Talk:Minsc/@comment-50.101.237.205-20200128063102/@comment-8506165-20200130220827

Even then, Dorn or CHARNAME PC can start with 19 STR (20 in the PC's case if they start as half-orc in BG and grab the Manual of Gainful Exercise). Or there's the Girdle of Hill Giant Strength available from the Adventurer's Mart as soon as you get enough gold for it, which can also be pretty early. And you can rush straight from Château Irenicus to the Planar Sphere for the Hands of Takkok which give 18/00 strength which is virtually identical to having 19 STR (the only difference is +1 damage and a little bit more carry weight).

I'm not saying Minsc is completely terrible because he's not; he works perfectly fine as a frontline fighter in almost any party. I'm just saying he's far from obligatory if you want to take someone else instead. Korgan, Keldorn and Dorn are arguably all flat-out better than him and anyone else fighter-y can compete with some strength-boost items. Take him along if you like him but don't feel like you're crippling yourself by leaving him behind if you're feeling like taking someone else for a change!

(Unless you're replacing him with Cernd. Cernd is really the only outright bad companion in the game.)