How to Recruit Minsc: Companion Questline Guide

Minsc is a companion and a returning character in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3). Read on to learn more about how to recruit Minsc, his romance and approval options, quests, and key locations!

Minsc Profile

Companion Info

Minsc Overview
Class	Ranger
Race	Human
Background	Folk Hero

Companion Ability Scores

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12	17	13	8	15	10

Who is Minsc?

Minsc is a recurring character in the Baldur's Gate franchise. He is a neutral good human ranger, and a friend of Jaheira. While he does not have a personal questline, he is an integral part of Jaheira's own questline.

You will only learn more about Minsc in Act 3, especially when he has been recriuted. When recruiting him, it is important that you have Jaheira alive and in your party starting at the end of Act 2.

He is accompanied by his pet space hamster Boo, who, while seemingly conversant with Minsc, you cannot seem to have a dialogue with even with Speak with Animals.

How to Recruit Minsc

Recruiting Minsc
① Recruit Jaheira in Act 2 ② Pursue the High Harper Questline ③ Reach the Counting House ④ Find Minsc the Lower City Sewers ⑤ Solve the Abandoned Cistern Puzzle ⑥ Use Non-Lethal on Minsc at the Abandoned Cistern

Recruit Jaheira in Act 2

Jaheira at the Moonrise Towers
Moonrise Towers Rooftops X: -131, Y: -180

Jaheira is a prerequisite companion to recruiting Minsc in Act 3. You can recruit Jaheira after defeating Ketheric Thorm in the Moonrise Towers Rooftops.

When Thorm retreats to the Mind Flayer Colony, ask Jaheira to be party of your battle against Thorm.

How to Recruit Jaheira

Pursue the High Harper Questline

Once you reach Wyrm's Crossing, go to the Dancing Axe and meet Entharl Danthelon with Jaheira in your party. He will tell you that the Harpers have convened at his basement. Take his Rusty Key and make your way to the basement by going up to the Potions shop right above the Dancing Axe and taking the backstairs to the room and down the ladder.

A group of Harpers will be there. With Jaheira in your party, you will notice something odd with the group. Wait for Jaheira's signal to attack and talk to the Geraldus afterwards.

The next step is to getting to the Lower City, which requires you getting past Wyrm's Rock Fortress.

How to Get to Wyrm's Rock Fortress

Quest Can Be Started at Counting House

In some cases, this quest may not immediately pop up even with Jaheira in your party at the Dancing Axe when you talk to Entharl Danthelon.

In case a quest log for High Harper has not popped up in your Quest Journal, and that the Harpers are not to be found below the Dancing Axe even when you have the Rusted Key, your best bet would be to continue on with to the Counting House in the Lower City and start the quest from there by getting past the bank vault and triggering the scene with Minsc and a doppelganger Jaheira.

Reach the Counting House

Once you are in the Lower City, make your way to the Counting House. You will need a Vault Pass to easily enter further into the Vault. Talk to Head Clerk Meadhoney and use any of the available skill check dialogue to get a pass and infiltrate the Vault.

Alternatively, you can open an account by paying 10,000 gold for a safe passage through security. Otherwise you will have to enter the the Vault by force.

Vault Code is 1-3-5-6

Vault Code Solution	Vault Code Solved

The code to the Vault in the lower floors of the Counting House can be located in the Head Banker's office upstairs. It can be found in one of the books detailing events that happened in the year 1356.

Have your party step on the designated tiles in the correct order without them touching the other plates. If you have taken the Illithid Parasite's gift, you can fly to the right plates without difficulty.

In the vault, here you will encounter Minsc with a doppelganger impersonating Jaheira. Whichever dialogue option you choose (letting or holding Jaheira from revealing herself to Minsc), you will still be engaged in a fight. Clear the vault of enemies, then you can proceed with accessing the Lower City Sewers or spend some time talking to Rakath Glitterbeard.

Find Minsc in the Lower City Sewers

Basilisk Waypoint Manhole
Lower City X: 127, Y: -31

After clearing out the vault in the Counting House, find a way to the Lower City Sewers (one of the quickest ways to get there is via the manhole in the alleyway next to the Basilisk Gate waypoint).

Make sure to have a Blunt Weapon (like a warhammer) to use and break down a broken wall for progressing further within the sewers.

Progress Through the Sewers

Minsc Lower City Sewers Location
Abandoned Cistern (Lower City Sewers) X: -258, Y: -874

Once inside the Lower City Sewers through any entrance, you will have to progress until you reach the Abandoned Cistern where you will find a machine that has a Water Level Valve and a Temperature Valve.

This area will be guarded by enemies, most notably Kevo Phogge who can summon Murderous Crows to overwhelm your party, so be prepared for a fight.

Solve the Abandoned Cistern Puzzle

Minsc will be behind a locked Sluice Gate under the machine. You can read a note attached beside the Temperature Valve gauge to get an idea on how the machine works.

Unlocking the Sluice Gate requires that both the gauges of the Water Level and Temperature are in a perfect level (within the green area on the gauges) at the same time. Use the valves to match their levels!

Alternatively, if you succeed in an Athletics skill check with the Sluice Valve right next to the Water Level valve, you can immediately unlock the Sluice Gate without having to interact with the puzzle.

Balance Valves to Reach Perfect Level

Abandoned Cistern Puzzle
Both valves will naturally decrease in level over time when their respective valves are set to off.
Water Level Valve	Temperature Valve
• Raises water level. • Increases water level every 2 in-game turns. • Explodes and deals damage on overload (Flooded condition).	• Raises temperature. • Increases temperature level every 1 in-game turn. • Explodes and deals damage on overload (Overheated condition). • Use Emergency Release Valve to lower temperature when Overheated.

Too high of a level will cause the affected machine to explode. Make sure no one is nearby when this happens.

Interacting with a valve will set the level to be raised after a few turns (this can be checked as a condition icon below the valve's name when highlighting it).

You will want to make sure that the Water Level and Temperature valves have Perfect Water Level and Perfect Warmth respectively to unlock the Sluice Gate. To match them both at perfect levels at the same time, keep a look out on the turn counters of their conditions.

Use Non-Lethal on Minsc at the Abandoned Cistern

Prepare your party before going through the Sluice Gate, since you will have to fight Minsc, the doppelganger of Jaheira, and a wave of enemies.

It is very important that Toggle Non-Lethal Attacks are set to those who are about to defeat Minsc unarmed or in melee. Successfully knocking him out will put him at a downed state with 1 HP. Careful to not get him caught in the crossfire when fighting other enemies during this time.

How to Use Non-Lethal Attacks

Convince the Emperor to Keep Minsc

Convince the Emperor to Keep Minsc
① Extend your protection to him. ②Ⓐ He's Jaheira's friend. Do it. ②Ⓑ It doesn't matter - do it. ③ I don't think you want to find out.

Minsc's will introduce you to his space hamster Boo, who seems you cannot speak with it even with Speak with Animals.

Once the other enemies have been defeated, a cutscene will ensue where you, Jaheira, and the Emperor discuss whether to keep Minsc or not. Simply choose any dialogue in favor of keeping Minsc, and then follow Minsc before one final cutscene of deciding to invite him in your party.

When Minsc has agreed to join you, you can find him back at your camp immediately. You will be free to have him in your active party right away or much later at any time.

Baldur's Gate 3 Related Guides

List of Origin Characters

List of All Origin Characters

Character Guide
Romance Guide
Astarion			Dark Urge			Gale			Lae'zel
Karlach				Shadowheart				Wyll

List of All Non-Origin Characters

Character Guide
Halsin	Minthara
Jaheira	Minsc