How to Recruit Minthara in Baldur's Gate 3
Minthara might be the most easily missed companion in all of Baldur's Gate 3. Drow paladin, starts out barking orders at goblins in Act 1, and almost everyone on their first playthrough assumes that means she has to die. I did. I killed her on my first run without even thinking about it. Turns out there are two ways to get her on your side. Side with her and torch the Emerald Grove, or knock her out non-lethally in Act 1 and spring her later. The second route is the one you actually want if you care about the tieflings at all.
Either way she has to survive Act 1. Dead Minthara stays dead, no do-overs. Before you walk into that goblin camp, hit quicksave. Trust me on this.
Before You Start: The Two Paths to Minthara
Two legitimate routes, both ending the same way in Act 2:
- Raid the Emerald Grove with her. Straightforward "evil" route. You throw in with the goblins, burn the grove down, and she'll expect to meet you at Moonrise Towers.
- Knock her out in Act 1. The "good" or neutral path. You smack her unconscious with non-lethal melee, then come back for her at Moonrise Towers in Act 2.
Both paths converge on the same Act 2 rescue. The knockout route is the popular one because it doesn't nuke the tiefling storyline, the merchants, or a bunch of other Act 2 content you'll actually want.
Method 1: Recruit Minthara Without Raiding the Grove
This is what most of you are actually searching for when you type "how to recruit Minthara" and don't want to nuke your hero run.
Step 1: Find Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum
She's in the Goblin Camp, west of the Blighted Village. Inside the Shattered Sanctum, follow the objective marker. She's in a room near the back, usually with goblin scouts crowding around a map table. Won't aggro on you automatically if you haven't started anything.
Already fought some goblins in the area? She might be hostile already. Doesn't matter. As long as she's breathing, the non-lethal trick still works mid-combat.
Step 2: Toggle Non-Lethal Damage On
Open the passives bar on whoever's going to land the final hit. Flip Non-Lethal Damage on.
This is the part people mess up constantly:
- Melee weapon attacks can be non-lethal.
- Spells, ranged attacks, and damage-over-time effects are still lethal.
- The killing blow that drops her to 0 HP has to be a regular melee weapon attack.
Swing a sword, axe, or hammer normally. Do NOT finish her with Eldritch Blast, Fire Bolt, or some lingering acid/burn tick. I've seen so many forum posts where someone accidentally casts Magic Missile thinking it "counts" and then reloads for ten minutes.
Step 3: Fight Minthara and Knock Her Out
Start the fight. Whittle her down with normal weapon attacks. When she's almost done, land that non-lethal melee strike for the final blow.
If it worked, the game shows "Knocked Out" above her head or in the combat log instead of "Dead." You see a normal death animation? Reload. Just reload.
A few things to watch out for, because I've burned through saves here:
- Clear the goblins around her first. Otherwise some random goblin crits her mid-knockout and it's all over.
- No area-of-effect spells near her after she goes down.
- Don't hit her body or loot her while she's unconscious.
- Make sure no DoT is still ticking. That lingering poison will finish the job and you'll never know why.
She needs to stay at 1 HP, out cold, but breathing.
Step 4: Continue the Goblin Camp Quest
Saving the Emerald Grove? You still have to deal with the other goblin leaders. Minthara being unconscious counts as neutralized for quest purposes. So go finish the rest of the camp, free Halsin, and move on to Act 2.
That's the whole point of this route: Minthara lives, the tieflings live, nobody has to burn anything down.
Method 2: Recruit Minthara by Raiding the Grove
Skip the knockout trick and just side with her in Act 1 if you want. Simple, but the cost is real.
- Talk to Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum.
- Agree to help her raid the Emerald Grove.
- Follow the quest to the grove and fight alongside the goblins.
- Make sure Minthara survives the battle.
- After the raid, she's happy with you and expects to meet you later at Moonrise Towers.
This locks you out of the tiefling storyline and a bunch of related quests. Companions get grumpy too. If you're going for a heroic run, Method 1 is clearly better.
Rescue Minthara at Moonrise Towers in Act 2
Both routes end the same way: springing her from Moonrise Towers.
Get to Moonrise Towers
After Act 1, enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands via the Mountain Pass or the Underdark. Either route dumps you into the shadow curse. Get to Moonrise Towers, bring a light source, and try not to get melted by the curse.
Rescue her before you finish the Gauntlet of Shar or head into the Shadowfell. Once the Nightsong sequence triggers, Moonrise Towers gets a lot more hostile and a lot more complicated.
Find Minthara in the Prison
Inside Moonrise Towers, head down to the prison area. Use the map to find the stairs to the dungeon. On your first visit, the cultists might treat you as a True Soul, so you can walk around without starting a fight.
Minthara's in one of the cells. Captured by the Absolute, looking rough. Free her by:
- Lockpicking the cell door.
- Finding a lever or key nearby.
- Killing the guards and looting the key.
Door's open? Talk to her. She won't trust you right away, but she'll leave with you. Expect the whole tower to turn hostile once you break her out.
Escape with Minthara
After you free her, get out of Moonrise Towers. Minthara fights with you as a temporary ally, so keep her alive. She's fragile in that first escape and it'd be a shame to lose her right after you saved her.
Once you escape the tower or reach a safe area, Minthara becomes a full companion. She goes onto your party roster, you can level her, gear her up, and bring her into fights like anyone else.
After Recruiting Minthara
Minthara's a Paladin, Oath of Vengeance subclass. Heavy melee damage, Divine Smite, some healing via Lay on Hands. She's a solid frontliner for any party that needs one.
Her personality? Blunt. Ruthless. Obsessed with revenge against the Absolute. She's not going to be warm and chatty around the campfire, but she has her own dialogue, her own reactions, her own camp moments.
If you took the non-lethal route, expect some characters to side-eye her being around, especially if you also saved the tieflings. The game lets you carry that messy contradiction forward, and honestly? That's the stuff that makes BG3 worth playing.
FAQ
Can I recruit Minthara without raiding the Emerald Grove?
Yes. Toggle Non-Lethal Damage, knock her out with a melee weapon in the Shattered Sanctum, then rescue her from Moonrise Towers in Act 2. The grove can be saved and she still shows up in the Moonrise prison.
What happens if Minthara dies in the Goblin Camp?
If she actually dies, you can't revive her as a companion. Reload a save from before the fight. Only knocked out? You're fine.
Can I use spells or ranged attacks to knock Minthara out?
No. Only melee weapon attacks can be non-lethal in Baldur's Gate 3. Spells, ranged attacks, and damage-over-time effects are lethal. Use a standard melee Attack for the final blow.
Do I need to side with the goblins to recruit Minthara?
No. Raiding the grove is one path, but the non-lethal knockout method lets you recruit her while saving the tieflings. Both routes eventually require rescuing her from Moonrise Towers.
