Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Playing as Karlach gets you less content? [Spoilers]

One thing that surprised me was how, even if there is a fully acted Diaglogue option for certain scenes, we don't get those options as dialogue prompts.

I thought for example that we might have a chance to play towards type (by repeating stuff they'd say normally) or against type, but still saying Karlach type things. I don't know trading out some "fuck yeahs!" for the occassional "fuck no!" or whatever, but you never get that chance. The dialogue branch isn't customized that way. I feel like if you play as a Karlach then the regular Tav dialogue prompts should dissappear or something.

Durge is interesting not so much for the off the rails storyline, but because almost immediately you get some different stuff happening which differentiates that playthrough from a Tav run.

Currently playing as an Origin feels almost creepy to me, like piloting a robot or a mind controlled marionette. You lose all the banter interjections and this makes the Origin characters as Protagonists feel rather souless compared to their Origin Companion versions. Not for diabolical reasons in this case, but just cause they all seem to lose their spirit when you take over. It's actually the opposite of how I thought it would feel. I'm less connected to Origin stories which seem shallow compared to the same character as a companion.

Karlach's engine could have been really interesting here. Her first scene with Gale could have him say something like 'Hot! Hot hot!' and then when he asks about whether you're a Cleric, maybe there's an extra line or two there ya know. Scratch has an endearing first scene with her if she's a companion, but if you play as her you just get the standard Tav stuff there.

I still think the water should start to steam and boil whenever she steps in the River, like a portable hot tub.

Rage should periodically be a dialogue branch for her, where we can lean into that and ramp it up.

Of all the Origin characters, she's the furthest off the beaten path to recruit as a companion, so her initial interactions with the others on the beach and at the grove needs a bit more.

I had a similar experience with Shadowheart as an Origin. I lost interest because it didn't seem to be all that different from a Tav run. I think it needs to feel substantively distinct from a regular Tav playthrough, like from very early on Act I, otherwise I don't get the point.

To me playing as the Origin doesn't feel like it's giving me more insight into the character or inhabiting that role in a meaningful way. All the Origins are dropping the ball on this. The fact that we have Durge as an Origin but not as a companion, or Jaheira as a companion but not as an Origin, confuses the issue further. I think The Dark Urge should appear right next to Custom Tav, with the other companions below these in the portrait layout of the New Game screen. Or Durge should be an actual companion we can meet and recuit somewhere, so it makes sense.

People made a fair bit of noise about the development energy spent on Origins perhaps taking away from other stuff during EA, but I don't think that happened here. If anything it just seems sorta half baked, like a plan that didn't come to fruition.

It's not like every line of dialogue is acted out here, which is what I thought playing as an Origin would entail. Karlach highlights this more than the other Origins, but they all have the same sort of thing going down. Maybe the endings or stuff in Act III is different, but I couldn't really stick it out long enough to find out. The custom Tav felt in every way like the more rewarding experience and the Origins are much more charming and engaging as companions.