veteran
Joined: Oct 2020
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Okay, after reading all the feedback in this thread I've been paying a lot closer attention to Wyll on my latest playthrough. That and the different perspectives offered here have shifted my views on some points, and reinforced them on others. Here's where I'm currently at: - Stats: I've not seen anyone disagree that Wyll's stats need changing, most urgently by swapping some wisdom to dexterity, which both fits his character and would make him a better "Blade".
- Class: Should make better sense of his "Blade" persona either by making him Pact of the Blade or multi-class Rogue/Warlock. Either could work, but I'm leaning towards the latter as it makes sense of his rapier proficiency and thievery back story, plus it gives us a less evil seeming rogue, and gives Wyll a progression path if he breaks his pact. Bonus points for this option if we get the (non PHB) Swashbuckler rogue subclass that fits the "Blade" persona and I think can make some use of higher charisma. The problem with the multiclass option is that I don't see how it would work as an origin character if we have to start at level 1.
- Entrance: Wyll certainly shouldn't first appear chucking around warlock spells willy-nilly. Larian need to override the AI of his entrance scene if they're not going to undermine the character before we even meet him properly.
- Background as a thief: Makes sense if Wyll is a multiclass rogue/warlock or somehow shows in his build in another way, but otherwise seems extraneous guff.
- Background as a noble: Okay if his family play an important role later in the story and help link back to wider lore and previous games, though I'm still a bit grumpy that our male companions in EA all seem rather posh.
- Character model: I think is good, and I like the fact that the later update made Wyll look older and more battered about. Though I hope he'll get a unique hairdo to make him stand out from custom characters and NPCs who use the same style. (Personally, I'd go for similar twists, dreads or plaits on top, but more undercut at the back with a slightly longer, higher ponytail or messy bun.)
- Animation: I still think is really poor compared to the other companions, particularly his unnatural facial expressions and jerky head movements. It's better in some scenes, but right now for me the animation is coming close to ruining the character.
- Writing & voice acting: I'd previously said weren't working for me, but in this latest playthrough I actively tried to separate out what was bothering me about the performance, and have come to the conclusion that my problem is almost entirely with the animation, and if I look away or close my eyes and just listen then the writing and voice acting are mostly at least fine, and often good.
- Character: I agree is flawed and has elements that are not that likeable, but I don't mind that. He is going to get both some players' and some player characters' backs up, but this feels recognised in the dialogue options we have to call him out on his boastfulness and the stick he gets on this point from other party members, for example. In fact, I agree his pretence, layers, faults and conflicts give scope for him to be a more interesting companion and origin character. But while it makes sense that he keeps up a front, and I can see making him talk about himself in the third person is a valid creative choice (as it both leans into the boastful, swashbuckling stereotype and reflects that Wyll perhaps sees the Blade as a persona rather than who he really is), I do feel this makes him too slippery to really build a rapport with in this first part of the game. I don't mind him being a slow-burn character, and that can even make the pay-off greater in the end, as long as Larian do recognise that there are many players and protagonists whom he won't have won over yet and who will not trust him at all, and as long as they have a plan to address this as his story moves along (that will either help us trust him in the end, or reveal that we were right not to trust him after all!). And if Larian are not intending Wyll to be quite as divisive as he is at this point in the story, then they perhaps need to try to get one or two more open, honest, no front moments with Wyll into the early game, and/or give us more instances where we get the benefit of seeing him more positively through his or our interactions with NPCs.
- Torture scene: A big exception to my being okay with Wyll's writing and character is how he'll behave in the scene with Liam. When we hand over to a party member in dialogue, we should get a sense of how they would approach a problem if we weren't influencing them, and I usually like scenes like this for the insight they can grant into our companions. But the fact that Wyll goes straight for torture even if not encouraged is just weird unless his character is much darker than we're given to believe by the rest of what we see, and also weird for a high charisma character who you'd think would try to use intimidation, say, to get what he wants before resorting to physical violence. This scene should definitely be revisited unless we are meant to be totally wrong about Wyll - and if we are totally wrong then it's not right to have the evidence for this sitting within one optional scene.
- Romance: Wyll is a hot mess when we meet him, so it's a bit tricky for me to conceive of a character who would want to romance him at this point in the game. Plus if you run in a party with him, Lae'zel and Shadowheart, he'll hit on Lae'zel first then Shadowheart, and no-one likes to feel like they're third choice. Other than the fact that we don't seem to be able to call him out on this latter point, the writers do seem to recognise that a character romancing Wyll will have some doubts and give them the option to express them, but agreeing to spend the night with him at the party still feels like a bit of a muddle between a no-strings, comfort shag and a somewhat awkward seduction (in both directions). And then overly twee and affectionate if the player character decides not to go through with the seduction but to keep Wyll company. Again, not saying this is an invalid creative choice, and in fact it's a good and interesting to the extent that it seems right that characters at this point should be questioning the wisdom of starting a relationship with Wyll. But I'm not sure whether Larian mean to make it quite such an unattractive prospect. It feels as though it's going to be hard to bounce back from if there's going to be a fulfilling romance arc with Wyll later.
I can get behind most of this. Background as a thief: Makes sense if Wyll is a multiclass rogue/warlock or somehow shows in his build in another way, but otherwise seems extraneous guff. I don't think he needs to be a multiclass rogue, just having a criminal background doesn't mean levels in rogue, I'm happy to believe Wyll wasn't a leveled character until his pact. Talking about how Wyll hits on the women in the party is another point that came up in the herosexual debates, between that and Mizora, Wyll's romance takes on a certain tenor. I'm curious if he's hit on the player character when we are Shadowheart or Lae'zel. Every 'romance' at the party seems to be pretty low stakes. Of course my memory of his scene is a little muddled at this point. I wouldn't call him pitiful...but maybe piteous 
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