Minthara is the most controversial companion in terms of recruitment as she requires you to attack the Druid’s Grove and later meet her in Moonrise. If you choose this route, you get a powerful Paladin ally able to deal high melee burst damage. Here’s my best Minthara build in Baldur’s Gate 3.
What is the Best Minthara Build in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Minthara is all about reaching bosses or mages and archers as soon as possible. Her Divine Smites her burst damage in a few attacks, taking out key targets in combat before they get too many turns.
- Stats: Respec into Strength 16 and Charisma 16. Place the rest into Constitution. You can dump Dexterity, as we’ll use Heavy Armor, and negative Dexterity doesn’t reduce your AC.
- Subclass: Oath of Vengeance.
- Feats: Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master.
- Gear: One-handed Polearms, Shields, Heavy Armor, and Optional two-handed polearms in the late game with GWM.
- Paladin Spells: Smite Spells, Hunter’s Mark, Bless, Hold Person, Misty Step, Haste.
- Multiclass (Optional): Sorcerer or Fighter.
My best BG3 Minthara build progression is mostly through the Paladin class, but I have a few multiclass recommendations for additional burst damage or more spell slots.
Best Minthara Subclass to Pick in BG3
The best Minthara subclass in BG3 is the Oath of Vengeance. Since our strategy is to burst down key targets in combat, Vengeance offers the best spells and subclass abilities.
The core of this Minthara subclass is the Vow of Enmity. It grants us Advantage on attacks as a Bonus Action for 10 turns and resets on a Short or Long Rest. This synergizes with our plan to land as many Divine Smites as possible per round. It also works perfectly if we choose a high-risk, high-reward option with Great Weapon Master.
Oath of Vengeance also gives us excellent offensive spells like Hunter’s Mark to work with our Polearm Master bonus attacks. I start fights with Hunter’s Mark on the target I want to kill. I get three attacks in the next round, boosted by 1d6 each plus Divine Smites. If I play GWM, I also use Bless to boost attack rolls.
Hold Person and Misty Step are great for locking down enemies and crossing large distances. Finally, we get the Haste spell for even more attacks, AC, and movement speed when we reach Level 9. Pair her up with a Barbarian or a Fighter like Lae’Zel and some background support from Shadowheart or Gale, and you’ve got yourself a well-rounded party.
Best Minthara Feats to Pick for the Best Build in BG3
Speaking of feats, Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, and Sentinel/Heavy Armor Master are the best Minthara feats in BG3. We want to use polearms like spears or martial quarterstaves with weapon enhancements since the PAM feat at Level 4 gives us an additional attack per round. I can get an additional Smite off with that second attack pre-Level 5 and a third attack at Level 5 and beyond.
Great Weapon Master greatly increases our melee damage in the late game once we have tons of attack roll boosts. Vow of Enmity offsets the attack roll penalty, alongside Bless if we cast it. Until you get GWM at Level 8 or Level 12, I recommend staying with one-handed spears and a shield if you increase Strength at Level 8. Once you get the Great Weapon Master feat, switch to a two-handed Glaive or Halberd.
If high-risk, high-reward gameplay doesn’t suit you, use the Sentinel/Heavy Armor Master feats. Sentinel gets you a Reaction attack once someone attacks your nearby allies and HAM gives you damage reduction 3. I also get a Strength increase at Level 8 instead of a feat, but if you have enough attack roll boosts, then you can take GWM at Level 8 as well.
Best Minthara Gear to Pick in BG3
The best Minthara gear in BG3 revolves around getting the best spear or quarterstaff, shield, and heavy armor. Here are my recommendations for the early to mid-game:
- Weapon: Vision of the Absolute (Combine the Spear Head from the Owlbear mother and the Shaft on the body of Edowin west of Druid Grove). In Act 2, finish the Gauntlet of Shar for Selune’s or Shar’s Legendary spear.
- Armor: Adamantine Splint Armor.
- Shield: Shield of Devotion from the Last Light Inn.
- Miscellaneous Gear: Amulet of Misty Step, Grymskull Helm, Caustic Ring, Cloak of Protection, and Disintegrating Night Walkers.
For late-game, the best Minthara gear is:
- Weapon: Shar/Selune Spear if you’re sticking with a one-handed setup or Halberd of Vigilance from Lann Tarv at Moonrise.
- Armor: Helldusk Armor or Armor of Devotion.
- Shield: Viconia’s Walking Fortress.
- Miscellaneous Gear: Ring of Regeneration, Killer’s Sweetheart, Helm of Balduran, Scarab of Protection, Helldusk Boots, and Gloves, or Fey Semblance Amulet.
Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength are always great if you can steal them from the House of Hope. Furthermore, I always brew or buy a steady supply of Potions of Speed and Elixirs of Heroism or Bloodlust to grant you extra attacks. Lastly, check out our best Paladin gear guide for additional options.
Best Minthara Multiclass Option to Build in BG3
Once you pick up Aura of Protection at Level 6 or a feat at Level 8, you can multiclass if you wish. Here’s what I go with. First, choose Sorcerer. This is a great option for more spell slots for Smiting. You can also pick up Shield, which I find is perfect on Paladins for 25+ AC. Other useful Sorcerer spells are Blur, Mirror Image, Hold Person, Misty Step, Counterspell, Haste, Fly, and Fireball.
Any subclass works, but I went with Draconic for some defensive options. I recommend using Sorcery points on Quicken Spell to attack with Smites and then cast Fireball as a bonus action. Alternatively, you can also cast Twin Spell Haste on yourself and an ally. As a Sorcerer, multiclass from Level 6 or 7 to get Level 3 spells by character Level 12 — or after Paladin Level 8 to get low-level utility spells and a third feat by 12.
Lastly, a simple and effective option: Fighter. I personally multiclass into it after Level 8. I found that the Battle Master fighter works best with maneuvers like Tripping Attack and Precision Attack to offset the Great Weapon Master penalty. Menacing Attack and Riposte work great as well. You also get a third feat this way.
That concludes my best Minthara build in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more BG3 guides, check out my Paladin Deathknight build, along with build guides for Karlach and Astarion.
