Recruited Minsc, please no Larian

[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

I am finishing my somanieth playthrough of BG3 and, almost at the end of act3, I recruit this joke of a character. I got so mad, I googled “Minsc BG3” and found total polarised opinions. I am so pissed off at how friggin useless this guy’s brain matter is, that I’m seriously considering rolling back to a save from HOURS ago, just to forget this guy exists. If I ever play BG1 and 2, I will definitely murder this windbag of a character, just what the actual gobshite is this?

[Jane Shepard]

Originally posted by 1337_h4x0r_xXx_deathlord666_xXx:

Originally posted by Jane Shepard:

Ok?

Volo was mentioned in this thread, so it's just a precaution....You never can be careful enough.
Also relates to my comment about Ed Greenwood being a bit of a goofball earlier in this topic...

Yah, people are. That's why I sometimes just watch the idiots. Quite a good show.

[Jane Shepard]

Originally posted by Bloodartist:

Originally posted by Ixal:

Larian completely butchered Minsc and all other BG2 characters.

No they didn't.

"They didn't make them exactly how I want them to be in my Headcanon so therefore they got butchared and larian ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up horribly"...

The ability to speak does not make one intelligent. I love the people who say that

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Bloodartist:

No they didn't. Minsc, Jaheira, Sarevok and Viconia are pretty much exactly as they were in BG2.

For some people, they don't like that they had the chance to "redeem" Sarevok (you get him as a companion at the beginning of ToB) and Viconia (which you can do if you romance her) and yet when you run into them in BG3, the game seems to assume un-redeemed "canon" endings for them (Viconia stayed priestess of Shar, Sarevok "never left daddy Bhaal's apron strings").

[Kimosamie<sAp.]

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

Originally posted by Raz:

He likely can understand Boo. The fact we cannot with Speak with Animals, and that Boo's squeaks in tonal responses to Minsc highly suggest Minsc understands Space Hamster, or that Boo at least allows Minsc to understand him.

In BG1 and BG2, there was *zero* *no* *nada* reason to believe Boo was anything except a hamster. Sure, Minsc carried on conversations with it, but I have seen people carry on conversations with potted plants.

However, BG3 gives plenty of evidence that Boo is actually special.

IMO that mostly ruins the joke. In the earlier games, there was always this potential mystery where you could imagine that Boo was really talking to Minsc or you could assume Minsc was just brain-damaged. But in BG3, they decided to come down pretty definitively on one side of the question.

Wasn't there a module in 2E where it's confirmed he talks to Boo? That Boo is one of the Spelljammer hamsters warped into his world and for some reason shrank down.

[brendan_in_china]

Originally posted by Super Cosmic Space Magnet:

The sweet hearted himbo is not a remotely new archetype. Believing Minsc is somehow an anti-male political statement is "I live on Twitter" levels of delusional.

Never been on Twitter. But sounds like yet another ad hominem clutch, Oh my.

Minsc in of himself is indeed merely a buffoon character. The context in which he is presented is however anti-male, anti-straight male specifically. You just need to pick up on the abundant clues.

Unlike all other male companions he's unable to be romanced, and without Jaheira's aged/widow excuse. This is likely to hide he's straight.

It's a counterpoint to say the Bechdel test; buffoon characters are only male.

Larian writers felt very comfortable presenting us with a straight male buffoon. Why? Casual misandry.

[EricHVela]

Miniature Giant Space Hamster. It's also referenced in Volo's journal left at the Grove.

Minsc is a character that people will usually love or hate and rarely anything between. Also, some people will likely love to hate him or hate that they love him. He's doing what he's designed to do, love him or hate him.

Lovable lout or annoying oaf.

For me, he was funny but eventually tiresome. Taking a break from recruiting him in playthroughs let me appreciate his silliness again. Maybe, it was just too much of a good thing?

[Jaeleth]

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥:

I am finishing my somanieth playthrough of BG3 and, almost at the end of act3, I recruit this joke of a character. I got so mad, I googled “Minsc BG3” and found total polarised opinions. I am so pissed off at how friggin useless this guy’s brain matter is, that I’m seriously considering rolling back to a save from HOURS ago, just to forget this guy exists. If I ever play BG1 and 2, I will definitely murder this windbag of a character, just what the actual gobshite is this?

Minsc is one of the most epic characters of the whole BG series. You are saying this because, obviously, you didn't play BG1 and BG2 and, therefore you didn't meet him at his prime.
Only the pale, late stage, appearance that Larian crunched him into, in BG3.

And Minsc was such an epic character not because of his stats but because of his... Lines. Yes, Minsc was the prime comical relief of BG1-BG2, and we all enjoyed having him in the party for that, not for the stats, on that field he was average... On BG3 though, you can reshape him into any role / stats you wish so, the only bad thing bout him nowadays is that he appears too late, otherwise, with you having the power to make him into what character you wish and with his dialogues, it would be the perfect NPC for any party.

[Shotgun Merwin]

Originally posted by Jaeleth:

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥:

I am finishing my somanieth playthrough of BG3 and, almost at the end of act3, I recruit this joke of a character. I got so mad, I googled “Minsc BG3” and found total polarised opinions. I am so pissed off at how friggin useless this guy’s brain matter is, that I’m seriously considering rolling back to a save from HOURS ago, just to forget this guy exists. If I ever play BG1 and 2, I will definitely murder this windbag of a character, just what the actual gobshite is this?

Mins is one of the most epic characters of the whole BG series. You are saying this because, obviously, you didn't play BG1 and BG2 and, therefore you didn't meet him at his prime.
Only the pale, late stage, appearance that Larian crunched him into, in BG3.

And Minsc was such an epic character not because of his stats but because of his... Lines. Yes, Minsc was the prime comical relief of BG1-BG2, and we all enjoyed having him in the party for that, not for the stats, on that field he was average... On BG3 though, you can reshape him into any role / stats you wish so, the only bad thing bout him nowadays is that he appears too late, otherwise, with you having the power to make him into what character you wish and with his dialogues, it would be the perfect NPC for any party.

Let's not assume everything feels the same. I've always felt minsc was the most annoying character in the games, specifically because of his annoying and unfunny lines that he repeats CONSTANTLY. Plus he's kind of a bad build, but a lot of the characters in 1 & 2 were bad builds, so he always made it in my party just because he was one of the least bad, but trust me the voice line volume was always off when i played with him. If you like him, that's fine, i don't really care, but let's not just assume that everyone feels the same, just based of this thread, there's a lot of people who never liked him.

[brendan_in_china]

Originally posted by Jaeleth:

And Minsc was such an epic character not because of his stats but because of his... Lines. Yes, Minsc was the prime comical relief of BG1-BG2, and we all enjoyed having him in the party for that, not for the stats, on that field he was average...

No no no, Minsc was all about the stats!

In BG1 he was the only companion with 3 good physical scores, and highest strength. In BG2 he was slightly more buffed, as were all companions, but he was still best balanced - with highest strength.

I would sometimes kill off Jaheira in BG1 to recruit Branwyn with Minsc (some characters were paired).

BG3 Minsc doesn't have the mechanical lustre of old. Str20? Lae'zel and Minthara already have that and more.

There was a certain charm to him in BG past. I don't know, maybe if they had given say a stone golem charm, or Stoneskin on short rest. So he could actually be the stone lord? Some benefit for 100 years of petrification.

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Kimosamie<sAp.:

Wasn't there a module in 2E where it's confirmed he talks to Boo? That Boo is one of the Spelljammer hamsters warped into his world and for some reason shrank down.

Giant Space Hamsters in Spelljammer have an INT of 2.
If you peek at Boo's INT score, his INT is 6. (Close to most non-sentient animals.) But interestingly, his WIS is 12.

[Heu, Iterum Id Feci]

Originally posted by seeker1:

If you peek at Boo's INT score, his INT is 6.

I mean..that clears it up...he's summoned with find steed/find greater steed....
Also explains how Minsc can talk with boo...:P

[seeker1]

Originally posted by brendan_in_china:

[
Minsc in of himself is indeed merely a buffoon character. The context in which he is presented is however anti-male, anti-straight male specifically. You just need to pick up on the abundant clues.

Or see things that aren't there and you are just imagining.

I also don't think Halsin is presented as a joke character, in the whole, although I WILL agree the infamous "bear love scene" IS a joke scene and presented as such.

Unlike all other male companions he's unable to be romanced, and without Jaheira's aged/widow excuse. This is likely to hide he's straight.

He was not romanceable in BG1 or BG2 either. He seems to form strong attachments to female "witches" he commits to protecting and listening to (like first Dynaheir, than Jaheira), but never seems to have ever had ANY romantic partners. Probably a little too much like Forrest Gump to have any relationships (even if Forrest DID finally hook up with his "Jenny" once.)

[Jaeleth]

Originally posted by brendan_in_china:

Originally posted by Jaeleth:

And Minsc was such an epic character not because of his stats but because of his... Lines. Yes, Minsc was the prime comical relief of BG1-BG2, and we all enjoyed having him in the party for that, not for the stats, on that field he was average...

No no no, Minsc was all about the stats!

In BG1 he was the only companion with 3 good physical scores, and highest strength. In BG2 he was slightly more buffed, as were all companions, but he was still best balanced - with highest strength.

I would sometimes kill off Jaheira in BG1 to recruit Branwyn with Minsc (some characters were paired).

BG3 Minsc doesn't have the mechanical lustre of old. Str20? Lae'zel and Minthara already have that and more.

There was a certain charm to him in BG past. I don't know, maybe if they had given say a stone golem charm, or Stoneskin on short rest. So he could actually be the stone lord? Some benefit for 100 years of petrification.

In BG3 you can remake Minsc to be anything, including str20, just ask Withers and pay a penny. But OK, in BG1-BG2 he was more than average, I agree :), still, I liked to have him in party mostly because of his lines :).

[Maj. Grumpy]

Yep, Minsc is a great character, my favorite, i only wish i could recruit him earlier.

[The Yeen Queen]

Originally posted by Maj. Grumpy:

Yep, Minsc is a great character, my favorite, i only wish i could recruit him earlier.

That's really my only complaint. He comes along way too late to be relevant as anything more than fan service.