Very disappointed. The small selection is amplified by everyone trying too hard to be extra special.
Jaheira and Minsc should never be companions for a low level party some hundred years after Throne of Bhaal. They should have been high level NPC's with cameos where they save the day or nudge you forward in your quest. Larian really messed this one up. They are ruining these characters instead of doing any kind of service for old players who know them. Just to be able to say old companions are returning? They didn't have to be back AS companions.
The way he is presented in game, Halsin should also be a higher level NPC rather than a companion. But the intense focus on romance and cyber sex in this game demanded he become a companion you can bonk in your camp. You could also romance NPC's you know. A "difficult" romance where an NPC can't go with you would have been more impactful storytelling. In real life you can't always get what you want and it would have been a much better reflection of that. A real immersive world instead of one where the player gets anything they want.
Why do we get two Druid companions when the selection is already really small? There are too many races and classes that are not represented at all. And it's not like it's a choice between an evil Shadow Druid and a good druid. They're both on the heroic side of things. This needed to be a choice between Kagha and Nettie, if there had to be one. Again, the craving for cyber romance in a video game and marketing by rehashing old characters trumps all sensibility of offering interesting gameplay choices with different party compositions.
A party based RPG needs twice the number of companions so you can actually make a party you want. Cut their content in half if necessary. I don't like being told "our 5 characters are all amazing and you will like them in your party every time".
I'm very annoyed Larian's decisions are driven more by making BG3 a dating sim than offering deep and diverse gameplay and replayability. Is this really what players want in 2023? The focus of the gameplay showcase was: dating Karlach, Astarion and Halsin having sex, and the trailer was mostly showcasing diverse couples together. It's good to have romance be a part of storytelling, but this is going way too far.
