The problem, though, is that playing a custom PC is the least gratifying way to play the game, per Larian's intentional game design, and that doesn't sit well with me at all.
I don't totally agree with that. (i'll tag this all as spoilers for Red Queen's sanity)
From my playthrough, playing a custom PC is absolutely the BEST way to play the game. I doubt I'll ever do an origin playthrough or DU playthrough. The trade off of having less background built into the game vs it being MY character isn't even a trade off for me. I know we've had this conversation before, but for me and others, being able to make the character our own is much more important than losing a few interactions throughout the game. Once you see the whole plot, you quickly realize that the origin interactions with the main story, while seemingly extremely important, are an illusion. SH? Not remotely needed. Gale and his "only you can save the world" line? Nope, total nonsense. Wyll? I didn't do any of his actual storyline with him in my party and got the same results. Lae'zel? The creche isn't even required for the story in the slightest.
It's all just window dressing that gives the illusion of something more, but the fact is, as a custom Tav, I WAS the most important person in the story. I made all the decisions, the origin companions followed my lead, I made the final decisions at the end of the game. If I had played as any of the origin companions, sure, I could have done similar things, but it would always be tainted by Larian's backstory for them and forced interactions. As a blank slate, Tav was 100% MINE.
idk, I'm just repeating the same things I've said over and over again. I do understand what you're saying, but I do think you're not giving custom Tav enough credit, and overestimating just how important the origins are.
