Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Which companion(s) won't make it?

Im glad to see im not the only one who finds Astarion unbrearably overacted

I wish Minthara was the Vampire Rogue and Astarion was the killable and negligible as a companion Goblin Leader.... Ahhh shoot! Why didn't it occur to me as a suggestion at that time.

He's not unbearably overacted...the character was specifically designed to come across as an insufferable and arrogant person who looks down upon everyone else.

Really? He doesn't come across all that insufferable to me. A bit of a spoiled brat, perhaps, but well, some people are like that. Lae'zel, meanwhile, with her "you are all inferior" attitude, I'm actually tempted to kill at times. If she only wasn't so useful as a fighter, and if her people weren't so knowledgable about the illithids.

I wish Minthara was the Vampire Rogue and Astarion was the killable and negligible as a companion Goblin Leader.... Ahhh shoot! Why didn't it occur to me as a suggestion at that time.

Really? He doesn't come across all that insufferable to me. A bit of a spoiled brat, perhaps, but well, some people are like that. Lae'zel, meanwhile, with her "you are all inferior" attitude, I'm actually tempted to kill at times. If she only wasn't so useful as a fighter, and if her people weren't so knowledgable about the illithids.

Even Lae'zel is a naive kid just trying to act out the roll her evil society taught her to

Are you saying that Minthara actually has anything to recommend her? I mean, she *is* a typical Lolth-sworn drow, right? And Astarion even looks better.

Lae'zel is from a creche meaining she is still a literal child. Take her to the Githyanki patroll where shes trying to convince herself the kithrack was some traitor and not a proper loyal gith. She's on her first step on the path to deprigramming.

Are you saying that Minthara actually has anything to recommend her? I mean, she *is* a typical Lolth-sworn drow, right? And Astarion even looks better.

Wait until she finds out the truth about Vlaakith...that will be a fun conversation.

Actually Minthara is one of the more interesting characters...she's more of a tortured soul than actual evil. A Paladin, likely oathbreaker, with fear in her heart. She comes across as someone haunted by regrets but hides them well and deep. Of all the companions she has the most interesting story imo. I don't really plan to redeem her, in the end she will serve in my party on the road to power but I look forward to seeing her story and prying her from the clutches of the absolute.

That does sound interesting, but I guess you can only get her if you side with the goblins, right? Not going to happen I'm afraid.

Yall really acting like a companion you can only get by murdering children can be redeemed?

She the standard loth drow evil, inept and probably never would have been a companion if yall wernt so thirsty.

I wouldent expect turning her into an orphan matron or something.

I don't doubt she has a redemption arc actually...not that I plan to pursue it. As for competency, she'll do just fine as a tank in my party.

Giving a companion locked behind child murder a redemption path is like giving a cat a zucchini lover path

There is no proof yet that simply possessing the necromancy tome makes a person more powerful than a collective group of people, and if it can, one would need to master it first which few could. Any and all cooperation Astarion does is for his own survival. Even if he genuinely cared not to kill his comrades, that one thing does not preclude him from being evil. That kind of logic is silly. It's like saying, "Yeah, this guy is a depraved serial killer, but he loves to pet puppies in his spare time--he's chaotic at worst!" A smidge of good does not cancel out evil, and it does even less so if the good is for selfish reasons.

This is why I've been saying that if Larian does give Astarion a "redemption" arc (shifting to neutral at best; that's as far as I can suspend my disbelief), it likely would feel shallow and unearned because Astarion was evil and corrupt in his past life too, and to change for the better requires a genuine want to do so and the ability to feel shame, which I've seen no evidence of in his case. He knows the right words to say (although he says them so disingenuously that I'm amazed our PCs don't have the option to call him out on it) to further his survival. Unless Larian's rewrites didn't stop with Wyll, and they give Astarion a significantly less evil backstory, it's just going to feel out of place and obviously done for the fans with I-can-fix-him fantasies. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth personally, but to each his own, I guess.

Just out of curiosity, what do you need to do exactly to have her in your party? And what will you have to overlook? It'll almost certainly remain theoretical for me, but since we're evaluating the character here I'd like to know.

Just out of curiosity, what do you need to do exactly to have her in your party? And what will you have to overlook? It'll almost certainly remain theoretical for me, but since we're evaluating the character here I'd like to know.