Carla

Thank you for your sweet comment, Brian!

Oh, I adore Minthara. She’s such an excellent spin on the traditional Paladin. And Emma Gregory’s performance is among the best in the game in my opinion. I had the privilege and pleasure of hearing Gregory talk more about her craft and the way she approached Minthara at DragonCon 2025—a highlight of my year!

And to echo your thoughts, I agree that Shadowheart is so, so special. I was choked up every time something major happened with her in Act 3. I can see how for many players like you, she can edge out even a golden retriever like Karlach! I don’t think I have a favorite between the two romances, though :)

Cheers!

Hey, Angie! You’ve commented on some of my articles before, glad to see you back :)

Astarion ranked highly across most categories, but ranked dead last for plot relevance. That prevented him from being in first place. Shadowheart was comfortably in the middle. Meanwhile Lae’zel rose to the top with flying colors!

The note before the ranking states this :) I excluded Halsin, Jaheira, Minthara, and Minsc because:

• The player doesn’t spend as much time with them.

• 2/4 of these companions don’t have romances. I used romance as a criteria for the final rankings.

• They are not origin companions, so their narrative depth is inherently limited.

That isn’t to say they are not great, though! Do you have a favorite?

Haha, even past the character creator if you can believe it! I’ve beaten the game a couple of times, my shortest playthrough was about 80 hours and the rest have averaged at about 150~ ish hours. I want to do another playthrough soon!