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

Yes. Another thing that irks me about that is the "several times". It plays right into him being so sexually traumatized that he has evolved it into a full-blown toxic fetish.

Halsin does not come off like a person, who has dealt or is dealing with his trauma, bit has poured his entire sexuality into his bears instincts in order to cope and suppress the trauma.

I can't say much about his romance, since I'm not planning to do that ( though his pick up line is cringy as hell).
But about the bear thingy:
I hoped that Halsins bear changing issues came from him being a werebear and that he'd had a story in act 3, where we would help him coming to terms with it. Act 3 even has were creatures, so that would have made sense - if they scratch Helia for him, at least give him a bit of her story.

It seems like they just took every kink represented and threw it into his character. So someone says "Can Halsin please top me in bear form?!" And then they went with it. I don't mind that it is there, but in the context of his other issues, it goes from being something actually rather sweet (that he is so impacted by his feelings, not progress to sleep with a bear part), into something that is dominant in how he views and reacts to his romantic and sexual relationships.

I'll just leave this here:

https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.L7916

"Large is what I'm here for"

Or, is it?????

LMAO

Oh. You think he's going back to... relive the bad old days? I'm definitely using some other reason in my headcanon, I feel bad enough about romancing him with a drow as it is...

Well, that is part of the reason why he is to eager to engage with the drow in the brothel. So, yes, I will say that is most likely the reason.
And I am so sorry, because that could make romancing him with a drow... problematic

I can't really see any other reason for that comment. The way he says it really seems to allude to something in the lines of "a dirty little secret"/fetish. I don't know, personally I just think that comment feels off in so many ways. But then again, I'm not that familiar with the lore and what kind of intimate encounters one would have in the Underdark.


I don't actually remember him eager in the brothel. But maybe I missed something. In my original playthrough it was more like:
Tav: "You up for it, Halsin?"
Halsin: "If this is what you want, sure."

But it's more than possible that I simply rewrote the way it happened in my own head because I hate the whole brothel scene over all. I just did a quick test to know what happened because I'd heard about the conversation afterwards, in my actual game I reloaded an earlier scene and avoided the brothel . Also, the first time I encountered the drow at the brothel and had a conversation where I could ask Halsin if he was interested, Tav and Halsin hadn't had *that* scene yet. So what happened was I could ask him if he was interested, he says yes, but there was no way to actually proceed from there. He had to be fully romanced before participating.

Fortunately I've never gone near the drow twins so none of that exists in my universe. Halsin just has a strange fascination with the Underdark (which my Seldarine drow is not going to be eager to explore, her memories of "home" are not good ones).

I just had the scene - you speak with the Drow and they tell about the services and before you can respond anything

Halsin says "An intriguing pair. Takes me back to my youth..."

And then you can ask "Interested, Halsin"

and he will respond with "More then interested, if you feel the same."

So yes, he is really into it.

Definitely a fetish at this point, which just makes everything even more... disturbing. But I don't have high hopes for them fixing Halsin. With them being so silent on the topic I assuming they don't care or it dies in Karlach, Minthara and Astarion talk.

But I am so glad I romances him with a tiefling and not a drow. Though honestly, the way it turned out I'd rather they hadn't made Halsin a romance at all.

As romances go, this has been the most disappointing I have ever played.

If that's how it goes, then I clearly deleted the "more than interested" part from my mind. Glad I've avoided the drows completely in my other playthroughs.
And yes, it's disturbing to say the least. Trauma turned into a fetish. Don't like that theme at all, but if they had at least given the player and Halsin a chance to deal with it and move towards a path of healing it would have...less bad.

Which is extremely ironic given all of the debate around Astarion. How can they be so aware and so oblivious at the same time?

Different writers, I assume. And probably a more rushed process with Halsin's story. I mean, I think he's pretty nicely done in ACT 1, okay in ACT 2, which are the parts I also assume were sort of meant to be there to begin with too (didn't he stay in your camp after cove celebrations in EA also? Or maybe he didn't and I just remember wrong, again. It's been a while.). But anyway, the minute his personal quest ends, it's like he's possessed by someone else and everything about him changes. Sort of implies a rushed ending that didn't go through the same feedback/revision cycles that other, long-planned, characters did. And it's just such a shame because he could have been amazing.

He’s great in act 1 and 2 until the romance! Hopefully his romance gets some updates and more options added!

Yes, he did. I assume he was originally meant to tag along into Act II as a camp-based companion, then perhaps take station at the Last Light Inn, where he'd remain when the Thaniel stuff was done until eventually showing up for the endgame thing.

I enjoy having him along in Act III, talking to him about the city's problems and how he might be able to help, etc. It's really just the romance that's an issue (and for me, the only major hangup is that ending - though I'd appreciate other changes too).

Look, Halsin has so many lovely things. Even most of his romance is actually really swet and lovely. It's just the forced sexuality, lack of commitment and over zealous fetish issues that are an issue.

He really gives you whiplash over and over, which is what makes it so damned uncomfortable.

I would like the option of a sweet romantic subplot, not only bear sex and threesomes!

Tav is canon like a tree in the forest, we look like NPCs, gender and race it doesn't matter...
Halsin doesn't want a monogamous relationship, that's good, no compulsion!
He can say, my heart or love, doesn't mean monogamy and that's okay.
You don't need to convince a 350 year old man of this.

As do we all!