that's what I figured it was, so i guess I'm confused then. I just don't see the point of playing as one of them then. Is it more for casual players who don't want to actually set up a character? Or is it because they look more unique than a custom PC can? What's the draw? It's not like you're getting a different view of who they are, because you get to choose who they are. Shadowheart can suddenly become super polite, etc. Or maybe THAT's the draw? Making the origin characters dance like puppets? I just don't get it.
You're forgetting that's the game has coop, and if you're playing coop with 3 friends, you would be forced out of any companions' stories without Origins. So first of all Origins are allowing you to experience that content in coop. Plus in single-player there are certain moments in companions' stories which you're not allowed to see, but when that's your Origin you get all the details. And after all there are players who would prefer to play a character with more ties to the world above a character with more player agency for the backstory and tags.
