialogue. Gotta do a 3rd playthrough and go full evil I guess
Even with her story not being complete I find her to be the most realistic character. It's if Salvatore did the writing for her himself. The epitome of what Id expect from a Beanre noble.
Her lines are based.
I wish I could have her in my party without siding with the goblins
Why is her character the only one who can do this?
Minsc also does it and it's hilarious
Because the other give their opinion on other characters when they joined (and react to different events happening to others too), but since she's recruited way after the other she can't do that
Amazing voice actor.
Has a lot of respect towards the warrior women as expected. I could see a evil playthrough with her, astarian, and shadowheart to be quite fun.
It is very fun especially with DUrge
Edit:minthara is hilariously diabolical at times
great writing and acting she is the best companion
4:16 You think Gale can hear them talking about him?
she speaks truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!
I love how she roasts everyone except Laezel and Jaheira, who she admires
5:22
she is literally me
Evil characters are always so logically felonious
Her type of person would have a meltdown if she received the same kind of dressing down.
she read Astarion for filth, damn
ive never talked to minthara. rougher voice then i wouldve thought