When you rescue Minthara from Moonrise and she looks at you and says “ I did not think anyone would come for me” It broke my heart and made me love that character forever.
@@Local_commentor Her house has been the most powerful house in Menzoberanzan for centuries, if not thousands of years. Being female, she would be one of the most powerful drow in the world, if she were to return and claim the seat of matron mother or a role beneath it. But of course, she’d need to worship Lloth again, which I doubt she would do. You probably already knew this, I’m sorry, but I got so excited once I found out what house she was from.
well you have to go out of your way to do some very evil shit to even get the chance to recruit her. most people jsut don't like doing the evil side stuff. me , i made an evil drow jsut for recruiting her.
@@DenverStarkey yeah exactly it makes me sad that her character is locked behind such an evil route because she is such an interesting and well written character
I will never recruit her, because I have never liked to do evil playthroughs. A shame, because I have always liked Emma's work since I heard her the first time in DOS.
The way Emma delivers the line “I will find her, I will murder her, and I will smile” is perfect. One of my favorite lines in the entire game (given the context & delivery).
"The DEAAAAD and the Ashes" - unreal. Also, the Fist raise animation when she says "For the Absolute!" is so, so great. The way she drops her arm and her body slightly wobbles, words cannot convey. This game will bring BG to its fully deserved legendary status, on the level of Star Wars. Stay gold.
Minthara is in my opinion the richest character in this game. There's so much depth to her, you could easily do several playthroughs and still not know all her inner workings. The writers did an amazing job, as did Emma with her incredible VA work.
@@bluemoon1716 i played the latest patch too, yes you get 2 or 3 more scenes but other than that its still just "you wish to consult me" they said they had fixed the bug that locked her 2k lines, but from what i've seen they either lied, those lines are still locked or those lines are all her saying you wish to consult me
Minthara is my main motivation in this game. The moment I heard her voice I was literally drawn in. She is everything I want in a character and MORE, I am just so obsessed with her and I am beyond happy she exists. Emma has brought her to life beautifully and fiercely and I am so thankful for her and her performance. I will protect and love Minthara with my LIFE, she is so important to me. Thank you for giving her to us, Emma
Strange. On my part, as much as I appreciate Emma's dedication to the character and her talent as a voice actor, there's something subconscious that just prevents her voice from gelling with the character for me. Of course, that's not her fault.
I agree. I played the game through without recruiting her the first time and was about to put the game down after that, but I was super curious about Minthara. I did a playthrough just to recruit her and have done 3 more since just because I want to read every line she has.
Wow, I love how passionate she is about Minthara and how she talks about her past in Menzoberranzan and all her nuances. Larian and the whole team are really something else. Baldur's Gate 3 feels like the Lord of the Rings of games to me.
Having Minthara as a companion and getting the full-breath of her true character was an amazing experience. I truly enjoy how Emma was able to portray the two characterizations of Minthara so seamlessly, one being the brainwashed fanatic of the Absolute and the other being a pragmatic but also extremely wise and observant drow warrior. I really love how Minthara isn't stereotypically evil.
I tend to think that in D&D the alignment system is heavily biased towards a primary plane, human-society, world-view. If you look at Drow Culture, or Gythianki Culture, those are clearly all evil alligned. But their behaviour has good reasoning. They don't simply act like selfish, back-stabbing bastards that would kill their own children without hesitation, for no other reason than enjoying being malicious. It's a matter of survival for them. So Minthara IS evil, by human societal standards.
Yes, this why she is so interesting. Her line about her fear, that nobody noticed and remembered her - so heartbreaking. But if not using mods, and playing good character you get Halsin, the most boring character, who doesn’t care about tav or companions and left them at the end. And compare it to scene with Minthara crying about dying Karlach.
Problem is, of course, that in order to recruit her the normal way, your character, on the other hand, has to be rather stereotypically evil.. I mean, even Minthara complains in the game of being assigned goblins as staff.
@@ohauss thats the bigest problem for me with bg3, evil path represent main character as unbelievably dumb murderhobo(chaotic evil), instead of selfish/opportunistic kind of character (lawfull-neutral evil)
@@dbua4748 Precisely. I set my first character up as a street urchin. Life didn't give him anything, so he'll take what he can get. But why would he associate with a bunch of goblins in their damp ruin, constantly fighting over scraps and having to kill for killing's sake just to be respected?
Minthara felt broken, but in a way that is quite human. I'm glad I rescued her on my second playthrough. It was quite a surprising journey, definitely worth deviating from a good path.
Thank you Emma for your AMAZING work as Minthara. Her morally ambivalent, deeply wise, and incredibly complex yet philosophically consistent character is just art brought to life. She's my favorite companion in a game full of rich personalities which is no easy feat. And thank you Dan for making this happen your questions always bring out the best insight. These interviews are just pure gold.
Minthara is my favourite companion honestly, she has so much depth as a character and her voice acting is phenomenal, she brings so many emotions and layers to the table and it is a shame that many people will skip her due to how the game is now. I hope we get official way how to get her included, finished romance and rest of her dialogues because honestly, she is one of the best roleplay characters out there. Many thanks Emma Gregory for giving her your voice and performance, it is a pleasure to have such a character brought to life.
I love Minthara. I mainly did an evil playthrough to learn more about her (I love drow lore) and damn did I learn stuff... When she said, if we hadn't rescued her she'd just died another puppet and victim of the Absolute, forgotton. I immediately thought of my first playthrough where she really was just that.. My heart :(
minthara pretty much top 3 companion for me, and thats INSANEE because she's the least fleshed out companion/extremely bugged. Everything she said was always so thought-provoking and extremely logical my Tav quickly thought of her as a second-in-command from the jump. her backstory on how she got captured by orin was very compelling too, seriously one of the best storytellers in the game i was so captivated when she was explaining what happened. i just want more content for her cause shes a must have for every playthrough i do
I love how different voice acting is now. Today the actors get so much insight in their characters and embody them. I remember back years when you just read of a page in a booth. I remember Tricia Helfer who was EDI in mass effect not even remembering doing the game or her character. She said she knew nothing about the character or story.
I have not recruited Minthara bacause in my games the story has taken me elsewhere, but I will dedicate a whole playthrough to Minthara at some point and fully exploring her story. Kinda sad that you cannot play her as origin - because that would have been very impacful I think - but I will make up for it by being her biggest supporter and save the hell out of her. Great job once again on the story, the voice, the everything. Thank you.
I thought I remembered her name from somewhere. I've not heard those ones in particular, but I think she read another 40k audiobook I listened to. Cool to know. I think some of the other cast did audiobooks too.
@@ubu6420 He may refer to the fact that you can't knock her out unconscious, save the grove and then recruit her. It's either you say goodbye to the grove or to Minthara, the workarounds are clearly exploits.
I just downloaded a mod called Daughter of Lolth - Minthara from nexus mods. This mod makes it available for Minthara to run away during the emerald grove fight once her HP drop below certain %. The next time you see her is in Moonrise Towers and the game continues normaly without any bugs or anomalies. You do not have to kill the tieflings and lose Will and Carlach just so you can get Minthara.
I wish they had a simple option to let Minthara escape if you side with the Grove. Then find her at Moonrise and decide her fate then. Truly, she seems no more evil than Lae'zel can be once she is free from the Absolute's influence.
Emma! I'm so glad you finally got her on. She's such an amazing VA. I've followed all her works with all the warhammer audo dramas and books she's done as well as other games. She really brought minthara to life and made such a good character because she's not some one dimensional evil villain. She has so many sides to her and she feels so real. One of the best written and voice acted characters I've ever seen. Best drow wife. Thank you for the interview!
My favorite quotes: "Tonight, you are mine..." "Give the word, and I will kill this clown. The city will hail us as heroes." "I have killed greater lovers for smaller betrayals than this..."
Finally, she has arrived! And what a pleasure it was to listen to this interview. Emma's dedication to learning the lore, digging this deep into the character, the knowledge with which she speaks of everything related to her... That's the most professional approach I think I've ever seen. Truly inspiring. Really hope we'll see more of her amazing work as Minthara in the future. And also hope she'll manage to stream the game, I bet there's an entire (little but passionate) cult waiting for her! :D
Minty is currently adventuring with me on my current playthrough and she's been incredible. Emma did a stellar job bringing our mommy drow to life. Please please give her a chance in your game. She's often misunderstood. She's not just some monster that wants to destroy the grove there's so much more to her ❤
Played normally. Killed her in righteous fury in Act 1. Evil redemption for playthrough 2 and hearing minthara tell me that no one would have remembered her as she was just another casualty in our quest made her the best non origin companion imo
I've been waiting for Minthara, she's a great character :) Emma keeps mentioning how lucky she was, but luck is only a small part of the equation. She's also doing an awesome job, and she has an amazing voice.
I am thrilled to see the well reception of Minthara. She’s by far my favourite character - so much depth, discovery, and development. The acting is beyond amazing, thank you Emma for bringing this character to life. ❤
I just can't find the right words to express how much I love Minthara, she became my favourite companion, her story, her lines, voice acting - all just perfect, huge thanks to Emma, and to you Dan for doing these interviews
I see comments like "It's my favourite character in the whole game" under every BG3 voice actor video, but this time i have to say the same thing. I love how wise and down to earth Minthara is. Too bad you can so simply kill her and lose such an interesting companion
Minthara has THE BEST rage roar in the game. I feel almost no one has experienced it. Unreal voice acting. Truly superb performance and now my favorite VA of all time. Thank you Emma Gregory
Emma seems to have put so much time towards understanding her characters backstory and motivations in the context of the greater plot of bg3. She clearly was incredibly passionate about this character
I think the way Emma described her favourite lines of Minthara says a lot about how she really cared for her and it definitely showed on the performance
For those who want Minthara as a member and do not want the evil path and lose companions. There is a mod called Daughter of Lolth - Minthara - Good Recruitment on nexus mods. This allows you to knock out Minthara during Emerald grove fight and the next time you will see her is in act 2 just as you would if you would pick the evil playthrough. Did not experience any game breaking or story bugs with this mod.
you don't need a mod for that, at least as of now. There are MULTIPLE bugs though. Very bugged when recruiting Minthara in a non-evil playthrough. Still worth it though.
my best playthrough - Dark Urge - getting Minthara on your team. going on a 50/50 redemption arc with Mithara by your side! Ofcourse romance her and do everything she says coz every single line Minthara provides are spot on! a bad ass female Drow - Lorth sworn ofcourse and later absolut. Only lived by the laws of lorth and still shows a very deep deep side with flaws, fears and doubt. Yet she stays strong and provide the best lesbian love scene ive ever seen! Emma Gregory, I salute you!
Thank you Dan, I've been waiting with great anticipation for this one. Minthara is my favorite character and I just can't imagine any of my playthroughs without her at my side.
Emma Gregory is an inspiration! Her voice is stunning, her acting is incredible, and she has such a lovely personality. Her "I will never tire of sitting on dead men's thrones" and "There are no gods left to me" lines are my personal favorites.
I love Minthara. My more natural progression through the game typically has me either raiding the grove or ignoring to be able to get her. Then hearing Emma talk about Warhammer audiobooks actually got me looking through my Audible library and what do you know, she did the narration for some of them. I didn't recognize her voice at all. She's very talented at making some very distinct voices so her different characters sound pretty unique.
I want a patch that lets me knock out Minthara instead of killing her in the Goblin Camp. More people need to have the experience of journeying with this **amazingly deep** character. Sadly... she is underrated and it's mostly due to her being much less accessible than the other party members.
I had to watch a video going through her whole storyline because I am incapable of massacring the Druid Grove and ultimately losing out of 3 companions. I also don't have the patience to do any exploits to acquire Minthara.
@@Lokhir100 it's interesting to me that knocking Alfira out in a Durge playthrough is acknowledged by the game but knocking Minthara isn't. The game just tells you she's dead. The game even makes a point to tell you about non lethal damage but doesn't give you many opportunities to make use of it. Here's hoping for a patch that changes this.
@@SkeleTonHammer going to Moonrise is always the first place I go simply because of the merchant that gives you soul coins. I just grab the Dolly Thrice bell on the way.
I’m so happy for this interview!My first playthrough I didn’t even know who Minthara was because I had aggro’d the whole goblin camp(her voice line if you save her about no one knowing who she was/her being just another casualty is so painfully true)and I didn’t even really learn about her until scrolling online before my second playthrough.Then I decided to do an evil playthrough and realized very quickly she wasn’t as evil as she seems.she’s got so many layers and her character alone made me so interested in the Drow lore and I started reading the Drizzt and War of the Spider Queen series.She’s power hungry,but not at the cost of losing yourself or freedom, she’s violent and bloodthirsty,but not for random bloodshed. For as terrible as Drow are known to be to other races, she’s still so very human and empathetic just like any other races, even with her own trauma. She shows so much vulnerability (the romance scene after killing ketheric, her sympathy for him, and her reaction if you play as Karlach and don’t go to Avernus)and it’s just so endearing to see. The way Emma voiced her alone is terrific it goes without saying. The way she gave Minthara life is incredible and it literally made me go hunting for interviews and sadly found there wasn’t many. I’m so happy to have this long interview and can’t wait to look into Emma’s audiobooks and other works :)
I'm in the same exact boat with you. Such a powerful performance for a truly rich and emotionally complex character. I desperately hope more interviews with Emma pop up but until then I'll have to pick an audiobook!
I'm so glad I got her as a companion on my second playthrough and able to experience her side of things and her development. Fascinating work by Larian and the perfect voice actress for the role.
Emma was absolutely amazing.... you could feel her emotions for Minthara through the screen .. gezz Larian and pitstop has done a fantastic job getting these actors in on this GOTY
❤❤❤I'm so happy that this interview with Emma came out. I've been waiting for this for so long! Two days ago I completed the game and the amazing, incredible character of Minthara with her insanely attractive voice and charisma, I simply fell in love with myself from the first second. Emma, how wonderful what you do and how wonderful you are! Thank you!
I sincerely fell in love with Minthara at the very moment when I first saw and heard her. very happy to know that behind her voice acting there is such an excellent person as Emma!
Thank you Dan for time stamping questions. I like actor interviews but there are a lot of questions I don't care about and I don't want to sit through a whole interview just for the questions I like. These interviews have been great watches for me thanks to that.
I discovered the game really late relative to a lot of fans (only started playing it a couple weeks ago) and it’s been an obsession for me ever since. These interviews have been fabulous - you’re very, very good at this, and I love getting inside the actors’ heads a bit and learning how much they all love their characters and the world they’ve created. I’m really hopeful that this is a sign of the direction the games industry is headed in!
This interveiw was a real treat, thank you. I've listened to so many of Emma's 40k audiobooks and they're always epic! I knew I had to have Minthara in my party and I was willing to do what ever it took (and I did just that, good playthrough be damned.) What an amazing character! My favourite line has to be at that circus when you're asked who Minthara respects and you say Drizzt Do'urden.
I was really hoping to see this one; Emma Gregory is absolutely spectacular! Initially, I had no interest at all in Baldur's Gate 3. Just another typical mainstream hype train as far as I was concerned, but then I learned that Maggie Robertson was cast it in it. If Lady D is in anything, it's worth checking out. Naturally, I began getting recommendations for other BG3 content, which led to me coming across Minthara. Wow, was I am impressed. I had not expected to be immediately captivated by Emma's performance. In a cast full of excellent actors, she stands out. Admittedly, her performance was the deciding factor for me purchasing the game. Wishing all the best for Emma Gregory, and even greater successes!
I ADORE Emma Gregory's voice work with Black Library, and hearing her in BG3 was a peak fanboy moment, up there with Matt Mercer as Minsc. Every time she opened her mouth, I half expected her to pull out a bolter and bellow "FOR THE EMPEROR!"
Yeeeee! Thank you so much for this interview! And thank you so much Emma Gregory for this amazing voice that she gived for Minthara! It's amazing character!
The BG 3 main characters are way deeper and complex than in most other games, from a neutral perspective. And Minthara is by far the most fascinating one for me. And that says a lot, considering the overall quality of BG3s voice acting/writing/scripting.
what a woman. I didn't know that such a big "behind the scenes world" exists...Love the passion that some people put on this kind of non main stream nieche of art that's acting outside movies, series and televion. Thanks Dan and thanks Emma. Can't wait for more Minthy in my life
I'm romancing Minthara's character in a Dark Urge run... and she is completly escalading to the podium of the best videogames character I've ever seen written. Honestly... Minthara from BG3 is equal in my empathy with Morte from Planescape Torment, Visas Marr from KOTOR2, Jaheira from Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows of Amn and Olgiert Von Everec from Witcher 3 Heart Of Stone. Minthara is an extraordinary character... so complex, so weird and surprisingly so understable in some part of her mind. And the voice... For god's sake... HER VOICE COULDNT FITT BETTER. Thank you Emma Gregory for this performance. ❤
Minthara is such an underrated character. I've had her in my latest playthrough and the depth of the writing is astounding for someone who initially seems like a throwaway goblin boss. Honestly, it's going to make it difficult for me to ever kill her in a "good" playthrough again.
Someday I aspire to find a career I love as much as these voice actors love theirs. A huge part of what's so great and special about BG3 is that we can feel that love all throughout the game from everyone involved (not only the actors but the writers, visual artists, music composers, developers, etc.).
I was fascinated how multifunctional all her emotion and voices are, from the brutal commander over the broken personality straight up to a cute personality she did such a perfect work for Minthara. It’s her work that she became my favorite character ,,I did not think that anyone would come for me“. Damn my heart
Glad you got Emma on and that you got into talking about her work on the 40k Audio Books...her narration of the Jenetia Krole POV chapters in Saturine is outstanding!
Minthara easily for me has been my favorite female party member in the game (Shadowheart a close second). It’s just crazy that a lot of people don’t pick her up early in their playing BG3 because of the cost of what it takes in Act 1 to secure her. I’m on my second playthrough doing Durge and picked up Minthara and her character is just so phenomenally voice acted and written it’s just sensational.
Шикарный голос, прекрасный персонаж с непростой судьбой, Минтару не надо воспитывать, она такая, какая есть, дитя Андерарка, жестока, умна, мудра, опасна, преданна, сломлена, ей нужно кому то доверять, как и Лаазель пытается показаться сильной, но, за внешней броней, она другая, да и не верит больше в Lloth, Можно пройти мимо рощи и не вмешиваится, нейтральный путь, в конце концов, становится смешно, если убить тифлингов, Карлах и Уилл покидают нас, несмотря на то, что у них личинки иллитида, во втором акте, Шедоухарт убивает Песнь ночи, всев таверне умирают, Карлах и Уилл, никуда не убегают)
Minthara truly is the best companion I've enjoyed in a game. At first I only teamed up with her since my PC was Drow and after saving her at Moonrise I knew I made the right choice. Her emotional depth and the degree she changes her perspective of you after realizing what could have happened had you not saved her was amazing. That devotions shows when initially I thought we would both try and get rid of the tadpole before hearing the possibility of harnessing power over the Absolute. I loved how she was with me 100% when it came to usurping the crown, it felt like she was on the same page every step of the journey and made it my most memorable playthough in a long time.
In my first run I killed Minthara of without even talking to her. Right after I had finished this run Patch 5 came out. So in my second run I knocked her unconsius, rescued her in Moonrise and recruited her. Since then I have made three more runs and I recruited her every time, even romanced her. She is a great companion and Emmas performance is out of this world. I love her!
Emma Gregory's voice is extremely unique, she is extremely talented and gave Minthara a very suitable voice for the character's masculine way of thinking. She is my favorite voice actress after finishing BG3 3 times. I really hope I encounter her talent in future games I play.
How Emma describes the transformation of Minthara's motion as being quite bound to becoming more free as her character journey progresses, I'm picturing the growth of a caterpillar to a butterfly. Ceremorphosis? It's effing metamorphosis 👊
I recognized Emma immediately from listening to Games Workshop's audiobooks. When I saw her voicing a drow commander it really cemented the idea that the casting directors at Larian knew what they were doing. She's fantastic and I couldn't imagine anyone else as Minthara.
My 2nd playthrough is my first with Minthara, and she's quickly become one of my favorites. Characters with a genuine dark side are always interesting (though as I'm using a mod to get her on a "good" playthrough there's an added dynamic. Bad guys on the good guys' side are always compelling).
My favorite companion was laezel up until i met Minthara. Her voice is nutella and probably the most loyal companion of them all. You did an amazing job, Emma! ❤
If you have the means, please donate! ❤I appreciate it immensely!!! tiltify.com/@dan-allen-gaming/the-fight-against-cancer-2023
"Just give the word, and I will kill the clown. We would be praised as heroes."
-Minthara at the Circus of the Last Days
When you rescue Minthara from Moonrise and she looks at you and says “ I did not think anyone would come for me” It broke my heart and made me love that character forever.
Same here, also when she told about her past with Orin I was like ,,damn poor Baby 😢“
She is a Lolth Drow, then Absolute cultist, she knows she is far from being a Saint. So of course she never thought someone would save her.
@@Ramza1987but she is so cute and the house baere tattoo looks so cool her and karlach are my favorites
@@Local_commentor Her house has been the most powerful house in Menzoberanzan for centuries, if not thousands of years. Being female, she would be one of the most powerful drow in the world, if she were to return and claim the seat of matron mother or a role beneath it. But of course, she’d need to worship Lloth again, which I doubt she would do. You probably already knew this, I’m sorry, but I got so excited once I found out what house she was from.
@@MetastaticMaladies yeah 👍 I move sorce the magic school from menzobarranzan
Emma's performance was phenomenal! It's a shame that not many people have recruited Minthara to witness her character fully develop.
well you have to go out of your way to do some very evil shit to even get the chance to recruit her. most people jsut don't like doing the evil side stuff. me , i made an evil drow jsut for recruiting her.
@@DenverStarkey yeah exactly it makes me sad that her character is locked behind such an evil route because she is such an interesting and well written character
I will never recruit her, because I have never liked to do evil playthroughs. A shame, because I have always liked Emma's work since I heard her the first time in DOS.
@@SeventhheavenDKyou can do the polymorph cheese to save her and everyone else in the game. Neutral good I think is the term. Everybody wins.
@@SeventhheavenDK it's a game dude , not like you're hurting real people. just do the evil run through or better yet do the dark urge run through.
The way Emma delivers the line “I will find her, I will murder her, and I will smile” is perfect. One of my favorite lines in the entire game (given the context & delivery).
"You are safe among friends, never forgetit".
YES I literally screenshot that shit lmao it was such a great moment
"The DEAAAAD and the Ashes" - unreal. Also, the Fist raise animation when she says "For the Absolute!" is so, so great. The way she drops her arm and her body slightly wobbles, words cannot convey.
This game will bring BG to its fully deserved legendary status, on the level of Star Wars.
Stay gold.
"Give the word and I will kill the clown, we will be seen as heroes."
I love how she says, “Oh, Sazza - you have made a grave error.”
I’ve replayed that clip so many times just to hear that haha
Samesies! @@flakdampler11
The voice is just so smooth
“A liar as well as a fool?” was good too
@@UgandanWarriorofHellI love the line that says we will be amongst the absolutes favorites and you will be rewarded as will I
Minthara is in my opinion the richest character in this game. There's so much depth to her, you could easily do several playthroughs and still not know all her inner workings. The writers did an amazing job, as did Emma with her incredible VA work.
ah yes, her 2k lines of "you wish to consult me" truly deep, breathtaking
@@poki580 you must have only played the game at launch.
@@bluemoon1716 i played the latest patch too, yes you get 2 or 3 more scenes but other than that its still just "you wish to consult me" they said they had fixed the bug that locked her 2k lines, but from what i've seen they either lied, those lines are still locked or those lines are all her saying you wish to consult me
@@poki580 Did you have her in your party while adventuring? Because she is way more vocal during your travels than at camp.
@@bastiwen yup still nowhere near the fabled 2000 lines
Minthara is my main motivation in this game. The moment I heard her voice I was literally drawn in. She is everything I want in a character and MORE, I am just so obsessed with her and I am beyond happy she exists. Emma has brought her to life beautifully and fiercely and I am so thankful for her and her performance. I will protect and love Minthara with my LIFE, she is so important to me. Thank you for giving her to us, Emma
Strange. On my part, as much as I appreciate Emma's dedication to the character and her talent as a voice actor, there's something subconscious that just prevents her voice from gelling with the character for me. Of course, that's not her fault.
I agree. I played the game through without recruiting her the first time and was about to put the game down after that, but I was super curious about Minthara. I did a playthrough just to recruit her and have done 3 more since just because I want to read every line she has.
Wow, I love how passionate she is about Minthara and how she talks about her past in Menzoberranzan and all her nuances. Larian and the whole team are really something else. Baldur's Gate 3 feels like the Lord of the Rings of games to me.
Having Minthara as a companion and getting the full-breath of her true character was an amazing experience. I truly enjoy how Emma was able to portray the two characterizations of Minthara so seamlessly, one being the brainwashed fanatic of the Absolute and the other being a pragmatic but also extremely wise and observant drow warrior. I really love how Minthara isn't stereotypically evil.
I tend to think that in D&D the alignment system is heavily biased towards a primary plane, human-society, world-view.
If you look at Drow Culture, or Gythianki Culture, those are clearly all evil alligned. But their behaviour has good reasoning. They don't simply act like selfish, back-stabbing bastards that would kill their own children without hesitation, for no other reason than enjoying being malicious.
It's a matter of survival for them.
So Minthara IS evil, by human societal standards.
Yes, this why she is so interesting. Her line about her fear, that nobody noticed and remembered her - so heartbreaking.
But if not using mods, and playing good character you get Halsin, the most boring character, who doesn’t care about tav or companions and left them at the end. And compare it to scene with Minthara crying about dying Karlach.
Problem is, of course, that in order to recruit her the normal way, your character, on the other hand, has to be rather stereotypically evil.. I mean, even Minthara complains in the game of being assigned goblins as staff.
@@ohauss thats the bigest problem for me with bg3, evil path represent main character as unbelievably dumb murderhobo(chaotic evil), instead of selfish/opportunistic kind of character (lawfull-neutral evil)
@@dbua4748 Precisely. I set my first character up as a street urchin. Life didn't give him anything, so he'll take what he can get. But why would he associate with a bunch of goblins in their damp ruin, constantly fighting over scraps and having to kill for killing's sake just to be respected?
I always loved what Minthara was doing with her eyebrows, her whole facial expression. Now I know where they come from.
Emma did an amazing job.
Minthara is an amazing companion with a terrific voice actress, here's hoping the definitive edition will give her more content, love me some drussy
😂
@@jonbaxter2254 She needs her own story quests ike the other companions. Visit Menzoberranzan would be incredible
Sucks, ended up aggroing everyone in the goblin camp. Never got to talk to Minthara. I’ve only seen her on TH-cam.
@@aaronwalsh8469 Time for a second playthrough ;)
@@aaronwalsh8469 true it's very hard not to destroy the camp
Dan, you’re truly a gifted and prepared interviewer. You put your guests so at ease. It was a delight to learn more about Emma.
Thank you very much
He is so chill. Ozzie blood.
Minthara felt broken, but in a way that is quite human. I'm glad I rescued her on my second playthrough. It was quite a surprising journey, definitely worth deviating from a good path.
I do wish that it was possible to have Minthara in the party without being quite so evil, but, yes, she might be my favorite companion.
@@TheLabeckiyour desires are reality my guy
@@dmitrisemenoff6455 Yes, I am glad they changed that in the last patch!
If you romance Minthara as Karlach, Minthara actually cries when Karlach dies. It caught me completely off guard to see her like that.
Gods, it is so emotional, It broke my heart deeply
Oh Karlach dies? NICE, thanks for that
@@murder00redrum to be honest everyone in this game have possibly to die 🫠💀😅
P.s. her death isn’t only one possible outcome
or she doesn't, up to you@@murder00redrum
@@murder00redrum now you can cry about it with Minthara
Thank you Emma for your AMAZING work as Minthara. Her morally ambivalent, deeply wise, and incredibly complex yet philosophically consistent character is just art brought to life. She's my favorite companion in a game full of rich personalities which is no easy feat.
And thank you Dan for making this happen your questions always bring out the best insight. These interviews are just pure gold.
Minthara is my favourite companion honestly, she has so much depth as a character and her voice acting is phenomenal, she brings so many emotions and layers to the table and it is a shame that many people will skip her due to how the game is now. I hope we get official way how to get her included, finished romance and rest of her dialogues because honestly, she is one of the best roleplay characters out there.
Many thanks Emma Gregory for giving her your voice and performance, it is a pleasure to have such a character brought to life.
Yeah, even with the dark urge, playing evil and sacrificing the tieflings is still hard. So emotionally painful for very little gameplay incentive
Now you can get her on a good run :)
Props for asking informed questions and allowing Emma the time to explore her answers
Loved her insight on Minthara in the first question. You can tell she cares for the character!
I love Minthara. I mainly did an evil playthrough to learn more about her (I love drow lore) and damn did I learn stuff... When she said, if we hadn't rescued her she'd just died another puppet and victim of the Absolute, forgotton. I immediately thought of my first playthrough where she really was just that.. My heart :(
minthara pretty much top 3 companion for me, and thats INSANEE because she's the least fleshed out companion/extremely bugged. Everything she said was always so thought-provoking and extremely logical my Tav quickly thought of her as a second-in-command from the jump. her backstory on how she got captured by orin was very compelling too, seriously one of the best storytellers in the game i was so captivated when she was explaining what happened. i just want more content for her cause shes a must have for every playthrough i do
I love how different voice acting is now. Today the actors get so much insight in their characters and embody them. I remember back years when you just read of a page in a booth. I remember Tricia Helfer who was EDI in mass effect not even remembering doing the game or her character. She said she knew nothing about the character or story.
I have not recruited Minthara bacause in my games the story has taken me elsewhere, but I will dedicate a whole playthrough to Minthara at some point and fully exploring her story. Kinda sad that you cannot play her as origin - because that would have been very impacful I think - but I will make up for it by being her biggest supporter and save the hell out of her. Great job once again on the story, the voice, the everything. Thank you.
Love her voice, it just exudes confidence and..... Authority. Perfect for Minthara!
Ive been a fan of Emma since her brief appearances in the Ciaphus Cain audiobooks. Glad to see she is getting the recognition she deserves
I thought I remembered her name from somewhere. I've not heard those ones in particular, but I think she read another 40k audiobook I listened to. Cool to know. I think some of the other cast did audiobooks too.
@@landotucker she was also the VA for Saint Celestine
Her voice is literally perfect 😭I want them to fix Minthara so bad, hopefully they do this week.
fix?
@@ubu6420 He may refer to the fact that you can't knock her out unconscious, save the grove and then recruit her. It's either you say goodbye to the grove or to Minthara, the workarounds are clearly exploits.
They would have to do new, fresh storyarc for that to happen where they somehow make friends or neutrals with tieflings.
I just downloaded a mod called Daughter of Lolth - Minthara from nexus mods. This mod makes it available for Minthara to run away during the emerald grove fight once her HP drop below certain %. The next time you see her is in Moonrise Towers and the game continues normaly without any bugs or anomalies.
You do not have to kill the tieflings and lose Will and Carlach just so you can get Minthara.
I wish they had a simple option to let Minthara escape if you side with the Grove. Then find her at Moonrise and decide her fate then. Truly, she seems no more evil than Lae'zel can be once she is free from the Absolute's influence.
Emma! I'm so glad you finally got her on. She's such an amazing VA. I've followed all her works with all the warhammer audo dramas and books she's done as well as other games. She really brought minthara to life and made such a good character because she's not some one dimensional evil villain. She has so many sides to her and she feels so real. One of the best written and voice acted characters I've ever seen. Best drow wife. Thank you for the interview!
My favorite quotes:
"Tonight, you are mine..."
"Give the word, and I will kill this clown. The city will hail us as heroes."
"I have killed greater lovers for smaller betrayals than this..."
“Unleash me”
Finally, she has arrived! And what a pleasure it was to listen to this interview.
Emma's dedication to learning the lore, digging this deep into the character, the knowledge with which she speaks of everything related to her... That's the most professional approach I think I've ever seen. Truly inspiring.
Really hope we'll see more of her amazing work as Minthara in the future. And also hope she'll manage to stream the game, I bet there's an entire (little but passionate) cult waiting for her! :D
Minty is currently adventuring with me on my current playthrough and she's been incredible. Emma did a stellar job bringing our mommy drow to life.
Please please give her a chance in your game. She's often misunderstood. She's not just some monster that wants to destroy the grove there's so much more to her ❤
Emma Gregory's performance should be awarded with an Emmy even if that's not on the table for videogames but at this point it should be.
Played normally. Killed her in righteous fury in Act 1. Evil redemption for playthrough 2 and hearing minthara tell me that no one would have remembered her as she was just another casualty in our quest made her the best non origin companion imo
I've been waiting for Minthara, she's a great character :) Emma keeps mentioning how lucky she was, but luck is only a small part of the equation. She's also doing an awesome job, and she has an amazing voice.
I am thrilled to see the well reception of Minthara. She’s by far my favourite character - so much depth, discovery, and development. The acting is beyond amazing, thank you Emma for bringing this character to life. ❤
So happy she did an interview! Obsessed with her insane acting skills and beautifully wicked voice
I just can't find the right words to express how much I love Minthara, she became my favourite companion, her story, her lines, voice acting - all just perfect, huge thanks to Emma, and to you Dan for doing these interviews
I see comments like "It's my favourite character in the whole game" under every BG3 voice actor video, but this time i have to say the same thing. I love how wise and down to earth Minthara is. Too bad you can so simply kill her and lose such an interesting companion
She is also Madora in DOS1 and Ada Laird (and many others) in DOS2.
but it makes it even better when you finally discover her story during 2nd, 3rd or 4th playthrough. Amazing how much this game has to offer.
Emma, thank you for your work and Dan for the interview
Minthara has THE BEST rage roar in the game. I feel almost no one has experienced it. Unreal voice acting. Truly superb performance and now my favorite VA of all time. Thank you Emma Gregory
Emma seems to have put so much time towards understanding her characters backstory and motivations in the context of the greater plot of bg3. She clearly was incredibly passionate about this character
I think the way Emma described her favourite lines of Minthara says a lot about how she really cared for her and it definitely showed on the performance
For those who want Minthara as a member and do not want the evil path and lose companions. There is a mod called Daughter of Lolth - Minthara - Good Recruitment on nexus mods. This allows you to knock out Minthara during Emerald grove fight and the next time you will see her is in act 2 just as you would if you would pick the evil playthrough. Did not experience any game breaking or story bugs with this mod.
There is a ring version as well that lets the PC experience her full romance.
Did you beat the game with this mod? How about romancing her? Does it all work? I hesitated using it
you don't need a mod for that, at least as of now. There are MULTIPLE bugs though. Very bugged when recruiting Minthara in a non-evil playthrough. Still worth it though.
my best playthrough - Dark Urge - getting Minthara on your team. going on a 50/50 redemption arc with Mithara by your side! Ofcourse romance her and do everything she says coz every single line Minthara provides are spot on! a bad ass female Drow - Lorth sworn ofcourse and later absolut. Only lived by the laws of lorth and still shows a very deep deep side with flaws, fears and doubt. Yet she stays strong and provide the best lesbian love scene ive ever seen! Emma Gregory, I salute you!
I loved all of the voice actors, but Emma Gregory gave me chills on more than one occassion. What a fantastic performance.
Thank you Dan, I've been waiting with great anticipation for this one. Minthara is my favorite character and I just can't imagine any of my playthroughs without her at my side.
Emma Gregory is an inspiration! Her voice is stunning, her acting is incredible, and she has such a lovely personality. Her "I will never tire of sitting on dead men's thrones" and "There are no gods left to me" lines are my personal favorites.
Wow her voice!! I love Minthara's voice and its nice to see the people behind the magic :)
*Thank You Dan Allen Gaming*
I love Minthara. My more natural progression through the game typically has me either raiding the grove or ignoring to be able to get her. Then hearing Emma talk about Warhammer audiobooks actually got me looking through my Audible library and what do you know, she did the narration for some of them. I didn't recognize her voice at all. She's very talented at making some very distinct voices so her different characters sound pretty unique.
I want a patch that lets me knock out Minthara instead of killing her in the Goblin Camp. More people need to have the experience of journeying with this **amazingly deep** character. Sadly... she is underrated and it's mostly due to her being much less accessible than the other party members.
I had to watch a video going through her whole storyline because I am incapable of massacring the Druid Grove and ultimately losing out of 3 companions. I also don't have the patience to do any exploits to acquire Minthara.
Me too, I'm surprised knocking her out isn't an option for recruiting her later since it would still fit with Minthara's storyline in Act II.
@@Lokhir100 it's interesting to me that knocking Alfira out in a Durge playthrough is acknowledged by the game but knocking Minthara isn't. The game just tells you she's dead. The game even makes a point to tell you about non lethal damage but doesn't give you many opportunities to make use of it. Here's hoping for a patch that changes this.
@@sebastianearick4488 iu'm still waiting to see some one do a "knock-out" damage only play through LOL
@@SkeleTonHammer going to Moonrise is always the first place I go simply because of the merchant that gives you soul coins. I just grab the Dolly Thrice bell on the way.
Finally! Been waiting for ages, glad to see Minthara on an interview
I’ve been waiting for this interview since game release. Thank you both so much!
Emmas performance in BG3 is wonderful! So glad you could do this interview!
I would love audiobooks about Minthara narrated by Emma, especially if they took place in Menzoberranzan
I’m so happy for this interview!My first playthrough I didn’t even know who Minthara was because I had aggro’d the whole goblin camp(her voice line if you save her about no one knowing who she was/her being just another casualty is so painfully true)and I didn’t even really learn about her until scrolling online before my second playthrough.Then I decided to do an evil playthrough and realized very quickly she wasn’t as evil as she seems.she’s got so many layers and her character alone made me so interested in the Drow lore and I started reading the Drizzt and War of the Spider Queen series.She’s power hungry,but not at the cost of losing yourself or freedom, she’s violent and bloodthirsty,but not for random bloodshed. For as terrible as Drow are known to be to other races, she’s still so very human and empathetic just like any other races, even with her own trauma. She shows so much vulnerability (the romance scene after killing ketheric, her sympathy for him, and her reaction if you play as Karlach and don’t go to Avernus)and it’s just so endearing to see. The way Emma voiced her alone is terrific it goes without saying. The way she gave Minthara life is incredible and it literally made me go hunting for interviews and sadly found there wasn’t many. I’m so happy to have this long interview and can’t wait to look into Emma’s audiobooks and other works :)
I'm in the same exact boat with you. Such a powerful performance for a truly rich and emotionally complex character. I desperately hope more interviews with Emma pop up but until then I'll have to pick an audiobook!
OMG I need to get all of Emma's audio books now.
Yes, the one I was really waiting to watch.
same
I'm so glad I got her as a companion on my second playthrough and able to experience her side of things and her development. Fascinating work by Larian and the perfect voice actress for the role.
Emma was absolutely amazing.... you could feel her emotions for Minthara through the screen .. gezz Larian and pitstop has done a fantastic job getting these actors in on this GOTY
Great voice and acting ! I wish minthara had a bigger role. She's one of those characters who are entertaining anytime they open their mouth.
❤❤❤I'm so happy that this interview with Emma came out. I've been waiting for this for so long! Two days ago I completed the game and the amazing, incredible character of Minthara with her insanely attractive voice and charisma, I simply fell in love with myself from the first second. Emma, how wonderful what you do and how wonderful you are! Thank you!
I sincerely fell in love with Minthara at the very moment when I first saw and heard her. very happy to know that behind her voice acting there is such an excellent person as Emma!
Thank you Dan for time stamping questions. I like actor interviews but there are a lot of questions I don't care about and I don't want to sit through a whole interview just for the questions I like. These interviews have been great watches for me thanks to that.
Her little chuckle she does is just so great!
Emma you did amazing! I can't help but feel for Minthara when it comes to her back story. You really pulled us in.
I discovered the game really late relative to a lot of fans (only started playing it a couple weeks ago) and it’s been an obsession for me ever since. These interviews have been fabulous - you’re very, very good at this, and I love getting inside the actors’ heads a bit and learning how much they all love their characters and the world they’ve created. I’m really hopeful that this is a sign of the direction the games industry is headed in!
This interveiw was a real treat, thank you. I've listened to so many of Emma's 40k audiobooks and they're always epic!
I knew I had to have Minthara in my party and I was willing to do what ever it took (and I did just that, good playthrough be damned.) What an amazing character!
My favourite line has to be at that circus when you're asked who Minthara respects and you say Drizzt Do'urden.
wohoo so happy to see you interview such a great voice actor.
Daaaam😂 ive run dis interview as a background sound when im working. Its like a whole Minthara interview😊 for z few dozens of minutes. Great
I was really hoping to see this one; Emma Gregory is absolutely spectacular! Initially, I had no interest at all in Baldur's Gate 3. Just another typical mainstream hype train as far as I was concerned, but then I learned that Maggie Robertson was cast it in it. If Lady D is in anything, it's worth checking out. Naturally, I began getting recommendations for other BG3 content, which led to me coming across Minthara. Wow, was I am impressed. I had not expected to be immediately captivated by Emma's performance. In a cast full of excellent actors, she stands out. Admittedly, her performance was the deciding factor for me purchasing the game. Wishing all the best for Emma Gregory, and even greater successes!
I ADORE Emma Gregory's voice work with Black Library, and hearing her in BG3 was a peak fanboy moment, up there with Matt Mercer as Minsc. Every time she opened her mouth, I half expected her to pull out a bolter and bellow "FOR THE EMPEROR!"
Minthara is one of my favorite characters in the game. Ms Gregory did an excellent job ❤❤❤❤
Thank you very much for the interviwe!
I have been looking forward for this interview for a lobg time. I love her work. 😊
YOU GOT HER! Man that feels as just rewarding as in the game!
Yeeeee! Thank you so much for this interview! And thank you so much Emma Gregory for this amazing voice that she gived for Minthara! It's amazing character!
The BG 3 main characters are way deeper and complex than in most other games, from a neutral perspective. And Minthara is by far the most fascinating one for me. And that says a lot, considering the overall quality of BG3s voice acting/writing/scripting.
what a woman. I didn't know that such a big "behind the scenes world" exists...Love the passion that some people put on this kind of non main stream nieche of art that's acting outside movies, series and televion. Thanks Dan and thanks Emma. Can't wait for more Minthy in my life
I'm romancing Minthara's character in a Dark Urge run... and she is completly escalading to the podium of the best videogames character I've ever seen written. Honestly... Minthara from BG3 is equal in my empathy with Morte from Planescape Torment, Visas Marr from KOTOR2, Jaheira from Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows of Amn and Olgiert Von Everec from Witcher 3 Heart Of Stone.
Minthara is an extraordinary character... so complex, so weird and surprisingly so understable in some part of her mind. And the voice...
For god's sake...
HER VOICE COULDNT FITT BETTER. Thank you Emma Gregory for this performance. ❤
Minthara is such an underrated character. I've had her in my latest playthrough and the depth of the writing is astounding for someone who initially seems like a throwaway goblin boss.
Honestly, it's going to make it difficult for me to ever kill her in a "good" playthrough again.
Minthara is my fav character, I have to get her every time now I hope she will be Origin character some day.
Someday I aspire to find a career I love as much as these voice actors love theirs. A huge part of what's so great and special about BG3 is that we can feel that love all throughout the game from everyone involved (not only the actors but the writers, visual artists, music composers, developers, etc.).
I was fascinated how multifunctional all her emotion and voices are, from the brutal commander over the broken personality straight up to a cute personality she did such a perfect work for Minthara. It’s her work that she became my favorite character
,,I did not think that anyone would come for me“. Damn my heart
Thanks for the interview and much love to Emma! She is phenomenal
My favourite of all your excellent actor interviews. Emma rocks!
I'm very excited for this one I haven't seen her much in the bg3 promotions lately with the rest of the crew and minthara is by far my favorite!
Glad you got Emma on and that you got into talking about her work on the 40k Audio Books...her narration of the Jenetia Krole POV chapters in Saturine is outstanding!
Minthara easily for me has been my favorite female party member in the game (Shadowheart a close second). It’s just crazy that a lot of people don’t pick her up early in their playing BG3 because of the cost of what it takes in Act 1 to secure her. I’m on my second playthrough doing Durge and picked up Minthara and her character is just so phenomenally voice acted and written it’s just sensational.
Шикарный голос, прекрасный персонаж с непростой судьбой, Минтару не надо воспитывать, она такая, какая есть, дитя Андерарка, жестока, умна, мудра, опасна, преданна, сломлена, ей нужно кому то доверять, как и Лаазель пытается показаться сильной, но, за внешней броней, она другая, да и не верит больше в Lloth, Можно пройти мимо рощи и не вмешиваится, нейтральный путь, в конце концов, становится смешно, если убить тифлингов, Карлах и Уилл покидают нас, несмотря на то, что у них личинки иллитида, во втором акте, Шедоухарт убивает Песнь ночи, всев таверне умирают, Карлах и Уилл, никуда не убегают)
Minthara truly is the best companion I've enjoyed in a game. At first I only teamed up with her since my PC was Drow and after saving her at Moonrise I knew I made the right choice. Her emotional depth and the degree she changes her perspective of you after realizing what could have happened had you not saved her was amazing. That devotions shows when initially I thought we would both try and get rid of the tadpole before hearing the possibility of harnessing power over the Absolute. I loved how she was with me 100% when it came to usurping the crown, it felt like she was on the same page every step of the journey and made it my most memorable playthough in a long time.
In my first run I killed Minthara of without even talking to her. Right after I had finished this run Patch 5 came out. So in my second run I knocked her unconsius, rescued her in Moonrise and recruited her. Since then I have made three more runs and I recruited her every time, even romanced her. She is a great companion and Emmas performance is out of this world. I love her!
I love the character, thank u for the interview. Emma did such a Impressive work.
Emma Gregory's voice is extremely unique, she is extremely talented and gave Minthara a very suitable voice for the character's masculine way of thinking. She is my favorite voice actress after finishing BG3 3 times. I really hope I encounter her talent in future games I play.
I came here to see the Minthara eyebrow thing. Was not disappointed.
How Emma describes the transformation of Minthara's motion as being quite bound to becoming more free as her character journey progresses, I'm picturing the growth of a caterpillar to a butterfly. Ceremorphosis? It's effing metamorphosis 👊
so excited, she is seriously such an amazing character actor, I completely fell in love with her. im gonna leave a few comments after I watch this.
Loved here as Celestine and Lt. Sulla. Instantly recognized her voice when I met Minthara in BG3. HUGE fan Emma.
I recognized Emma immediately from listening to Games Workshop's audiobooks. When I saw her voicing a drow commander it really cemented the idea that the casting directors at Larian knew what they were doing. She's fantastic and I couldn't imagine anyone else as Minthara.
My 2nd playthrough is my first with Minthara, and she's quickly become one of my favorites. Characters with a genuine dark side are always interesting (though as I'm using a mod to get her on a "good" playthrough there's an added dynamic. Bad guys on the good guys' side are always compelling).
My favorite companion was laezel up until i met Minthara. Her voice is nutella and probably the most loyal companion of them all. You did an amazing job, Emma! ❤
I have the same exact character favoritism arc as you 😅