We're discussing companions? Oh! Me, me, me, pick me! I wanna join too! \o/ *clears throat, insert sea gull meme*
Before I leave my fancy wall of text for whomever is suffering from a very boring morning/day/evening/night, I'd like to state the following about our companions in general: I like them. All in all, I find each of the characters filling their role well, and more often than not I believe they act according to their character design - which to me is far more important then whenever I like them or not (IC and OOC). Are they perfect? Well no - but I see mad potential in each one of them. Then whenever Larian will do something with that potential can only be known after the full release. c:
See, one of the many things that I remain much more optimistic about than some people in this forum is DoS2 (while I do recognize that it had several shortcomings) - and I definitely include the DoS2 companions in particular. Long story short: I adored each one of them, and I really hope to see Larian deliver the same kind companion flavors and development later on in the story. I mean, Sebille is one of the primary reasons why I am so optimistic to many of the at-first-not-very-pleasant-individuals in our party. c: I know Larian can write good character stories and I know that they usually provide great character development!
Alright! That will do as a disclaimer - let's dig in!
* Lae'zel - I believe a character of her personality and features definitely is needed in the game - even if she is a *very* poor match with my primary PC. As a player, I really do not dislike any of her personality features as I believe Lae'zel is probably the character that is most consistent about her character design. I mean - she is a servant of her queen, she has a clear goal and she has a clear solution to the problem our characters are facing - which, in her eyes, makes our dear Tav seem like -3 int when we're not listening to her as her knowledge - as far as she is concerned - is far superior to Tav's in the subject. Unfortunately for Lae'zel, my primary PC is not very good at taking orders - even less so when someone is as blunt and authorizing as Lae'zel is. X] I look forward to seeing (or if nothing else read online) her character development at full release, I do believe that hers will be one (nine?) hell (hells?) of a story. <3
* Wyll - A very well-rounded character, as his hero-complex sided with his great ego makes for an interesting character conflict. There are many reasons why I doubt that Wyll is of good alignment - his hunger for glory being one of them - and I truly believe that he represents many "good" characters, when seen in a truer light (aka, being good for the sake of looking good rather than for the deed itself). I truly look forward to seeing what Larian decides to do with that - AND whenever the PC will be able to influence him into different paths as he is one of two characters that I can *very* easily see going both good alignment and evil alignment as the story progresses.
Oh, I do find his attempts to flirt with both Lae'zel and Shadowheart nothing short of hysterical. I can imagine my character trying her best not to laugh as she overhear the conversations. X]
* Gale - ... Look, out of character I like Gale's design. He has a character stereotype tied to him that I appreciate dearly. However, there is a lot of red flags about him that makes me believe that Gale might actually be not only
ahem-sort-of-a-camellia-situation - but I also believe he might have a much bigger story impact that we are lead to believe. He kind of gave me the mixed vibes already during my first playthrough, but ever since I read the discussions about him and saw the clips of what happens if you do not follow his instructions... Well. I'll just say that as far as I am aware, Gale might actually be the final boss of the game. X] Jokes aside, I can't wait to see what Larian has cooked up for us regarding Gale!
* Astarion - I actually like him a lot! I am generally weak for snarky companions - and Astarion brings snarky to a whole new level. X] While my PC might be less-than-impressed, consider me very impressed irl.
I do believe no adventure is complete without the *option* of bringing at least one character of Astarion's personality, and he is probably my favorite when it comes to commentary and voice acting. c: Remember how I said that there are two characters that I can very easily see going either good or evil alignment? Astarion is the second one - Larian got a ton of potential packed into this guy and I do hope that the player gets to influence which path it'll take! How cool wouldn't it be if we could "choose" (at least from a player perspective) to turn him into a evil vampire lord, or let him have a redemption arc?
* Shadowheart - Now, if there is one character that I feel hesitant about, then Shadowheart would be it. She gives a lot of mixed signals and I find her very difficult to deal with - she gets angry and insulted if you do not consult with her and speak with her regularly, but at the same time she sneers at you as soon as you open your mouth in her direction. :| I am also not sold on the "I wear the symbols of Shar everywhere, can't help to foul mouth Selûne at every chance I get and I carry this mysterious relic - but nobody suspects a thing"... I mean, she is even worse than Astarion (that screams loudly as we cross running water) at hiding "secrets" - yet Shar followers are supposed to be very deceptive, and *GOOD* at fooling people. Whenever there actually is a good story reason for this (as people have speculated), time will tell - but I feel more hesitant(?) about her writing than I do with the 4 other characters. That said - I am still leaning towards trusting Larian in Shadowheart's design. I know that they will go out of their way to treat their origin characters well (for the better or worse) - and I doubt they'd let Shadowheart's character have such enormous flaws unintentionally.
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Personally - I can't wait to see the remaining companions that Larian has hidden away from us. c: I am hoping we'll get at least one character that is a bit closer to nature and down-to-earth.
