Who is Minsc in Baldur’s Gate 3? Minsc is a human Ranger that adventured with you during the events of earlier Baldur’s Gate games. Known for his hamster companion, which he claims is a ‘miniature giant space hamster,’ Minsc became a fan favorite. Due to being turned into a stone statue, he’s still alive 100 years after the events of Baldur’s Gate 2. As a Ranger with high strength and dexterity, he makes for both a great battering ram and a long-range threat.
Party composition is of utmost importance in Baldur’s Gate 3, so for more information on whether or not a Ranger will fit well into your party, check out our overview of all playable classes. Minsc is another human companion, so you should read our article on all the races available in the game to ensure you don’t end up with a boring milquetoast party without a Tiefling or Dragonborn. Companions are, as our Baldur’s Gate 3 review says, one of the more special features, and no party members are as iconic in DnD lore than the Barbarian Minsc and his hamster friend Boo.
How to recruit Minsc
It is currently unknown how to recruit Minsc. Jaheria’s voiceover on the Official Launch Month Trailer reveals that he has been captured by cultists – and feels sorry for the cultists. Expect to rescue him or help him get revenge.
Minsc’s abilities, starting equipment, and skills
In previous Baldur’s Gate games, Minsc came with high strength, dexterity, and constitution at the cost of his intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. His ability scores in Baldur’s Gate 3 are currently unknown, and as much time has passed, we’d expect his ability scores to be quite high.
Here are Minsc’s stats based on previous games:
- Strength: 18
- Dexterity: 15
- Constitution: 15
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 6
- Charisma: 9
Here’s Minsc’s starting equipment:
It is currently unknown what starting equipment he will have. Previously, he came equipped with two-handed swords.
These are Minsc’s skills:
It is unknown what skills Minsc will have as there’s no frame of reference from past games to go by. Given his familiarity with animals, he will likely have proficiency in the Nature skill.
How to complete Minsc’s companion quest
There is no information on Minsc’s companion quest at this time. After being petrified for over 70 years, he may have some unfinished business to settle. It’s also possible that his quest will center around his pet hamster, Boo. At least we hope it does.
How to raise Minsc’s approval rating
It is unknown how to raise Minsc’s approval, but as he has a simple black-and-white outlook on life. Committing heroic acts, or letting him commit heroic acts, will likely raise his opinion of your player character. Furthermore, his love of animals may come into play.
How Minsc gains inspiration
Inspiration points can be gained by both your own character and your companions based on your background. These points then can be used to reroll ability checks during key moments.
It is unclear what background Minsc will have. If we had to guess, we’d assume Folk Hero, as he has become a legend since the original games.
How to romance Minsc
Larian Studios has confirmed that all companions can be romanced in Baldur’s Gate 3. However, returning companion Minsc may not fit into that mold; it is simply too early to tell whether or not this storied hero will succumb to your seductions. Rest assured, we will update you when we know more. If it can happen, we just hope someone can watch Boo the hamster during the act.
Best Minsc build
Note that this build is prior to any available information about Minsc. We will update you when we know specifics.
However, we do know that Rangers have a lot of versatility in Baldur’s Gate 3. Rangers select a Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer trait at level 1, and we expect Minsc to have unique options available to him. Currently, none of the options fit his personality. In previous games, he came equipped with the berserk ability, which gave him a temporary buff to strength and dexterity. We expect this mechanic to return and feature prominently in Minsc builds.
Rangers have a lot of choices from level 2 and beyond. Select the Ensnaring Strike and Longstrider spells to make sure Minsc can close in on foes.
Rangers have three subclasses to select at level 3: Hunter, Beast Master, and Gloom Stalker. We sincerely hope Beast Master allows Minsc to summon Boo the hamster into battle; regardless, selecting the Beast Master subclass will give Minsc more utility over the Hunter subclass, which has more narrow use.
The choice of a feat at level 4 will depend on what Minsc’s stats end up being – shoring up Wisdom, for instance, will help him make saving throws against impairment effects. However, as he’s quite skilled with two-handed weapons, we currently recommend Great Weapon Master to improve his damage output with heavy weapons.
At level 5, we recommend taking the Spike Growth spell in order to hinder your enemies further. As Rangers gain an extra attack at this level, Minsc will become a close-range wrecking ball.
Prior to the release of the full game, this is the best we have to go on for Minsc in Baldur’s Gate 3. Fans of the series will no doubt be excited to see him and Boo return, and if this is your first time adventuring in Faerûn, we’re sure you’ll grow to love the big lug like the rest of us.
For more on Baldur’s Gate 3, check out our other BG3 companion guides for characters such as Gale the Wizard and Laezel the Fighter. And if all this talk of strength, intelligence, and wisdom has you confused, never fear – you can reroll your class.