Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3was one of the most acclaimed games of last year and remains one of the most groundbreaking efforts to ever adaptDungeons and Dragons. No doubt a major aspect of the game’s popularity,Baldur’s Gate 3features an eclectic band of companions that the player can recruit into their party. The game even includes an “evil route”, with another companion entirely dedicated to it.
Minthara is a drow, informally known as dark elves, and her companionship is one of the sole rewards players receive for walking down the path of evil. In fact, this design choice has been somewhat criticized. Many players who would have otherwise loved to recruit Minthara avoided doing so due to the steep price it costs. Moreover,Baldur’s Gate 4could go on to improvewith its own evil party members.
Baldur’s Gate 4 Needs to Improve Its “Evil Route” Companions
Baldur’s Gate 3 is Defined By its Companions
Thecompanions inBaldur’s Gate 3are fully fleshed-out characters, each with their own series of unique likes and dislikes. Players have to avoid certain actions and perform others if they want to please any given member of the party. However, these party interests can conflict. Astarion is infamously difficult to romance, as his persuasion towards cruelty runs contrary to nearly every other companion in the game.
This is very much an intentional feature and one that adds a wealth ofdepth to roleplaying inBaldur’s Gate 3. The player’s actions have consequences, and each character they interact with has a unique perspective. Party members being able to express differences in opinion necessarily makes the world feel more lived in and preventsBaldur’s Gate 3from ever feeling repetitive. Despite the many benefits that this system provides, there is still a significant downside that comes along with it.
Minthara is a Huge Exception in Baldur’s Gate 3
Naturally,Baldur’s Gate 3’s most popular charactersare the party members who accompany the player on their journey. Minthara is a potential party member who is often considered the face of evil runs. Likewise, recruiting Minthara comes at a heavy price for players. First and foremost, recruiting Minthara bars the player from having certain other characters in their party.
It’s great that characters have a well-defined and consistent sense of morality, but that doesn’t stop this ultimatum from being a bit of a bummer. In fairness, thecost of recruiting Minthara inBaldur’s Gate 3is an unavoidable side effect of any evil route. Evil runs definitely have their place, and open a whole new host of roleplaying opportunities. It’s reasonable to provide players with a punishment for walking a dark path. However, developers should ensure that players get a worthy reward for the risks that they take.
Baldur’s Gate 4 Would Benefit from a New Approach
Recruiting an eminently evil character will prevent the player from getting along with others, and there’s no reason that should change. With that being said, Minthara’s inclusion has issues other than those inherent to her role.Baldur’s Gate 3’s companions have compelling and unique backstories, and Minthara is unfortunately another outlier in this regard.
Minthara’s design is by no means bad, and her story remains compelling. However, it’s the premise of her character that sets her behind her peers somewhat. At the core of her backstory, she is a drow servant of Lolth. Thedrow inDungeons and Dragonshave long been associated with Lolth, and there’s nothing wrong with respecting those ingrained character traits. However, Minthara’s role as the odd one out makes it absolutely necessary that she stand out more strongly.
There are plenty of ways Minthara could meaningfully pass the torch tovillains inBaldur’s Gate 4. The best part is that many of these necessary changes are simple to make. A future evil companion should be further out of their comfort zone than the backstory hardcore fans may come to expect. Furthermore, potentially including another evil-only character could go a long way in giving them someone to bounce off of. After all, fleshing out a character’s behavior and motivations goes even further than diversifying their backstory.
Baldur’s Gate 3received worldwide acclaim for good reason, and many fans are already awaiting a follow-up.Baldur’s Gate 4is certain to include another evil route, and Minthara’s role as the poster child of such runs was invaluable. While Minthara’s story may fall short in some places, developers can easily mend these mistakes with a few small tweaks.
