I'm with you. Nettie would have been great ad a companion. And Barcus feels just primed to be one as well. He's got his own journey that he's on, but you can befriend him, it writes itself. The only question is what class he would be. I don't think anything really fits him. Not even artificer if that were in the game. Not everyone who tinkers and can build things is an artificer.
I think, artificer would have been a good fit tbh. But I can see him as a rogue ( arcane trickster) with the guild artisan background. He would be ideal for people, who want a rogue in the group, but don't want to deal with evil Astarion in a good playthrough.
I mean, maybe we get some more non-origin companions along the way and Barcus is indeed one of them, I'll stay hopeful.
