Rare Baldur’s Gate 3 interaction shows that Drow are more cruel than Gith

Two of the most callous breeds in Dungeons and Dragons which became Baldur’s Gate 3 they are the ever-popular drow and the astral exploring Githyanki. Both were adapted faithfully, and while the Gith have a starring role thanks to the abrasive Lae’zel and a plot based around their conflict with the mind flayers, the drow also get decent exposition. Minthara is a potential ally, despite not being a mascot or origin character like Lae’zel.

Minthara and Lae’zel are great examples of their peopleboth of which know the history of their races and are therefore able to give the player information about the history from time to time. Minthara is often seen making cruel comments, while Lae’zel usually goes about her business with a metaphorical sledgehammer, but they both have enough layers to show vulnerability about their fears and traumas. They’re an interesting duo, especially when brought together at a party where they can have a rare interaction that highlights the main difference between the drow and the Githyanki.

Minthara proves that the Drow are crueler than the Gith

Not even Lae’zel agrees with Drow practices

As seen in Bessie BloodbathIn the YouTube video, Minthara and Lae’zel can discuss when training should begin for the children if they are at a party together. Those group interactions happen randomly between two companions as they roam the Sword Coast and can cover many topics, from Shadowheart and Halsin pondering what animal the Sharran would be if he were a druid to Astarion and Karlach talking about the heart of the tiefling’s Infernal Machine. They can provide information about characters, contain interesting information, and simply add entertainment to the journey.

This specific interaction shows differences between Gith and drow training. Minthara mentions that drow begin mortal combat as soon as they can wield a sword, which is even more cruel when you consider that elves can live hundreds of years and don’t need to start out so young to gain decades of experience before becoming adults. On the other hand, the Gith don’t take risks until they are thirteen, saying it’s not worth wasting “battle meat before it is prepared.” While it’s still cruel, at least throwing a thirteen year old into mortal combat is better than throwing babies at each other.

Minthara goes even further, stating that babies can have their resilience against poisons tested while in the womb. This process cannot be good for both the baby and the mother, but Minthara says it so casually, and she could have been subjected to this test when she was yet to be born. Although Lae’zel is often seen as abrasive, cold, and somewhat cruel (unless she is wooed and softened), even she is surprised by this, exclaiming “Tsk’va” after Minthara’s comments, which is essentially a Githyanki swear word.

People in BG3 are afraid of Drow for a reason

Even Seldarine Drow is feared on the surface

Anyone who has played a drow in Baldur’s Gate 3 knows that their reputation precedes them, especially in Act 1. Even Seldarine’s friendliest drow join their cruel, Lolth-sworn kin, with goblins shaking in their boots whenever a drow Tav tries to talk. This interaction between Lae’zel and Minthara is just one example of how cruel the drow are, and they need to be, considering the dangers of the Underdark that the group experiences at the end of Act 1.

Minthara constantly mentions the cruelty of her people, and does so so casually that it’s almost comical. She explains that if a drow has a third child, the baby is killedsince a third male child is considered useless for both fighting and breeding purposes. While the Gith don’t particularly care about killing their own, it is done to cultivate the strongest among their people, but the drow will kill their own before they even get a chance to prove their strength because of pre-existing prejudices.

The second half of Act 1 is also a good demonstration of the differences between Gith and drow. Nere, a True Soul drow, decides to kill the deep gnomes simply because they angered him with their failure, while the Gith in the Mountain Pass kill each other to slaughter the weak and can be persuaded not to murder each other. The Githyanki egg at the nursery is a good example of how soft some Gith can be, as they can be persuaded to let the party have the only egg in the nursery to give it a chance at life.

The main difference between Drow and Gith in BG3

The Drow are scheming and the Gith are militaristic

Drow are obsessed with power and are known to kill and plot against each other to gain an advantage over their rivals. The drow petrified in the Underdark, Dhourn, is a good example of this, as he and two other drow (Xargrim and Filro the Forgotten) were plotting and fighting to try to get to the Adamantine Forge. Gith fight among themselves, and BG3 could end with a civil war between those loyal to Orpheus and Vlaakith’s forcesbut this is due to a difference in ideals rather than specific Gith like Voss competing for power.

Fundamentally, the difference between these two breeds is the way they work. Despite the dangers of the Underdark, the drow still consider each other their greatest enemies, with Minthara mentioning that she was still a baby when someone first tried to assassinate her. The Gith prepare their entire lives to fight the mind flayers, and His cruelty is based on preparing his soldiers for a brutal war against a deadly enemysimilar to how various media often portray the Spartans of Ancient Greece.

With the Githyanki and drow being considered superficially cruel, it would have been easy for Baldur’s Gate 3 portray them in a similar wayas the drow don’t get the screen time that the Gith do throughout the three acts. Instead, Larian remained faithful to D&D tradition and ensured that although both breeds are known to be quite callous, the reasons for this behavior are very different in Baldur’s Gate 3. The Gith are cruel in fighting for a better tomorrow, but the drow are cruel because they are a people cursed with infighting and the desire for power.

Source: Bessie Bloodbath/YouTube