Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Halsin Romance, Expectations and Obligatory Poly

Here's here to take Gale's place now that his fixation is patched out, lmao

Greetings. I registered on the forum looking for information on Halsin's romance since I have my elf druid (one of my favorite classes) and I think they could be the couple of the year. I saw that the romance doesn't start until act 3 so I hurried to get there, I wanted to see that part and the disappointment was immense. Halsin's romance has great potential to be tremendously sweet like Gale's, but it is currently very incomplete.

1- There is a lack of romantic interactions in act 1 and 2, even though you don't have sex, like with the rest of the companions

2-I think there is a lack of interaction in general of a romantic type, romantic cinematographic... although when there are they are very sweet

3- There is a lack of options in their dialogues: I don't need anything else either, and having a monogamous relationship seems open to this but there are no options in a game of elections precisely


4- The ending is horrible, and leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. You have invested many hours in the game and in that relationship so that even though he loves you and you love him, that relationship is a fleeting adventure. What sense does this have? Again there are no options even though you could fit in his future



I was so disappointed that I deleted that game, now I'm playing a druid without rushing, watching everything calmly. To be honest, I think that the entire act three needs a review, the game also needs to correct the endings of the rest of the romances and restore the long epilogues, for example: Gale's romance is wonderful as is Astarion (I recommend them, especially Gale) but they have dependencies on weird flags and don't always jump even if you check everything and they are terribly sparse. I also think that it would also help to have a fixed option with your romance to sleep together in the dialogue like in other games, it would give a feeling of intimacy and continuity, in addition to your romance reacting as if it were your love and not just any NPC, but that's my personal opinion. I think they will review and correct these things shortly, very briefly, and that we will be able to enjoy Halsin and the others satisfactorily.

I think the main issue with Halsin's romance is that he is treated as a "secondary" rather than primary romance option, and most Halsin fans seem to have wanted him as their primary option. Like I mentioned earlier on in the thread, I don't necessarily have an issue with him being poly, but the lack of content/depth, combined with the lack of establishing whether he's open to a long term relationship or not, makes him feel lackluster or even confusing as a love interest. (And his past trauma is a whole other can of worms).

It seems like all the poly stuff, rather than necessarily fitting with his established character, was for player convenience (because it basically assumes you're already in a relationship with someone by the time Halsin is available, thus the poly options for the most popular romances--Shadowheart and Astarion--and noncommittal ending).

I think Halsin can still be written better and more satisfactorily as a poly romance, I just don't think it's there yet as it is.

I was completely okay with Halsin being poly throughout his entire romance with my character, up until the very end. That ending left me SORELY wishing for an option to go with him. For all the honeyed words he said, he didn't back it up with any substance. I'm monogamous IRL, so I played a monogamous character. Literally don't care that he's poly; I just wanted an option to go with him. My character dumped Gale for Halsin, so imagine my disappointment when I learned that Gale romancers get a MARRIAGE PROPOSAL and my character didn't get so much as an "I love you." Just a "Hope I see you again someday. Thanks for the sex." LOL

I completely agree with what you said here. I was immensely disappointment with how they handled Halsin and his romance as well.

Just let people like us who want a monogamous relationship for our Tav and Halsin have that option.

So, I thought I'd share my view here on the Halsin romance, not that I think it will actually make a difference. Seems unlikely Larian will do anything about it.

But, basically, I don't mind the poly option. I think it's great that it's available for those who want it and when you use Halsin as a second lover, it sort of works better. He basically says he wants to share in your heart etc, and if you do bring him to that dryad in the circus and chose Halsin instead of your other lover, Halsin will actually comment on it saying that he thought you'd bestowed the honor upon someone else. He doesn't keep calling you "his heart" and "love" every other sentence either, which he does if he's your only lover.

My only problem with his romance is that it's like two different people in one. He's super romantic, handing Tav lines about how his his heart doesn't stirr lightly, how his fog's been lifted, how he wants to be with Tav and have more than just friendship. If you tell him the feeling is mutual he tells Tav his stomach is in knots "like a lovelorn ninety-year-old". He's flirty from the beginning, sure, but also only as a response to Tav being flirty first. And then he comes and tells Tav he wants more and when they agree, Halsin's like "oh, by the way, my heart roams free, and you have to deal with that if you want me." Like, couldn't he have mentioned that a long time ago?

To me Halsin comes off as manipulative here. He makes you fall in love with him only to then break your heart and give you an ultimatum. Accept an open relationship or leave. And since you've already been manipulated into loving him, it's hard to say no even though it doesn't feel right. He should have been open with his "free roaming attitude" from the start, at least then the player has a choice if they want to accept his advances or not.

Then if Tav says fine and they go do the deed, Halsin keeps being romantic, calling them "my heart" etc. His dialogue is often very much leaning into "I love you" territory here, which is also clear if you break up with him. Halsin is written as if he truly LOVES Tav, and that he's also a bit unfamiliar with this feeling (being nervous and all that despite a life of "many lover"). And if you ask him how he sees your relationship, he admits to being unfamiliar with the term, but he also says "You are all I want, but I will not hoard you to myself." So what's all the talk about roaming free? Why can't Tav answer that Halsin's all they want too? If he only wants Tav and they only want him, why can't they mutually come to an agreement here that they can be monogamous and see where it takes them?
(If Tav is in a relationship with someone else too, Halsin does say the same thing, that he only wants you, but is happy for you to share your heart with others.)

So, basically, Halsin apparently doesn't want anyone else than Tav, he just doesn't want to restrict them. But then that should also be Tav's choice, they should be able to tell him they only want him. He's one massive contradiction that says one thing and acts in another way, and I don't think you can have a character that does both these things at the same time. Both versions can exist in the game, but not at the same time. This should clearly be Tav's choice. Do they want Halsin as a partner (for however long it will last), or do they just want him for some late night pleasures. I mean it can start as an open arrangement (and probably should considering Halsin's view on relationships), but that doesn't mean it can't evolve into something else should Tav want it.

Also, there should definitely be a choice to follow him by the end. And preferably a more fleshed out relationship that doesn't revolve only around that one scene in the woods. I mean, let people have some decent conversations to get to know one another. More one-on-one scenes like with origin companions.

And about his claim he's had many lovers, I've seen some complaints about that, but I mean, the dude's 350 years old so... Let's say he's had one lover every 10 years since he was 20, that alone is then 33 serious lovers/relationships, so clearly he's going to have had plenty if he's been swapping things around more frequently than in my example. Many lovers for a man of 350 years doesn't necessarily have to mean he's sleeping around. And considering how long his lifespan is, I get that he doesn't want to tie himself to one single person for the rest of his life, but "roaming free" doesn't have to mean sleeping with everything that moves and/or having multiple lovers at the same time, it can also mean, "I like to swap things around every other decade or so."

^i wouldn't say that. don't fret those who are unsure if they'll add onto the game content wise. swen in his last interview confirmed that the team will continue to add to the game, content, and patches, as well as implement the epilogues (which will be similar to karlach's new ending i'm going to assume, where we get a cutscene with our romanced character) i decided to visit tumblr to see if there were any displeased halsin fans in it, and the tag is filled to the brim of fetishes and fans actually using the content from the game(the brothel, how he's a sex god) to fuel their headcanons. posts after posts, nothing about how his romance feels unfinished. this got me wondering if perhaps john (halsin's writer) ventured on tumblr as he was writing halsin's character, and saw alot of fetish posts on halsin in the halsin tag, and assumed that's his fanbase, assumed that was what we wanted. it honestly clocks out, i implore you guys to visit the halsin tag on tumblr

Oh gods no. I'm not, uh, the "drow twins" type.

Maybe Halsin left because my character is so boring. No brothels... no bear sex...

I hope Larian fixes it because it really is a bit crazy what they've done, Halsin's writing compared to other characters is bad and lacking. There are moments where he is extremely tender and protective until, without warning, Halsin immediately enters a degenerate mid-life crisis. They seem like two different guys or that he is a manipulator of the devil and only plays with the Tav for sex. Which is fine for those who just want group sex but it's not a romance and will frustrate our bear's fans.

Oh, and by all the gods of Faerum: why can't I even flirt with Halsin before? I know the guy, who then pretty much forces you to accept that he's some kind of weird voyeur who pushes you (literally) to sleep with others, has been a monk for years due to the shadow curse. But: some philirty? flirt? React warmly towards Tav with the events at camp? something?. We are not exactly talking about a virgin boy who is new to these rodeos..

I noticed a fair amount of flirty dialogue before the Act III scene. It can start at the tiefling party and runs through Act II. Halsin does know how to bring the innuendo.

That is not true - there is discussion on tumblr about his romance and inconsistency with his writing, just like in this thread. Sure, if you only scroll under the #halsin tag for 4 min or so you won't find much because there is a lot going on on tumblr - you have fanart (most of it really cute and not even NSFW), people posting screenshots of Halsin posing or with dialog and yes, of course there are people who might just enjoy his looks or are only interested in him as a fling.

But regarding tumblr discussion of his lacking romance, here you go:
https://www.tumblr.com/nika-vincent...ther-my-thoughts-also-based?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/littlegaleri...s-a-monogamous-option-or-at?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/jazzajazzjaz...would-have-improved-halsins?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/bearhugsands...ole-free-roaming-bit-is-him?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/harcove/7253...ally-truly-do-but-i-have-to?source=share


Or just fanart addressing the epilog/romance:
https://www.tumblr.com/naariel/727670809343229952/halsin-romance-epilogue?source=share

There is also discussion about this on the offical Larian Discord Server. And on reddit. And I am pretty sure on other social sites as well, but I am not active on facebook, instagram or whatever.



Yes, even at the party you can "flirt" with him, but I must say I am not so happy with the flirt dialog that Tav has for Halsin. There is one line of getting to know him better which is ok, but the others are like "I REALLLLLLY want to get to know you better" to which he kind of replies "Ah I see, I might be able to help you with that later" like Tav is in heat and he has to heal Tav with Sex or so.... reminds me of the vulcans with their Pon Farr in Star Trek. Anyway, it is more like Tav telling him he/she/they want him for Sex (NOW) and less about spending time with him and getting to know him better and to see how things develop between them. I mean it is ok if a player only wants Halsin for Sex and nothing more, or sees it as start point for the romance (similar to Astarion where you have casual sex before) but if you don't want your Tav to sound like he/she/they needs him desperately for sex, you can only stay with the non flirty dialog options.

And I was really disappointed that there isn't extra dialog if you play a druid too. I think there are one or two dialog lines when you first meet him but that's it.

There might be dialogue, but its 1 topic about his writing and 15+ thirsting topics of fanart, screenshots and fanfiction.

Larian knew fully well why they highlight sex scenes and use of intimacy coordinators in their marketing. And those posts are the reason why Halsin got reworked into a companion in the first place.

And things are different with Astarion? I find more fanart, screenshots and fanfiction for him compared to Halsin. But he still got a decent development and a nice romance compared to Halsin. And not everyone is active on tumblr.

There was another meme: "Astarion - I can fix him. Halsin - he can fix me". It wasn't only about sex with Halsin. It was also about his character (as far as we knew about him) being mature, experienced, kind and supportive.

Yes, people saw an attractive elf and of course there was thirst too. Not different with Astarion or Shadowheart or Minthara or Gale or other companions. We even got a sex scene with Minthara before every other companion. Larian included it before anyone was asking for it. And why not? This is a game for adults, people are ok with the gore and brutality and everything but with sex they draw a line? I don't mind the sex scenes, I don't mind that we can have Halsin as a fling, but there were and are also people who were interested in a real romance with him too - and Larian seems to know that because they do have dialog with him that implies this. The issue is that it isn't consistent. He isn't just a fling. He isn't a fully developed romance option. He is a mix and in the current form it doesn't make sense.

To now look on Tumblr and imply because some people are now posting screenshots of him with naked upper body and one single(!) fanfiction that I found among a lot of other stuff posted that is not NSFW is the reason why his romance is lacking is simply wrong. Not every post on tumblr is about naked Halsin, and those who are I don't mind - why can't people just enjoy him being good looking? And there is other content too. And you have the very same with other companions (especially with Astarion) too. So this is really not a valid point, sorry.

Besides - if you feel Tumblr is lacking of whatevery you think is quality content for Halsin, then please share and post your thoughts/fanart/fanfiction or other creations. Easy to ask others to do things and doing nothing yourself.

The difference is that Astarion was always planned as a companion/origin.
Halsin was only made into one after a lot of demand. So his story was never set up for deeper interaction past act 2 and instead of rewriting him and larger parts of the story Larian just focused on the aspect demanded most. The thirsting.

Yeah, the initial flirting you are offered as Tav to Halsin is really creepy and would probably get you turned away IRL. That is not how anyone approaches people they are attracted to for romantic reasons rather than just a Tindr/Grindr fling. It's OK that the game acknowledges he is very good looking, but characters should be approached as sensible adults, especially a freaking archdruid.

Exactly, agree on all inclusive druid theme. And it is not comparable to say: are you adapting well to camp? That the conversations of our other romances even before sex

De acuerdo completamente, pero además sigo diciendo: claramente insuficiente. De verdad, comparar el número de interacciones de gale por ejemplo, los tonteos, momentos tiernos (por ejemplo cusndo te besa la mano cuando te la pone en el corazón para sentir la bomba )... Todos antes de tenrr sexo con Gale , y ahora comparar con Halsin, solo eso, and me dice alguien que halsin está completo

In this case they could have just written him as fling - casual sex for Tav no feelings required/included. But they didn't. Even if you only want him for casual sex he will still tell you about his stirring heart and you will still get romantic dialog with him. They wanted him to be both - romance and fling but right now those who want a fling get romantic dialog from him and those who want a romance get dialog with him that fits better to a fling.

+1
Exactly, they can't have both at the same time. There needs to be two different routes to take here, one where he's just a fling and one where he's a proper romance/partner. And the dialogue/actions provided needs to match the choice made.
If Larian for some reason just want Halsin to be a fling, all that romantic stuff that feels like love needs to be removed, because keeping it in makes Halsin seem manipulative.