Minthara Baenre is a character from the 2023 Baldur's Gate 3, a Larian Studios roleplaying game set in the Forgotten Realms universe of Dungeons & Dragons.

Minthara received mostly positive reception upon release, in particular for the portrayal of drow culture in the game but also her role as a strong female character that did not require a redemption arc.

Written by Baldur's Gate 3 lead writer Adam Smith,[5] Minthara is a drow, a matriarchal race of elves with grey skin, white hair, and red eyes.

Initially under the control of the game's antagonist, a telepathic monster called "The Absolute", she was written to behave in a chaotic manner and as a "blunt weapon" for its use.

In an interview with IGN, the game's director Swen Vincke felt this may have negatively impacted how players perceived the character, and fixed it as quickly as possible.

[1] Abdelfatah worked directly with lead character artist Alena Dubrovina, who allowed the modelling team to make any additional changes they felt were needed from the concept art.

[15] Alternatively, the player may avoid the raid entirely and keep her alive by either knocking her out with non-lethal damage while killing her commanders or ignoring her entirely, though this option will cause the grove to be slaughtered off-screen.

She will additionally give more information about her background, divulging that she came from the Underdark, an underground location in the Forgotten Realms setting, and was a paladin in the service of the drow deity Lolth.

However, because they were produced during Baldur's Gate 3's early access period, the artwork was based on an earlier version of her character design, while the cards themselves still list her class as "Cleric".

In an interview with IGN, Vincke noted that during the game's early access period they could see how many players started a romance with Minthara, and were surprised by the large number, stating "There's certainly people that have had no moral scruples.

She further noted that prior to meeting the character she couldn't comprehend why someone would take that avenue, and the impact and ramifications of recruiting her fundamentally changed the tone of her playthrough.

[19] When comparing the available companions in Baldur's Gate 3, the staff of PC Gamer rated Minthara the lowest, acknowledging that while she was "hot", the cost of recruiting her by killing innocent characters in the game felt too steep.

"[20] Matthew Byrd of Den of Geek was more favorable towards Minthara when comparing her to other characters, though found it difficult due to the significant detriments of recruiting her and how much one was tied to an "evil" playthrough of the game in order to do so.

"[22] In terms of other aspects of her character, Kotaku's Ashley Bardhan praised her characterization and dialogue for providing a deeper glimpse into Drow culture in Dungeons & Dragons lore, particularly in regards to their sexual orientation and treatment of men.

[24] The latter point was explored more by IGN's Rebekah Valentine, who, when examining the concept of a "problematic fave" in gaming, a character whose heinous actions players justify due to admirable or desirable qualities, cited Minthara as the most egregious example in Baldur's Gate 3.