Baldur’s Gate 3 has a multitude of interesting companions to recruit and build up, giving the players countless options when it comes to how they will craft their teams.
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One very late-game possible addition is Minsc, who many players will recognize from previous Baldur’s Gate games.
Who Is Minsc And Where To Recruit Him
Minsc is a recurring character from the Baldur’s Gate franchise. Because of that, this character will be familiar to many fans of the old games. Unfortunately, getting him might be a bit tricky.
Minsc will be the last companion the player will recruit in their playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3. Minsc will only be available to the player in Act 3, which is Baldur’s Gate 3’s last act, meaning he’ll only be acquired towards the very end of the game, and this might make using him less appealing to the player.
Besides that, the player must also have another companion to even hope of recruiting him, that character being Jaheira, a companion the player can recruit in Act 2, provided she survives the events that happen in that Act.
With Jaheira alongside the player, recruiting Minsc becomes a possibility. The player must also make sure to complete the Aid The Underduke quest.
Default Minsc
Minsc was a kind-hearted—but rather addled— Rashemaar warrior that enjoyed many adventures across the Sword Coast and beyond. He joined many adventuring parties throughout the 14th and 15th centuries DR, including the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. Mins was famously known for his habit of talking to a hamster called Boo, whom he believed was a miniature giant space hamster, despite no one else ever witnessing any evidence of this.
Minsc is one of the few human companions the player will have in their roster, being the third after Gale and Wyll. When it comes to his class, he’s a Ranger, which is a class unique to him among the companions.
Minsc’s background in the game is that of the Folk Hero. With this background, he will unlock proficiencies in Animal Handling and Survival.
One unique thing about Minsc is his ability to summon Boo, his trusted hamster. This is unique to him and can be useful. Boo can be summoned through Find Familiar: Boo.
When it comes to his ability scores, here’s what the player can expect:
STATISTIC | SCORE |
|---|---|
Strength | 12 |
Dexterity | 17 |
Constitution | 13 |
Intelligence | 8 |
Wisdom | 13 |
Charisma | 10 |
Best Minsc Build
Despite being a very late-game addition for the player’s team, if built well, Minsc can still be a good character that the player can make use of.
As a Ranger, at level 1, he will receive the class features Favored Enemy and Natural Environment. With these 2, he can pick one of the features each provides.
For Favored Enemy, he has these options:
- Bounty Hunter
- Keeper of the Veil
- Mage Breaker
- Ranger Knight
- Sanctified Stalker
Out of these, take the Bounty Hunter option.
When it comes to Natural Environment, here are the options:
- Beast Tamer
- Urban Trickster
- Wasteland Wanderer: Cold
- Wasteland Wanderer: Fire
- Wasteland Wanderer: Poison
Out of these, pick either Wasteland Wanderer: Fire.
Then at Level 2, level 1 Ranger spellcasting is unlocked. The player also gets to choose a fighting style, notably, Archery, Defense, Dueling, or Two Weapon Fighting. From these, Two Weapon Fighting will be the most ideal.
At level 3, the player must pick Minsc’s subclass. They have the choice between these three:
- Beast Master
- Gloom Stalker
- Hunter
Out of these subclasses, it’s recommended to go with the Beast Master. This subclass is very versatile and will be of big use. The player could also go for Gloom Stalker, if they want a more stealthy build, overall all the Ranger subclasses are solid.
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If the Beast Master subclass is chosen, the player immediately unlocks Ranger’s Companion. This unlocks a companion that will accompany Minsc and fight on his side. The player can choose one of the following animals to summon once per short rest:
- Bear
- Boar
- Wolf Spider
- Dire Raven
- Wolf
At levels 4, 8, and 12, he can pick a feat, here are some recommendations:
- Magic Initiate: Cleric or Magic Initiate: Druid. This will be useful as it opens up more spell options to Minsc while keeping in mind that his main spellcasting ability is wisdom.
- Sentinel. This will allow Minsc to attack an enemy who targets an ally if they’re within melee range. The attacked enemy can also no longer move for the rest of the turn.
- Tough. Hit Point max increases by 2 each level up.
At Level 5, he unlocks Level 2 Ranger spellcasting as well as Extra Attack. With his subclass he also gets Companion’s Bond, making his familiar even more useful.
At Level 6, he picks an additional option from Favoured Enemy and Natural Explorer. The player should go with Mage Breaker and Beast Tamer.
At Level 7, he gets Exceptional Training subclass feature, allowing his companion to dash, disengage, and help as a bonus action.
At Level 8, he gets Land’s Stride: Difficult Terrain. Difficult terrain is no longer an issue for Minsc.
At Level 9, he gets level 3 Ranger Spellcasting.
At Level 10, Hide In Plainsight is unlocked, as well as another option from Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer. The player should go with Ranger Knight and Wasteland Wanderer: Poison.
At Level 11, he gets Bestial Fury, allowing his companion to make an extra attack.
Best Level 1 Ranger Spells
Unlocked at level at level 2,
- Ensnaring Strike
- Hail Of Thorns
Best Level 2 Ranger Spells
Unlocked at level 5,
- Dark Vision
- Spike Growth
Best Level 3 Ranger Spells
Unlocked at level 9,
- Plant Growth
- Conjure Barrage
Best Items For Minsc
When it comes to Items, here’s what Minsc will find useful:
- Killer’s Sweetheart. This very rare ring will allow Minsc to get a critical attack roll once per long rest on the next attack after he defeats an enemy.
- Legacy of the Masters. This very rare glove grants the wearer +2 to attack roll and damage rolls. It also gives a +1 to strength saving throws.
- Sharpened Snare Cuirass. This very rare armor adds the dexterity modifier to the armor class. This armor will generally help Minsc ensnare enemies a lot more effectively. It also doesn’t have a disadvantage on stealth ability checks.
- The Blood Of Lathander. This legendary mace can dish out 1d6+3 damage in addition to the strength modifier. It causes bludgeoning damage. It also grants Lathander’s blessing, Lathander’s light and sunbeam.
- Belm. A very rare Scimitars that will make use of Minsc’s high dexterity. It can dish out 1d6 + 2 in addition to the dexterity modifier damage.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available to play on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Platform(s)
- PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
