The way I see it, Asterion stays because he is lost and looking for safety (self preservation is his whole deal)…and he is used to being ruled over by someone. Wyll needs your help and let’s you take the lead to keep on your good side so you will help him keep his promise to the tieflings. LaZael would make more sense if you went the creche first thing, and thus her staying with you would be to do ready herself to deal with the traitor dragon rider with a force at her side…plus, she will never talk for the group as she does not understand Faerun culture (a convo u have with her in the grove). Gale and Shadowheart make no sense…unless they have nefarious reasons or a compulsion (which they very well might).
If Wyll lets you take the lead to stay on your good side, there should be dialogue to that effect. It's pretty extreme that the Blade of Frontiers won't settle a score with the goblin that took his eye without permission from Tav the Guild Artisan. Even more bizarre that the Blade of Frontiers stands to the side quietly twiddling his thumbs while Zevlor heaps all praise on Tav the Guild Artisan for saving the Tieflings from certain doom. Y'know, the
Save the Refugees quest that Wyll recruited Tav to help
him with.
It's hard to buy into the idea that he is this gregarious persona when he won't say two words to any NPC that you encounter other than Spike or the three Goblins chatting about him. Killing the Goblin leaders was his plan, but when we get to them, he doesn't say anything to Gut, he doesn't say anything to Minthara, and he doesn't say anything to Ragzlin. He won't talk to Auntie Ethel, and if you want to leave Mayrina in the hands of a monster, the most pushback you will get from Wyll is a disapproving frown.
Wyll is really just there to cast eldritch blast and to feed you exposition about his backstory when you click on him at camp. But since no rapport or dynamic is established with him during the actual adventure, I find that I am not particularly invested in his backstory.
The issue of how leadership is determined in a party full of large egos and extremely high stakes should absolutely be addressed in the game, and not left to the speculation of fan theories and headcanon.
To me…this is the classic issue of having to suspend your belief in how much time is passing and not think too much about the order you are doing things…an issue with every rpg ever. Narratively, it could make sense for each character if u pretend u did their quests first thing (except for Gale and Shadowheart).
I disagree wholeheartedly. Plenty of RPGs bend over backwards to address these issues. Tyranny establishes the leadership of the player by casting them in a position of legal authority. The entire prologue of Pathfinder: Kingmaker is dedicated to establishing how the player becomes the leader of the campaign into the Stolen Lands, complete with other characters vying for control, and the possibility of losing party members who don't like your leadership style. POE establishes clear relationships not only between the player and their companions but between each other. A lot of thought is put into why each one follows the player, and what they get out of it. And none of them are shy to speak their mind when you start talking to an NPC.
The dialogue in BG3 is beautifully animated, but ultimately not as rich and well thought out as other games of the genre. It left me feeling less invested in the characters.
