Originally Posted by Seraphael
Originally Posted by Saito Hikari
The major thing that makes me favor the Pathfinder companions more is that they are simple at first glance, but the more you travel with them and look at them more closely, it's apparent that they have layers of depth beneath it all that you can analyze by their behavior throughout the game, either witnessed or implied. They are also framed as characters that are a part of the world they are traveling in, instead of characters with stories that are so out there that the rest of the world is seemingly a blur in comparison, if that makes any sense.

I found Pathfinder and their companions rather dull. Both Amiri and Valerie, for instance, are fundamentally stunning and brave (TM) feminist tropes subverting the oppressive norms of the patriarchy. The blatant forced ideology was unimmersive and made me less receptive for their actual personality. The Pathfinder companions generally felt like stereotypical caricatures, whereas Baldur's Gate 3's companions are diametrical opposites; edgelords tryharding to be unique all at once, all too soon. The individual uniqueness may feel a bit lost in a forest of uniqueness, and I suspect the Origin-system is partly to blame.

The BG3 companion roster would likely be better balanced with the inclusion of companions that are more straightforward - without making them boring. But the companions that we know are yet to be implemented; a "devil holy warrior" and a "howling bard", sounds like more of the same I must admit. Overly complex super special edgelords, that leaves me believe Larian isn't really considering how well the companions can contrast - yet still harmonize.

It's funny, i wonder if the character of Ellen Ripley (from the movie series 'Alien' to anyone who doesn't know) was written in modern times would people think she's a "woke" character meant to subvert norms? I think you do a disservice to strong female characters to automatically assume they're supposed to represent the fight against the patriarchy. Maybe they are, i don't know, but to me they just seemed like strong, slightly abrasive characters. I didn't even particularly like either one of them.

I do completely agree with your assessment of the BG3 characters. I mean, it's like they took Harry Potter and Twilight with a dash of Game of Thrones to make these characters. Werewolf, Vampire, deal with the devil, exploding corpse guy, lost memories tsundere girl, etc...and Tav.