I think the confusion is from what can't be translated from a video game to a movie, or book.

Anything written down in a script or a novel isn't incidental, even if it's purpose is purposelessness(x5). But because the script of a video game splines out, atemporally sometimes, you get incidental dialoguel couple that with a character unmoored to the story being told, you can actually have meaningless dialogue.

"I'm sworn to carry your burdens" That's so vague it could be used after giving her a sweet roll, or it could be after fighting a pack of werewolves. For Tav, you're partaking in conversations that other characters have more meaningful dialogue to say, but Tav gets, [Baldurian] Yes, I've heard of you or [Baldurian] No, I haven't. After which, because these options are made to be so vague, the following dialogue doesn't even need to account for which you choose. If that happened in a novel or script, it would be considered poor writing, but because it happens in a video game, we get threads on forums about what the nature of character customization is.

Does the ability for Geralt to change his hair cut and grow out his beard make him the same as Commander Shepard. It seems like putting a wig on it is all that is required.