Rogues get 1 Expertise at level 1 and again at level 6 while Bards also get 1 Expertise at level 3 and again at level 10 so yes Rogues will use Expertise sooner although both Rogues and Bards get the same 2 Expertise total.
No, Rogues get 2 expertise at level 1 and 2 expertise later. But definitely 2 expertise at level 1...this was shown in gameplay clips recently.
But Rogues and Bards are entirely different things...Rogues are about high single target damage, so they're basically boss slayers. While bards are mostly support characters. Can be useful to have a bard but eh, I generally don't really want one and I don't want to play as one either and since none of the origin companions are bards they don't really matter to me.
And Rogues I believe will be *the* class to play Dark Urge as, as at least some of the gear you get exclusively from the Dark Urge origin nobody else can get will be for Rogues.
I double checked the wiki and you're right, Rogues get Expertise at both level 1 and level 6 and each expertise is given to two different skill proficiencies for a total of expertise in four skill proficiencies.
"Expertise is a passive feature that allows a character to double their Proficiency bonus on a skill. When a character gains this feature, they may choose two Skills they are Proficient in and gain Expertise in both of those Skills."
Having said that, I'm also right in that Expertise is also earned by Bards at both level 3 and level 10 so just like Rogues, Bards end up having the same number of expertise in 4 total skill proficiencies plus the additional 2 skill proficiencies that they get over any Rogue if a Lore Bard.
In regards to "Rogues being about high single target damage, so they're basically boss slayers", I would think that the Gloomstalker Rangers fills that niche better than any Rogue and would even say that a Gloomstalker Ranger is more viable playing a solo Dark Urge than any Rogue.
You're totally right about Bards being support/utility oriented though which to mind way of thinking, makes them a more appropriate class for a companion than for a MC, which is the main reason of my reluctance to play a MC as a Bard and I get the feeling that you share that sentiment which is why you would prefer a Rogue as opposed to a Bard for a MC.
