I've seen this discussed in other areas so thought I would make a thread on the official forums for it, which is perceived flaws and tonal misfires in Halsin's romance.

This is not intended as a disparaging of polyamory, but rather a discussion of whether, intentionally or not, Halsin constitutes a good representation of such, if his romance content fits his previous characterisation and behaviours and reads as a healthy and positive relationship between equals.

An emerging discussion regarding Halsin, especially from those of us who championed him as a romance since early access, is whether his attitude towards Tav and romance gels with his previous demeanor and I would absolutely argue no. Throughout acts one and two, he denies all your advances based on duty and responsibility. His entire vibe is that of a dutiful, middle aged community leader and stable group dad married to his responsibilities. But when you get to his romance all the way in act three, after many of us who were intent on him will have turned down everyone else, it's rather unexpectedly and abruptly sprung on you that Halsin has near contempt for monogamy, follows his hedonistic urges and romantic whims as a bear would, despite being an adult man with a far more complex brain than an animal. goes into explicit detail about some of his conquests and then insists that this is the only way he can engage in romance with Tav without any input or discussion about Tav's wants or needs. No strings, no expectations, no rules. If you agree, this leads immediately to sex, after which if you ask Halsin about how he sees the relationship. he tells you he views relationships as 'fluid' and doesn't want to define the relationship - again Tav cannot respond to this or provide any input. There is no option for a single Tav to discuss their beliefs or values - it's act three Halsin's way or oops, you've just rejected every romance only to unexpectedly learn that Halsin doesn't do commitment or monogamy.

Suffice it to say that this came as a surprise to many people who chose Halsin and left them with either no romance or one that left them with a bad taste in their mouth. To many, Halsin does not sound like a polyamorous person speaking to someone they care about in these interactions. He sounds selfish, close-minded, inconsiderate and like a manipulator using thin polyamorist 'nature' arguments to get Tav into a no strings, nebulous sexual relationship he can leave on a whim with no personal responsibility and still claim emotional maturity - very ufortunate after being a source of maturity and respectability in the camp. If any of this had been telegraphed earlier, it could have been a character moment and discussion, but it really wasn't. The end result is uncomfortable and disappointing coming from the act 1 and 2 Halsin and not what I'm sure a majority of people wanted from romancing the stable, responsible group dad. There was a way to write Halsin as poly while still making him seem like a committed, responsible partner who is receptive and cares about a monogamous Tav's ideals but that isn't what exists and given how sweet, responsible and emotionally mature the character has come across beforehand and how popular he was, it seems a shame to leave his romance in a state that a lot of people are finding uncomfortable and unsavoury.

It seems an odd choice to acknowledge the popularity of the character by giving him full romance and companion status, only to then enforce a polarizing condition on his relationship and one that seems in direct contrast to what people found attractive about him, which I'd then argue is written so as to be a poor representation of poly people, giving off a vibe that I'm sure the writers didn't intend. This is in addition to a lack of build up in acts one and two, presumably a result of him being added later, but the end result is uncomfortable, unsatisfying and perhaps would have been better off being left out. Larian has clearly put so much passion and work into this game that I hope that post-release additions and rewrites aren't off the table for things such as this.