Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Are you dissapointed with companions variety?

Oh I was just trying to add, not correct.

Definitely, the only companion I really like is Karlach, and a little bit of Astarion.

Most followers are extremely boring, very funny that the studio that berated us for making boring characters in Early Access made a bunch of boring characters as followers, and most of them are unpleasant to be around, to boot.
There's also a lack of follower number, seriously, only 10? and 2 of them are druids, doesn't help that both of them are going to be your friend if you're doing a good playthrough, and neither if you're evil.

I would like to see some more exotic and forgotten races, rather than humans and elves, you can have humans and elves, but more variety would be nice.
Just thinking, what would I personally want as followers, instead?
-Common Oni (Kara-turan Ogre variant) Fighter (With dwarfism if need-be for their size to not be Large by default), (Lawful Evil.)
-Lythari Light cleric of Eilistraee, found in the Underdark, perhaps, trying to convince some Drow to turn away from Lolth? (Neutral Good)
-Githyanki Monk (something of an outcast, clearly, but still has decent knowledge on their race's culture) (Lawful Neutral)
-Duergar Oathbreaker Paladin (Formerly Oath of Conquest, breaking his oath saw them exiled from their people, possible evil "redemption" path where they end up restoring their oath?)
-Air Genasi Bard? or just have that Dragonborn bard be recruitable...
-Wyll but with his old character background
-Astarion and Karlach are fine as they are

Also why isn't Astarion tagged as an undead?

...in their writing? Yes, but I also expected it since it's Larian. Writing has never been their strength. I don't like relying on highly subjective criteria, like what is boring or interesting. Instead I will point out that the two companions with the most content dedicated to them, Shadowheart and Lae'zel have the exact same character arcs. And of the remaining 8, 3 of them have very little content period. As far as racial variety, I didn't expect it, but was also not surprised since the interactions are heavily tailored around the romances. Exotic companions are harder to sell for that purpose. It takes good writing. Which...loops back around to the first point and why I was not surprised, I'm sorry to say.

Previously I wouldn't've believed you on the romance thing, exotic races are absolutely loved.
But the fact that Shadowheart's been romanced the most, while being THE most obnoxious piece of shit out of all the companions (at least to me), I gotta say, maybe you're right..

Yea they should’ve cut jaheaira and minsc, added the gnome and a dwarf, and not make Minthara and the Druid guy mutually exclusive

I don't mind characters being mutually exclusive, the problem in this case is that there's not enough followers to pull it off.

You might as well just make them a Githzerai at that point, Being Gith Monks is literally their whole thing.
As for exotic races I'll add Szarkai (Albino Lolth worshiping drow), Vanaras (Monkey folk race, been missing since 3e), Shifters (Half-Werewolves from Eberron), Giffs (Bri'ish Hippo folk race from Spelljammer), Eladrin (Feywild 4 seasons elves),

As for an Eladrin companion, I recommend Sai Nailo the 30 something autumn wild magic sorcerer Eladrin prince, (I'm keeping him under a 100 until his 5th or 6th adventure, started his career at 20, he was also originally a High Elf wizard) with his trusty Shadow Blade, who ditched his royal responsibilities to travel the realms in search of exotic women, going where no Eladrin has gone before...

Plus he already got some adventuring experience by crawling "Out of the Abyss" and He did commit a "Heist in Waterdeep",

Personally He's not really main character material, I say he's more of a lancer like Vegeta or Sasuke, with a bit a Ladies man streak, he's just there to serve as a rival of sorts,

Flaws
1 Idiot
2 Indecisiveness
3 Horny
4 God Complex
5 Thinks Rules are for Squares

Character Development he stopped hitting on any women with a pulse, might try out monogamy for a bit, he's gotten less of a God complex, is bit more Decisive, and speaks up a bit more, guy more mature and more confidence.

I am just because we didn't get a bard companion. It's basically the one companion that a DnD party must ever have and we got none.

I don’t mind except for the fact that in both cases it locks so much content. I mean not being able to heal the shadow curse without halsin makes zero sense, should’ve been tied to all the mini bosses in act 2

Halsin replaced our Bard, Helia the Werewolf Halfling Bard was a planned companion that got scrapped in favor of redundant druid boy.

Imagine if Minthara was not a Drow but a female Dragonborn or if Karlach was an Oni instead. The same problems would exist, but I doubt the same level of attention/commitment from the audience to having them fixed would necessarily follow. It's the same reason why the majority of player characters are Human or Half-Elf. It's not that you can't sell a majority on wanting that romance, but the writing has to do more heavy lifting a la Garrus in Mass Effect instead of them just being conventionally 'hot.' And Larian's writing can only lift about 10 pounds is what I meant.

That said, as much as I don't really like Halsin a lot, I'd have preferred him over Jaheira.
Now I don't know too much about Jaheira, but I just don't like nostalgiabait. So I'd rather they'd replaced Jaheira with Helia, and Minsc with someone else, too.

Jaheira is literally the best companion, despite the fact that she's yet another knife-ear, and it's not nostalgia because I haven't even played BG1&2.

And I'm still mad about it. Helia sounded epic. What did we get instead? Another elf, druid and a sex pest on top, without any story in act 3. Halsin is annoying and boring at the same time .
And act 3 even has another werewolf. I wonder if that story would have tapped into Helias story.

They didn't make Jaheira nostalgia bait. She is a wonderful character in BG3 and I'm glad, they included her. Halsin though... don't need him, for reasons I stated in the post above.

I never played BG 1 and 2. So I can't talk about nostalgiabait, however, I love Jaheira, she's always at my party through the whole of Act 3. She has a lot of great interactions, she's funny, and so much more interesting to have around than most companions tbh. Wish they had made her romanceable instead of Halsin tbh.

100% agree with this line.

At first, I was happy for people that wanted Halsin when they got him in the game.

But the more I play, the more I want him out of the game. He doesn't belong as a companion.

He should've just been a camp follower like Volo, but one that you could at least romance, who later leaves the camp after Act 2, seeing as did what he needed to do, he outlives his usefulness once he follows you into act 3, like dude your job is done and you clearly hate the city of Baldur's Gate like a disgusting hipster.

I'd be fine with no romance, either, after all, he seems perfectly fine with "conquering"

From all that I've seen of the game I also would agree that Jaheira is a great character whereas Halsin I could do without. But I, as someone who does not believe Larian's writers are particularly good, would argue the reason Jaheira is a great character is precisly because she's a character origially developed by other writers in another game, and not a truly original Larian character. Jaheira is awesome in BG1 and 2 also, and has always been in every one of my great many playthroughs of those games, and is also always my only romance interest in those games.