ess of how I play through, I would like to see what they're intended to be at the end.
(from me)I suspect the default level up choices for, for example Shadowheart, are exactly the same they would be if you made Tav a clone of Shadowheart.
That's my concern, and my expectation, that it isn't shadowheart's default, it's the cleric default. It's not even the Trickster Cleric. At the same time, I don't think the default is a default. I'm certain that I've had Gale alternate between defaulting as Evocation and Abjuration. Gales the only one I don't care what his default is, I want him to be an Abjuration Wizard, it's very tanky.
And why can't Shadowheart's, as a '"cleric with these stats," canonical leveling options be default cleric? Seems like an odd thing to be "concerned" about. Seems like you want to see a roaadmap of how to develop the companions. If that's true and that's fun for you, OK, but I don't and never will get it.
But how can there be a "correct'" playthrough? Is the "correct" playthrough of KotOR 1 a male Revan, and if you make your Revan female, are you doing it "wrong?'"
Yes, the canon Revan was male and redeemed, he didn't go back to evil. Though that gets a little weird in The Old Republic MMO. There is a canon Shepard. There is a canon Warden, a canon Hawke, a canon Inquisitor. Just because you can play anything you like doesn't mean there isn't a canon version for the books and the sequel playthroughs that don't include the previous game. Honestly, BioWare's Dragon Age tapestry was a revelation because they gave you a way to define the history of your game instead of forcing you to accept the canon story for future playthroughs.
When you say "yes," is that you answering my question "are you doing it 'wrong''?" If so, I cannot relate to your attitude whatsoever. You might as well be telling me you enjoy bathing in mayonnaise.