I see why they cut this. Digging into Halsins trauma would have been interesting, but this wasnt the way to do it. I'd have loved a proper group discussion about what to do with Minthara. 'My god forsook me, Absolute assaulted me, I'm dead or a slave if I leave, I'm useful, let me help.' are GOOD arguments. Not to mention the comedy potential in just one person in the group being all like '...well we kept Astarion for roughly the same reasons, right?'

I can see why they cut this. This is way out of character for Halsin, it's the exact thing he banished or demoted Khaga for. Same excuse she used, too.

"A viper cannot escape it's true nature" *Me, a Duergar Baahlspawn looks back at the camp to see a cleric of the god of darkness, a wizard that's also a nuke, a warrior loyal to an evil space litch, two people tangled up with actual literal devils and a whole ass vampire spawn* Kay... bye I guess?

we need MUCH more interactions between companions like this, to show they are still living persons with their own lives. I think in this case other companions may have their opinions too and voiced it, like with using tadpoles or Gale's orb or Astarion's vampirism. it's sad that folder "Group_Discussions" contents only 5 dialogues for the entire game((( Thank you for showing this❤

Minthara is my favorite companion and my favorite romance. When she said "If I leave I die." my heart legitimately broke.

It’s interesting that they reference Halsin’s trauma with drow, which you only get info on ingame if you take him for a four/five some with the drow twins. It’s frustrating to me that Halsin has these glimmers of a fully developed character, but just falls flat.

It must be really awkward to hear that if you play as Drow yourself.

It makes sense to leave this scene out. It paints Halsin as unreasonably cold hearted by demanding Tav to doom Minthara even after she makes a perfectly reasonable plea. The actual game shows Halsin to be that cold only against Goblins as a recurrent joke, and he doesn't even kill Kagha after she does her worst outcomes which are pretty damn awful.

Halsin and Minthara definitely needed to hash out the Goblin incident, but not quite like this.

yknow it would have been SO interesting if Orin-Halsin was the one doing this. 👀 there could be a scene like this for whoever Orin shapeshifts into. it would have been a smart way for Orin to try and weaken your party!! like other commenters said, even if it doesn't seem to fit Halsin's character it's a shame to see group drama between companions get left on the cutting room floor. when there isn't that much of it. this is my favorite game, i would have totally bought a DLC that was just "More Companion Drama and Conversations Edition: Now With Wyll and Karlach Dating if You Don't Date Them" lol

I wish this exchange had stayed - but it DEFINITELY needs a revision. Only the first part of what Halsin says makes any remote sense, the rest just disfigures his personality. It would be great if the player could arbiter between them, having the ability to either banish one of them or keep both. The dialogue just needs a good helping of common sense. As it is, it’s mainly a mockery of Halsin’s personality.

i cant believe they cut halsin's racism arc

If this was in the game, Halsin would always kick out in my run. And the reasons are 1st: Put a such Ultimatum in the first place 2nd: Mintara will die/be enslaved (and she particularly asked us to kill her if she can't join our camp after we freed her) 3rd: So choose between one of them dying or both of them living (Halsin leaves, but is still alive) 4th: Quite hypocritically from his side decides who can be killed for the "natural order" and who can't

That last comment from Halsin doesn't hold much weight with how he let Kahga live - after the grove. However, I do love the interaction.

He just sits in my camp all game anyway. I'd keep Minthara without a doubt

How and why the FUCK did we have to be robbed of these two interacting more?! I need a Halsin and Minthara podcast or something in my life, I could listen to these two interact forever!!!

I see the point of it and the dialogue is great, intense. Yet, Halsin's main stat is Wisdom, right?) That would have been unwise to just let Minthara go and get mind-controlled by Absolute again. Halsin is probably the most understanding and forgiving person in all of BG3 - he wouldn't play stupid ultimatum games.

Minthara accepting that instead of gutting Halsin on the spot proves that he was wrong.

crazy halsin says all tht about mintharas past and 'true nature' but when durge tells him he's bhaalspawn, hes chill?? the guy who planned and set it all in motion...and halsin would even date him too? ??? lmao i already didnt like halsin but this shows more of the vibes i got from him in the first place

thank you for this. it's not even a choice for me. halsin will be fine without tav, but minthara will literally die/become enslaved. if anyone is a monster in this scenario it's halsin for being immovable and fine with knowing he's damning minthara. i get she's like the one 'evil' companion you can have, but halsin is no hero if he's fine with dooming her. wish instead of this ultimatum being unchangeable we were given a chance to persuade halsin to trust tav's judgement based on their relationship. also if the tav chose halsin over minthara i wish she forced tav to end her there instead of walking away. would give the player another chance to change their mind or could have repercussions if a player is a paladin or something.

I feel like there would be a Persuasion check here and additional dialogues especially if you're Durge in regards to being "a viper".

Is it just me or does that line "a viper cannot escape its true nature" sound inadvertently unkind to Durge as well? Especially a resist Durge. You'd start expecting Halsin to give you a similar ultimatum in act 3 upon finding out your true heritage.

If this was in the game I would honestly think so much less of halsin, such blatant disregard of Minthara's freewill over a hypothetical risk that if thought about would have only had negative consequences against her if she was to betray the party

Yeah I'm very glad they cut this because I would have to boot Halsin not only is this aggressively out of character for him but he's literally doing the same Khaga did with the tieflings albeit on a smaller scale.

Tbh I wish they kept this in, with maybe a hard persuasion check to convince Halsin it would be wrong to throw Minthara out. I think the scene in itself is very interesting, and having the option to convince them both to stay could make for a fascinating character arc

This is so fucking heartbreaking. Especially because Minthara doesn't try to fight you. She simply leaves to face the inevitable and hopes for swift death whether you encounter her on your way again. Halsin would get the boot each time i am sorry

I think this was removed because it makes Halsin seem evil, which wasnt their intention.

“Mom? Dad? Please stop fighting.”

I wish we had another option to persuade Halsin to change his mind. This dialogue as it is is a mockery to his character. 1. Minthara has a lot of great arguments of her behavior. Even being evil as she naturally is, she's literally banging with arguments. Halsin loses there 2. If she leaves, she dies. Halsin will be alright without our company 3. From the game perspective, having a paladin in team is way more profitable than another druid 4. If the character is drow, the whole dialogue makes no sense. 5. If the character is Dark Urge, the whole dialogue and "nature behavior" makes no sense. 6. We have Astarion in our team, who is supposed to be also naturally evil and dangerous, and Halsin is ok with him. 7. We even have Shadowheart being a Shar worshipper. Halsin says that Ketheric Thorm cursed the Shadow Lands with the Shar help, and he's ok with another worshipper. Although this conversation is still better than what we have now, when characters don't interact at all and there is only one tent in our camp, while the other character is out of their sleeping place and even a corner in the camp. Feels llike a critical bug and there must be something to fix it.

Halsin just mad cause they’re roommates and Minthy doesn’t wash the dishes

I can definitely see why this was removed. Like Minthara getting upset at Durge over not being a slave to Bhaal, this just goes totally against Halsin’s personality, not to mention his kindness. Throwing out Minthara to be re-enslaved by the Absolute is just nonsensical.

It's a pity they cut this scene, it adds a lot of interesting dynamics to the relationship between you, Minthara and Halsin.

Bye, Halsin. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.

If this was in the game I would've kick Halsin out in a heart beat. He doesn't have a tadpole he could survive on his own Minthara can not, just like she says. If she leaves she become enthralled again, that's worse than death.

Then it was Orpheus V. Emperor now it's Halsin V. Minthara...

TBH this scene would have been great if you could persuade Halsin to keep Minthara with us. With him experiencing Baldur's Gate for the first time and being upset by the rejection of refugees, Halsin could of had a 'Oh shit, I almost did the same thing' moment. It would further transition of 'F the Grove, they're fine, I'm doing my own thing now." We put Lae'zel and Shart in the get along shirt, now it's their turn.

"What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" - Paarthurnax, Skyrim

Okay bye halsin may the tree’s keep you company until your last dying day

Do not give me an ultimatum, I will choose against you out of spite. I'm glad this scene was cut.

For some reason i feel bad for Minthara...

The obvious choice is to keep Minthara, it's best outcome so far. Halsin doesn't have the tadpole so no problem surviving the Absolute. And Minthara, like her or not, it is better for everyone to keep her under your command than the Absolute's. And if you actually enjoy her company, well, that's an even bigger win.

Halsin is already a Tedious ally; the way he won’t help again until almost halfway through act 2. If he pulled this shit, I’d tell em “hit the road tree-boy” everytime.

I'd have enjoyed this if there was the option to talk Halsin into staying. He could even be contrite about his judgement over Minthara later. Everyone wants to keep both characters.

As interesting and cool as this scene is, I can 100% understand why this was cut from the game. Halsin has a right to be upset with Minthara given the circumstances, but the extreme irrationality is too much. If Larian decides to add this to the game someday, I hope they give players the option to roll a persuasion check so we can keep both companions and watch their relationship improve over time.

"Well.. okay." Shoots her with arrow and takes her with us for the journey "there we're all still here"

Wow thank you for this!!🙏🏽

this makes me wish there was some scene in place of this one that could act as a bridge for people having both in their party. while they won’t be allies and get along, they can at least agree to fight a common cause and respect that that aligns with one another. thank you for sharing this with us! :,)

This is sad to see Halsin so prejudiced, but at the same time it's interesting, it somewhat makes him even more vivid character to me. The fact he also can be prejudiced because of his personal experiences (maybe you know what a horrible experience he had with drow exactly), that he can become a victim of that very thing he usually fights against, even with all his faith and wisdom.

Halsin you're lucky they cut this...

If this made it into the game it would make me think so much less of Halsin. The Halsin that made it into the final game is a great character and I love him. But this version of him seems so cold hearted. Especially considering Minthara made some pretty valid arguments about why she should stay. Thank god it didn’t make it in. But this scene would have been a lot better if you could talk Halsin into letting both him and Minthara stay by passing a persuasion check. Considering his past trauma involving drows in the underdark it would have been pretty good character development.

This shows whos better cause Halsin want to leave minthara but she dont want quarrel and dont want him to leave

I like the idea of a group discussion about Minthara staying but I don’t want an ultimatum between Minthara or Halsin. ❤

the way halsin would end up in my inventory if he were to ask this, also WHAT DO YOU MEAN I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE?! YOU ARE HERE CUZ YOU WANT TO BE WE ARENT

If they added a persuasion check for Halsin, this scene would have a good place - sort of. Halsin talks about not "judging by appearance" in conversations with him. They likely need to dial the Drow bias down some. Id keep Minthara anyway lol. Not that Halsin is bad, but he isn't infected. He isn't going to immediately succumb to the Absolute and work against me. Plus his primary focus was Shadow curse, so helping him there could be considered good enough closure for his character at this moment.

Sorry bud, but minthara is staying, if I need a Druid I’ve got jaheira

Ngl if this ended up in the game halsin would never have ended up in any of my camps

The option to tell him to leave should be available after telling him he can't interfere in a relationship...

It feels so out of character for Halsin to the point where Minthara sounds like the reasonable one between the two. I would understand Halsin's anger if this was a playthrough where you helped Minthara kill everyone in the grove... but if this was after just knocking her out in the goblin camp and then saving her in moonrise, this is extreme for any character. Especially halsin imo

I can see why Larian cut this out but this is an actual conflict and I think it should have been kept in, so that Players can make choices, instead of being pleased by having all companions irrespective of story choices.

Seeing lots of people in the comments saying "glad this was cut" and I need you to know you have it backwards. In short, this isn't cut content, it's unfinished content. This conversation first appeared in patch 4 as datamined dialogue only, before the Knock Out method was introduced. At that time, the flags to get this were very convoluted, basically the only non-exploit way to get both of them in your party, which was 1) reveal the location of the grove and start the Raid the Grove quest 2) steal the idol before revealing the Shadow Druid conspiracy, causing Kagha to massacre the tieflings and complete the Rite of Thorns to seal the grove (this is what Halsin is referring to when he mentions "Kagha's foolishness" denying her "bloody prize") 3) free Halsin and inform him that the druids have sealed the grove. He will then join your camp. 4) continue on to act 2 5) rescue Minthara from Moonrise and invite her to your camp. After a long rest, this scene would trigger. As you can see, it's an extremely unlikely sequence of events that would have to play out to actually trigger the dialogue, even if it were accessible. And again this is before the knock out method was introduced. In patch 5, voiced lines were added, the scene still inaccessible, and the knock out method is first introduced. Patch 6 added animation to the scene, what we see above, and refined Minthara's knock out method to be extremely easy (just knock her out instead of killing her, no need to play around Temporarily Hostile conditions or anything), as well as hotfixes to fix bugs where long resting would mess with the game remembering she was defeated. This isn't cut content, it's UNFINISHED content that is being actively worked on EVERY PATCH since patch 4. Along with other additional Minthara content, like her asking why you incapacitated her but killed the other goblin leaders. I have every confidence that it's GOING to be added, maybe patch 7, maybe later, but definitely. And I would honestly be surprised if it was restricted to only appear after that convoluted sequence of triggers I posted above. I feel like it will be added for any instance of them both being in your party, with dialogue variations for whether the rite was completed or not, same as how there's existing variations for whether the shadow curse had been lifted or not. It would be nice if I could at least recruit both of them once in my current playthrough, where I'm trying to get every companion, but if not, I understand why. This is ultimately less work than adding a ton of interaction between the two of them, when they were conceived to be mutually exclusive companions in the first place. It does mean I'm probably not going to get the chance to play with Halsin, because I'll be picking Minthara every time, but that's entirely my choice to make.

'Kay, bye Halsin. She is a paladin and there is another druid I can recruit.

They need to bring this back, since it's even stranger that they share a tent, and never actually speak to each other. Or, just give them each individual tents/beds. Stop making it weird everytime I pass by them.

tbh i think there should be a third option where halsin says i will stay and maybe you will surprise me and make up for your past actions and if not i know i was right about you and deserved your fate at moonrise [both stay]

Minthara everyday

Damn, Halsin is outright cruel in this; I'm glad this wasn't kept in the latest version, although I do wonder how the two companions interact with each other at the camps otherwise.

relax Tali and you to legion, your both trying to protect your people, but im busy saving the galaxy. oi Jack, Miranda quit with the biotic measuring contest. oh wait wrong game mb.

Sorry halsin it's not even a competition 😭Minthara stays every time

I would have preferred this to literally neither Minthara nor Halsin having the slightest comment about each other as is currently seen in the game lol

Missed opportunity - that was so good!!

The irony being, this is also quite out of character for both Halsin, and any Lolth drow too, which even further digs the point Lolth doesn't have her jaws into Minthara's decisions, one of the entire reasons Halsin is apparently upset. Then, with how hard it is to recruit both, makes ditching either just wasteful. Maybe if it was like, Mass Effect 2, where companions would bicker, and wouldn't leave if not sided with, just angry with you? Still, super glad it's gone.

Pity. Their ongoing interactions would have offered some intense interpersonal conflict that might have heightened the games drama.

So much great cut content :(

Honestly, I wish there was an option to keep them both. I'd be interested in seeing Minthara and Halsin trying to get along.

Larian should add something like that in the game. Some storywise methods of her recruitment, cuz she is definently one of the most interesting characters in the game. I always recruit her to the team, regardless of the game plan.

For the last dialogue: "Well, I'm a Bhaalspawn. What did you said again about vipers not changing their nature? Shaw I leave too?"

I wonder if you play as a seldarine drow during this scene if it will let you prove to halsin that not all drow are bad. Maybe then he could be convinced.

Oh! Now it makes sense why I no longer had any of his romance choices when I romanced Minthara. I thought it was a bug. I think they should've left this in but definitely revised it.

Halsin has his dark backstory and not only forgiving and understanding sides of his soul. That is the fact.

I would be ok with this scene being included, if there was an option to try to convince Halsin, maybe even by pointing out his hypocricy. Otherwise this seems very out of his "let all flowers blossom" character.

I dare you to ask me to choose between you and Minthara, Halsin... I DARE you... Give me an excuse...

As much as I enjoy this scene, I'm glad it's gone.

I didn't even think about the protection you're giving Minthara... I would be sending Halsin away, he can survive she cannot you also already have a druid in your party so he's not all that needed either.

This is pure evil on Halsin's part...just irredeemably vile. I'm so glad they cut this. I hated the ultimatums in BG2, and BG3 is better off without them.

WHY DID THEY CUT THIS IM SO SAD I LOVE THIS INTERACTION 😭 Edit: they should keep it but add a persuasion option to tell halsin it will be ok to have them both

Wow, that adds a lot their characters.

Man, I wish they hadn't cut this. Exactly how I imagined an interaction between an elf and a drow going.

I do find these interactions interesting and I wish the companions interacted with one another in cut scenes more but I am glad they cut this. It doesn't really suit Halsin and I'm grateful to not have to pick one or the other haha.

I actually think this should be in tthe game, with a pers check to convince him , it shows something mr goody druid can develop as a character, since this portraitts him as unreasonable and hardheaded.

I think this would have been interesting to leave in the game, albeit perhaps with a couple tweaks. Everyone has their prejudices and biases, after all, and Halsin definitely has valid reasons to be wary of Drow and Minthara specifically. However, I think it should be possible to reason with him in this conversation and convince him to put his biases aside, at least until the Absolute is defeated. Sometimes good people can do bad things, and evil people can do good things.

Well, for me, it's "Goodbye Halsin"

"A viper cannot escape its true nature" Teela, after helping you save Arabella: Dude...

Damn, didn’t know Halsin was racist. Also didn’t he kill Isobel? He really has no room to talk

I wished they'd kept this in. I feel like they cut it because it made Helsin less likable for some but is shows where his character stands and it could've been an opportunity to explore that.

I'm glad they removed this... it doesn't feel in character for Halsin at all.

This choice would have been easy for me (keeping Minthara and kicking Halsin out). Minthara makes valid points about why she should remain at the camp and Halsin's opinions are prejudice/biased - based off his own experience with the drow (something that he himself later admits wasn't entirely a bad experience while bedding the drow twins; at least when it came to the sex part). Besides that - I think the player is given the option to have Minthara join the camp after rescuing her while Halsin just invites himself after you rescue him/the Grove - making him a freeloader and later a creep, if you make the mistake of being overly friendly with him, giving him the impression that you want to sleep with him and gets offended if you turn him down outright and/or don't discuss the proposition with your romance companion first (the dialogue options have made it more obvious which ones are flirty since I had first played the game - so that outcome is much easier to avoid; but oof - my first experience with Halsin left me with a very bitter impression of him since). Honestly, this is something that should have been kept in the game, rather than forcing the pair share the same space.

To be fair, I do think they would be a wonderful couple

Durge: Hey! That's enough both of you, You two are acting like a damn children grow up and call it truce already or do you want me to divine smite you two together for good? Minthara: Watch your tone, Boy! Halsin: Or what? You going to kill him when he's asleep after you two having fun? Durge: By the oath this is wrose than shadowheart and Lae'zel.

This scene raises a lot of good points and I honestly wish it was included in the game. I see a lot of hate for Halsin though, which is why I'd like to offer an alternative point of view. While she was merely a puppet for the Absolute, that does not change the fact that who she was before being brainwashed wasn't a good person, and absolutely the furthest from it among all the companions. A cruel Lolthite and Matron of House Baenre, to say she's was a cold-blooded monster that enjoys the deaths of innocents and stomping on those below her would be putting it kindly. She was never a good person, and unlike Shadowheart or Astarion she didn't just fall into the clutches of evil and had to survive with the hand they were dealt, She lavished in those evils and thrived in her position of power. She had no empathy or compassion for those she saw as lesser. Halsin is her total antithesis. He doesn't come from nobility or from power, and his most defining traits are his compassion and his empathy. He wishes for the downtrodden and vulnerable to be helped and protected, if his comments about the city once you reach Baldur's Gate are anything to go off of. He even goes on to raise a lot of the orphans in the city and bring them back to Thaniel's Realm. He is as good of a person as it gets if definitions of such are written in black and white, A nature-loving Druid who wishes to protect and help orphaned children. Not to mention that he spent years as a sex slave to a Drow Matriarch. Minthara is the antithesis of everything Halsin stands for, and while she is a victim of the cult and of Orin that does not change who she is or who she was before it. She has made tens, probably hundreds of people into victims of far worse if her comments of how she enjoys hanging corpses in her garden are to go off of, and she did so long before she was a thrall of the Absolute. She is cruel, extreme, and unlike the other companions she doesn't exactly stop being those things. I fully understand why Halsin rejects the terms of aligning with her and I think it's at least somewhat in character for him to do so, and if she didn't end up dead in a Goblin Pit in almost every playthrough I do, I would probably side with him.

It makes sense that they cut this interaction. You would have to kick out Halsin every time just to save Minthara's life. Halsin doesn't have a tadpole and he'll be fine on his own. I wish they could have kept this interaction with an addition of a 5th dialogue option to roll a persuasion check to keep them both.

Oh dang. This makes me want to beat my game before the next patch in case they add this 😬