Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback How many companions?

So are we getting just 6 <companions> like in DOS2?
Whats everyone*s opinion on this? Super detailed 6 companions, so so detailed 10 companions or low detailed 20 companions? Does it have to be this way?

Being a BG2 successor Is it unreasonable to have 15 highly detailed companions in this game?? (still lower than BG2`s 20ish).
Personaly I would not mind having NO cinematics, but plenty of dialogue options for some of those extra companions. Make 6 to 8 story driven cinematic companions, and an extra dozen similar to BG2! I think this would make everyone super happy.

There are 8 Origins Characters. (I believe this was announced somewhere, though I don't have the source.) That's not a lot indeed.

I would very much want to see 4-5 standard companions. Not Origin (i.e. playable as PC, infected by a tadpole), just normal people who you can travel and adventure with. Also, people with more casual, "humane", down-to-earth backstories. No need for a grand quest. They are not meant to be main characters, and hence should be much less costly to write for and develop than OCs.

BG2 had 17 companions (if you count ToB). I doubt BG3 could reach that number, but 12-13 would be great.

One other thing these additional companions would be great for is replayability. With just 8 companions, I can have seen pretty much there is to see about everyone in 2-3 playthroughs (I don't care for the extra content you can see by playing as an OC instead of just with an OC, and the banter between pairs of companions is secondary to the relationship between the PC and the companions).

In some interview around a month (or so) back ... Swen specificly told us that not all companions are yet implemented.

I really hope we'll have more companions.
I don't care about Origins at all but I like variety.
I hope we'll be able to recruit at least 12 companions (8 origins I guess + non origin companions with a good story).

I don't understand why they implement their origin concept in this game... Probably for MP.

15 companions with a consistent story would have been netter to me. I don't care playing with another one's character as my main.

One for each class would be great, but I'm kinda worried about where they're taking it.
If the halfling bard werewolf and the tiefling paladin are both going to be a thing without a hint of irony I don't think I'll be able to take this thing seriously anymore.
Vampire + werewolf garbage is already too much to handle, but if we get devilspawn larping as paladin on top of that, it will just confirm to me that Larian thinks this game is just a joke. Now I don't have a problem with peculiar characters but they need to be grounded. We need NORMAL people as companions. Humans. Yes. Classics.
Paladins are not made better by being subverted, they are all about being a classical archetype.

I'm pretty Sure Tiefling Paladins are a thing many people have rolled in Tabletop and nothing lorewise is against it, given how many Tieflings are running around and how many of them aren't evil, finding some that are Paladins isn't probably THAT out of place or even unheard of.
A Halfling Werewolf is probably not super out of place either, if only because of how the curse is spread. It would just so happen to be a Halfling Bard who got the curse.

I fail to see the problem with either, nothing seems too farfetched about either of those examples, hell if anything they seem more normal than at least 2 of our current companions.

As for more Humans? How about no. This is a fantasy setting, I go to a fantasy (Also Sci-Fi) to escape reality, not inject reality into it, if anything I say we should have LESS humans, not more.
I say all of our future Companions should be non-humans of some kind.

There may be nothing lorewise against tiefling paladins (in and of itself a problem really) but they are cringe.
Same goes for teeny tiny furries (werewolves).
Also we need more humans for the companions to be more grounded in general because going special snowflake extraordinaire will just make everyone unrelatable.
I mean how exactly is a human guy in a suit of armor swinging a gigantic sword with one hand while blasting magic with the other not compatible with a fantasy setting?
I say all future companion SHOULD be HUMAN, exactly because they could do things real life humans could never do.
>escape reality
Not all of us need to do that and BG3 shouldn't be based around your personal self-medication needs and misanthropy.

Don't insult people. Final warning.

Ignoring your trollish last line here, I fundamentally disagree. I don't see how tiefling paladins or halfling werewolves are in any way cringe.

Also, while there is nothing wrong with "human guy in a suit of armor swinging a gigantic sword with one hand while blasting magic with the other" in a fantasy setting (aside from coming across as a bit Mary Sue-ish for the usual reasons why authors say armor and magic don't mix) the idea that all future companions should be human because they do things real humans can't is really limited thinking. I love the idea of messing with different perspectives in general and the idea that humans should dominate (or just be the heroes most of the time) in fantasy settings where there are many other races running around, with their own nations and problems is a very narrow vision that I think plagues fantasy too much. Fantasy is at its best when it explores ideas and concepts that regular fiction can't due to being limited to our world and having non-humans with different societies distinct from our own is perfect for that.

One or two more human companions would be fine, but I'd love a dwarf companion, a non-vampiric elf companion, a gnome companion, etc. If only because they'd offer new perspectives on the world that humans (and our current companions) simply couldn't.

We already have 2 human companions, I think it would be nice to leave room for other races as companions, I'm really hoping we do get a tiefling they're so pretty!

And either a halfling or dwarf

But I'm pretty sure the future companions are set in stone, someone mentioned Halsin might be a companion?

Actually BG3 has no problems mixing magic and armor as long as you have proficiency...
https://baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com/Heavy+Armour+Proficiency
So this is not a mary sue thing at all anymore... or if it is, it is a permitted mary-sue. Take your pick.
Also saying that we don't need more humans because they can't be as interesting as other races is also limited thinking, especially in a game/setting where race is literally just cosmetics and some minor stat bonuses.
Humans in fact are the most interesting race out there, but I guess we can all have our favorites.
Also the reason why a tiefling paladin and a halfling werewolf are cringe is because they both contribute to very tired subversive tropes, namely:
- the good <insert evil race>, which is pretty much overdone and not at all interesting by now. We are at a point in D&D where encountering stereotypical drow and tieflings would actually be refreshing. Making a character that is an outright 180 turnaround compared to the rest of it's race and expecting people to be amazed is lazy writing.
- vampires vs werewolves trope is basically an old and tired trope that should just die already, it's not interesting, nor is it cute to have tiny werewolves.
- paladins being edgy and crossing the lines arbitrarily is a direct subversion of what they are. Being a paladin is all about towing the line of higher ideals. Being restricted to lawful good was unironically good for them, because it gave internal tension to the characters, who had to maintain strict tenets in order to be able to receive their powers at all. Paladins today are just meelee warlocks and blackguards with an edgy sense of fanaticism.
Classical paladins were better and it was actually meaningful to be one.
5E paladins are just fighters with warlock pacts.


I want dwarves and halflings as much as the next guy, but we do need more humans. At least a human girl is a must!

OK, we have:
- human warlock
- human mage
- Githyanky fighter
- half elf cleric
- elf (vampire) rogue (as written in the other thread, he should be a vampire thrall, not a vampire spawn, same story but no inconsistent vampire powers)

I think we need
- A tiefling paladin on a crusade to kill the fiend who made that his once human family is now tieflings.
- A dwarf, we already have a fighter so we need something else. Maybe a barbarian ( don´t call me shorty or I cut off your legs ) or a druid
- A gnome artificer. We need a crazy little one who likes to blow up things. There is no problems that can´t be solved with cannons or robots.
- A halfling bard, totally hyperactive and excited because (s)he came out of her little village for the first time. (Shut up already, we want to sleep)
- A dragonborn sorcerer, was kicked out by his people for not having the dragon bloodline.

You know I kind of let go of holding on to dnd lore, but wow are vampire spawn strong. I agree with reworking Astarion into a thrall unless he is the final boss or a expansion boss. Vampire's in general don't seem very low level friendly, but hey what do I know. Ilithid vampire spawn turned full vamp I think may be the strongest undead non divine in dnd. I think.

I would like to see a normal high elf or wood elf girl on the good side. Maybe a gloom stalker or a bladesinger.
A hardy male dwarf barbarian or paladin. I'm thinking kind of like dragon age origins legion of the dead or Oghren. Path of the beast, storm herald, or ancient guardian.
A gnome artificer sounds good to me. I like that a lot. Needs a gun.
Halfling sorceress with wild magic or a human sorceress that likes explosions.

The things I want aren't phb though. Tieflings but no Aasimar still kind of pisses me off honestly. All the cool subclasses like rune fighter and mystic are the stuff I like. You wouldn't hear a peep of complaints out of me if we got at least some of the good stuff. A lot of fixes to 5e aren't phb.

Maybe we get Aasimar too.
I'm in for the Tiefling paladin (I think Karlach is all but confirmed) and the gnome illusionist - maybe multiclass with rogue?
A druid would be great and I really can live with the idea, of having Halsin filling this slot.
And the halfling bard sounds fun too.
I also would like a dwarf in the group - maybe another cleric?

The dwarf should be a paladin of moradin, so that he can be a dwarfy dwarf.

So far, we have 5 origin story companions, with
As for non-origin companions, a lot of people were asking for
How realistic is it, I do not know, although seeing Halsin as at least camp follower would be very nice. He is such a cool guy after all.
A little bit of info, which probably does mean something:
They can realistically do a 12-15 companions without degrading the quality of their storylines IMO. Having 8-10 origin ones and 3-4 non-origin companions would be a sweet spot.
Cinematics are quite important, as mimics in this game is done very well (looking down especially at Astarion and Shadowheart).

Let's see characters (anywhere; they don't need to be companions necessarily) who aren't what they are because that particular race gets the appropriate stat boost. I want:
-Dwarf bard
-Halfling sorcerer
-Tiefling paladin
-Gnome barbarian
-Dragonborn druid

Obviously I don't expect to see all of these, but one or two would be fun. Seeing extreme archetypes gets a little old. Sure, gnome culture isn't going to be pumping out tons of barbarians - they aren't predisposed to it, but let's see one of those who is whatever a barbarian is by gnome standards.

It's also possible that the Origin characters we have so far needed to be implanted, in order to motivate them to embark on the adventure - they are the "evil" characters, and would not be motivated to just help the protagonist out of the goodness of their hearts, or save the world from ruin. A "good" bard though might come along to record the epic adventures and become famous - no need for a tadpole, while a paladin would be more likely to join to save the world - again no need for a tadpole.

In fact, the tiefling Bard in Druid Grove would be a perfect example of a character that would join without the need for a tadpole - you get to assist and inspire her in creating a composition - she feels accompanying you might provide further inspiration in aiding her in honoring her dead mentor. Kagha could accompany you as a means of atoning for her actions on behalf of the Shadow Druids. Halsin could come to improve his understanding of the befoulment of nature caused by the altered tadpoles. Minsc could come because - Minsc and Giant Miniature Space Hamsters. Karlach has a score to settle, which might intersect with your goals. None of these people really NEED a tadpole to motivate them to work with you.

Astarion though? Without a tadpole he would never have left the comfy confines of Baldur's Gate. Lae'zel? She fights mindflayers and would kill you in a second, if she wasn't similarly afflicted. Shadowheart? She would be busy on her assigned mission.

Remember everything is subject to change.

It's not unreasonable at all to expect 17 detailed companions. That's just the burden the devs took on when they decided create sequel to D&D's flagship product. I have high hopes for the companions but so far they aren't super detailed at all. Shadowheart confirms this herself -- she simply can't answer some of your questions because her memory has been wiped. We need more banters, more reactions, conversations and walls of text.

And yes, I more non origin characters. I want characters that flesh out the story of the main character, not NPCs that steal my thunder.

Oh and if the spoilers are correct that's a good thing, I didn't want to see a romance between the spoiler NPC and the MC.