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

Let's see:

- Manipulative
- sex over personal values
- no longer believes in commitment
- Agrees with the Shadow Druids
- One moment says "don't trust a cambion" next moment "oh, you should totally sleep with them"
- No longer actually listens to Tav
- everything is suddenly about sex - again, again and again


I think you and I remember EA Halsin very differently

Agreed with this, though I don't mind the poly being an option even though I won't pursue it.

Manipulative... he says what he wants, no more and no less.
The grove and the curse are not the same as his preferences.
He never agreed to a commitment.
And he doesn't have more sex than other companions.

.... I think you need to play through the game again, because the implications of the banter is... very much different than what you summarized. (Lae'zel basically says he sleeps with a lot of their enemies, he flirts and tries to lure romanced companions into bed with him, though Tav has already rejected him) And I never said he had more sex - I said he places more value on sex than personality from act3 on.

I am saying that Halsin in all other aspects of his life devotes himself to commitment, and that saying "I can't imagine my life without you" and "I belong at your side" are deeply implicating a commitment.

And yes, Halsin is very good at saying what HE wants and not giving Tav a chance to voice what they want or negating it. But please, just leave me alone. Clearly you have not taken notice of those things, and there is no reason why you need to. If you do not see the toxic implications then I am actually pleased for you, because it is awful.

But I do find it problematic how many tries to normalize gaslighting.

He's free, no more grove and curse, what's the problem? Why shouldn't you notice this in the game?
In this game we only have one real poly char and that is a problem here...
He wants to be with us, but not a mono or committed relationship.

I have summarised the problem of consent, respect and agency for you seven times now, and you keep saying polygamy is the issue, when it in fact the toxic representation of RA and again, not the polygamy. If you cannot tell the difference by now, then sadly I am not qualified to tell you.

I am asking you again, just leave me alone.

He basically begs you to have a poly relationship with him if you're already in a relationship with someone else which is hard to avoid considering how late his starts. If you then still say no, at least in the case of romancing Shadowheart, he'll actively go after her instead. He's written to be a massive creep who doesn't take no for an answer. And since it's the same writer for both those companions, she's written to be fully on board with that, which will completely ruin immersion for people who liked Shadowheart for who she was in act 1 and act 2.

His romance as it stands is rubbish because his only poly options don't make sense and he doesn't want commitment despite being written like he would.

Halsin is only poly, he is for an open "relationship", including his heart.
It makes sense and he says it too.

Wanna hear something funny?

If you don't pursue either Shadowheart or Astarion he (Halsin) show no interest in them or they in him and Halsin just focuses on the MC. (and if you decide to reject Halsin he keeps on pestering the MC on two separate occasions to start a relationship with him)

Another thing that I didn't know is that even Karlach shows interest in Halsin, cant remember the line but she mentions that she would ride him if she could while you are pursuing her. Same thing thing with Gale, you can bully Gale into having a 'fivesome' with Halsin where Gale sits to the side watching you have sex with Halsin and the drow.

Now tell me knowing everything about the character that Haslin isn't someone's OC do not steal.

In all honesty I'm done with the game, I had my three playthroughs and that was enough for me. The only reason I stay on these forums is because if find some parts funny/entertaining. (blaming Zerubbabel for the influx of Dubai call girls ) As for the ED, maybe it will fix things but I have my doubts.

People that wanted Halsin as a companion/romance option pretty much got monkey pawed, so maybe next time folks need to be clear as to what they want so we don't end up with a character that fits more into some porn visual novel and not a mainstream RPG.

Sadly everything about this is right. I have completed the game fully once, have my second run paused in act 3 and my surge in act 1. I simply don't have the motivation. The end was not gratifying enough.

He says, he has overcome his trauma and the loss of his family etc. (350 year old man...), but no, he's afraid of commitment, we become therapists, he must have mono like others, it's his nature (whether perverted or not for they), but no!
Mono chars even end the relationship if you want poly, that's ok, Halsin isn't allowed to do that, it is manipulative... I read everything, omg, really...

I will say this, people who romance another character, and where Halsin is just a side piece (as he is written to be) and don't engage with the drow twins, do seem to have a better experience with him. (You don't get his end scene for example)

It's when you romance just him that the flaws in his writing stands out like a sore thumb.

It's a shame that the player doesn't have the agency to say:

"I am fine with you being poly, but I want to dedicate myself to one person at a time. So, if you can accept that, and I accept you having other romantic possibilities, then that works."

"I love you, and I would like for this to work long term. Would you be willing to attempt this, on both our terms?"

"I know you haven't experienced this type of intimacy before, would you like to consider exploring it further with me?"

Right now it's an unreasonable demand. Poly this specific way or no way.
It goes directly against what healthy poly and RA is, because it is a constant discussion, compromise and evaluation of the relationship and ongoing.
This is what is at the heart of any type of good relationship. It's such a shame that it is missing, because Halsin has shown that he has the ability to grow and change.

This is not a post about "change Halsin" this is "don't make Halsin a one-note sex monster, and give him more depth and complexity, because it has already been established."

Not quite true - I did get his end scene along with Astarion's. I think I dodged several bugs there.

Oh, alright. Yeah, most people I know who did that didn't get it. I stand corrected

He says, come with me if you're like me, Halsin is an open relationship.
The ending is strange, why can't I go with him, he loves me and wants to be with me.
For me it was okay to have others, that was the condition.
We agree with Halsin, but we can no longer walk the path together? Larian might be able to fix that... but changing Halsin's character... no.

I understand that it works for you. If they wish to keep that option open for you, that's fine. However, a single line of choice does not make a good RPG, and in this case, his character is super problematic on many fronts. He is not my romance, either, fyi.

What you and the author refer to as "poly" is very limited and objectified/over-sexualized version of real poly culture. What makes poly relationships work is when both parties are heard and communication is open. Poly =/= having sex with as many people as possible, by refusing to take no for an answer, love bombing, and glomming the existing relationships of others.That isn't poly, it's creepy and abusive.

What you refer to as him handling his trauma, is not a healthy way to do so. He portrays as having an addiction to sex, a fear of commitment, and the use of sex as an escape. From what I read above he's even used it as a weapon. Not only is he not handling his own shit, but he's giving mixed signals - what he says and what he does do not align. He is spreading his pain to others.

It isn't the sex or the FWB. It isn't the lack of commitment. It isn't the idea of Poly character.

It is the lack of positive representation of poly individuals. It is the abusive behavior. It is the verbal espousement of anti-commitment with all the love words and persistence of a relationship. It is the lack of choice provided - the player can't even get him off their back by saying No. It's the lack of respect he has for sex.

The most offensive part is that this was created with the expectation of gratitude on the part of the Halsin-manners, the poly community, and the wider identity justice movement. Thank you, but no thank you - don't represent poly individuals without doing your homework. This is the poly version of 50 shades for the BDSM community.

Shame on the author, shame on the company. They could do better, and if they were madly in love with this dumpster fire, they could have at least made it optional.

He is a 350 years old Druid and has the Oak Father.
We don't know how he overcame his trauma or when it even happened.
He likes sex and is a bit kinky, that's his preference (trauma or not).
Poly people are not all the same.

Shame? Is not necessary...

Again, if that is how you see it, you do you.

You and I are neither of us the end all be all of pop psychologists of fictional romance.

There are opinions which deviate from yours. Some of us see abuse, addiction, and acting out.

I'm only asking that our perspective be treated as valid, and Larian take ownership of the problematic way they treat victims of abuse and minority identity communities.

Halsin is a character who describes his appraoch to relationships is "fluid" - which indecates something that changes, grows and adapts. By blatently denying the possibility and have very strict definitions on what a relationship with him can be, then he is no longer fluid. Even less so because he does not take input from others. And he doesn't take "no" for an answer when he is refused.

I am not saying the options that are currently present in the game should be removed. I am very much requesting that more are added so Halsin can indeed be fluid, and that we actually do have the influence and player choice that Larian boasted about when they advertised him.

"Added based on player feedback who wanted to romance him" and then make him so unsatisfying for this many people is... more than disappointing. It's heartbreaking.

I give this dump of info to say that Halsin lacks these things. TRP is actually quite up front about what a piece of shit he is and is the most immoral of the group. Halsin by comparison is a saint. He doesn't try to sleep around pre-romance, he doesn't disregard your feelings or thoughts pre-romance, and he's very sweet even his romance dialogue is all very sweet and caring until you realize you have absolutely no agency outside of breaking up with him or denying him an orgy.