You are saying you don't want to use Origin characters that are pre-written and pre-integrated into the story - but you don't like NOT having a pre-written pre-integrated character? So, which is it?
Plus, Patch 5 adding the background story Inspiration quests is helping to flesh out your character each time - it's not just a stat boost at character creation anymore, it DOES connect them to the overall story.
This isn't as much of a gotcha as you think it is. Everyone knows that things that could be done to flesh out customs is being sacrificed for the origin system. Larian doesn't have to outright say it, but considering how game dev usually goes, we know that there is a serious chance that this is happening.
Like I've said, customs only have a Baldurian tag/background right now. Literally nothing has changed from day 1 of EA on this front, and there's no signs that this is actively being worked on, from how the dataminers are completely silent when it comes to this category. So again, I wouldn't be surprised if BG3 shipped out with the background tag system either being dropped entirely or customs are locked to being Baldurian only. The effort that goes into making sure that Gale for instance can take the role of the main character could have instead gone to expanding dialogue trees for all of the potential backgrounds, to the point where a custom Waterdhavian character can talk to him and get a lot of unique dialogue, and indirectly expand Gale's characterization as well. Ergo, massive missed opportunity.
Probably the greatest irony of the origin system as we've already seen it in DOS2 is that it actually took away a lot of reactivity in the end. In the need to make sure all of the party members there could take on the role of main character, not only did customs pull the short stick there, but the true worst part of it all was that they outright sacrificed actual party banter and reactivity among the party itself. It is no surprise that people fear the same thing happening to BG3 in the end. With the logic that we're supposed to fill in all the blanks ourselves if we choose to play as a custom character, are we suddenly supposed to come up with our own party banter if we choose to play as an Origin character too?
DOS2 largely avoided this criticism by attracting an entirely new audience to the cRPG genre that didn't have any defined standards or expectations to begin with. BG3 has the eyes of new and veteran fans of the genre alike, resurrecting a franchise that has lain dormant for some 20 years, along with much of the new audience trying out other cRPGs since. That's why the criticism on this front is so much louder this time.
Also, the background inspiration mechanic is a neat gameplay thing, but it doesn't really do much from a narrative standpoint. 1 inspiration point for picking options that fit your background. Neat, but it's more gaming the system rather than actual nuanced roleplaying.
