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.
I also expected some added “spice” according to the Origin’s personality - the same options and outcomes, but phrased a bit differently, at least with some frequency. It does happen sometimes in Act 1, but afterwards just blends into regular tav dialogue. Must be complicated to do that, but having it once in a while would encourage you to keep playing as Origin for longer, I guess.
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.
Yea, Durge it gives you “new” content just enough to keep you interested in the play. And as you said, Durge feels like it should’ve been an option in the menu beside custom tav - it would make much more sense than listing it with the origins.
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.
Definitely felt this with avatar Astarion. Started a run with him and it felt quite odd since as companion he’s so full of character. He DOES have a few unique moments/cinematics right off the bat that you don’t see with him as a companion, which was quite fun. But after that it goes through the regular tav route and feels “soulless” as you said. It’s kinda wearing the Origin’s skin.
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.
Exactly. If Gale had a reaction to shaking her hand, it already would’ve been believable. Karlach gets the dialogue option to ‘concentrate to not burn him’ or something when pulling him, but after her effort to pull him without hurting him, the no-problem handshake comes and you get like ‘Wait, what?’
If she had a moment of WANTING to pet Scratch but having to hold back, calling him ‘good boy’ instead, would also add to showing how her engine limits her daily life interactions. She can’t touch others, pet animals or show affection physically. It’d make her personal story clearer and even help the player empathize with her problem, perhaps. (I mean, wanting but not being able to pet a dog… no one deserves this)
I also think she should sizzle a bit in the water! I understand that she gets hotter whenever she is raging or feeling strong emotions, so perhaps she could steam a bit during those moments. And I bet she’d be awesome heater in the shadow cursed lands if they can’t keep a fire going :p
I’m at the start of Act 3 as Karlach now, and nothing else that happened so far (dialogue or cinematics) is specific or new to her. From what you’ve mentioned, it seems this is the case for all origins, with a few exceptions here and there.
The aggravating issue of Karlach being presented with the same dialogue options as tav is the fact that she is the only Origin that can’t touch anyone during act 1/2. So what she gets is not only the empty feeling of a ‘soulless’ origin because of how the game works, but her story also has holes in the logic of dialogue.
Basically: she can’t touch, but animation shows her touching. She can’t have sex, but dialogue says she has had. Too many contradictions that feel like just oopsies.
For example, if you play Karlach and romance Astarion, after the tiefling party night, the dialogue options between them are the same as the regular tav. That breaks the story because Karlach can’t have possibly slept with him - or anyone else. And yet, the game still continues to give you options as if she had - because tav (or the other origins) would have.
I wonder if there was a way to adjust these things a bit, rephrasing lines here and there, and add some “flare” to the way the dialogues are written when they’re said by origins. I suppose it’s a lot of work, but would give us an extra encouraging to play as them I guess.
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.
I’ve seen some cool stuff in the first hour or two of playing Astarion that gave me some extra insight about him. But I haven’t seen that level of content in Karlach’s play at all… Even for Astarion, who seems more fleshed out as a character, that might be it (I can’t say since I’ve not went much farther with him).
I’m not sure it’s worth going through an entire play as him (or other origin) to get the rare cinematic or dialogue option, since the rest is pretty much a repetition of tav. Can’t tell for sure, though, cause I just played him for a bit - maybe there’s more. I do know that unfortunately as Karlach there is close to nothing extra there.
The only insight I saw in Karlach is a monologue moment when she finds the first soul coin, pondering whether she should use them or not. Pretty meh.
One day I’ll reach the end of her playthrough, but it’s gonna take a while.
