Originally Posted by vx_phoenix_vx
Here's the thing though: if Halsin was truly poly, and SH had given clear indications that that kind of relationship was okay with her, she wouldn't be a terrible option.

SH expresses interest in Halsin but it feels forced and Astarion outright dislikes him, calls him annoying, and makes fun of his nature bullshit all the time. They both just suck as options...

She does neither of these things. She's against an open or poly relationship just like every other origin companion when they're romanced and she does not show any interest in him whatsoever except during Halsin's romance dialogue which is completely out of character for her, just like it is for Astarion.

Originally Posted by Asri
Fandom aside, Shadowheart comes from a background of "short term amusements" and really doesn't care.
Lae'zel comes from a society where sex isn't even for breeding purposes, and propositions the player early on.
Karlach is "pent up" and has said she wants to make up for lost time.

Shadowheart:
Even if this background were truth, she never acts upon this during the game so she's evidently not remotely interested in it and if she ever was she has completely developed out of it like Bigli said. But her relationship with the only person she seemed to get along with at the House of Grief was a platonic one, so I'll still consider this nothing more than a contradiction in writing that's only mentioned during a completely optional event (you cheating with Mizora).

Lae'zel:
She develops out of this mentality during her romance, so she wouldn't be a good fit if romanced.

Karlach:
This is the only one that could be argued for, but they decided against writing her that way. It wouldn't take quite as much change to make it consistent for her though.

If they wish to continue Halsin as a poly companion (and I can believe this could still sort of be considered poly based on the above posts from Niara and KillerRabbit, even if it's not a great representation of it), then they should dial it down to act 2 just like every other companion's romance. They should also have every other companion that you are still on the romance path with break up with you, just as they do with one another, because none of them are poly at that point except maybe Karlach.

Then, they should give you the option to add UNromanced companions to the mix. They never got their romance character development, so they may still be up for a fling (to start things off with). Mainly Lae'zel, Karlach and Astarion come to mind. Lae'zel is clearly not interested in a relationship initially, just a one night stand. Karlach is desperate for action, she'll go looking for some if you don't romance her already anyway. Astarion could still be interested for the sake of seducing you (and in this case, Halsin too) for protection if he never got to do it in act 1. I think Shadowheart, Gale and Wyll are a tougher sell even when unromanced, but 3 is still a lot of options; more than he has now, of which both are inconsistent with their character.

Would any of these 3 work long term when it comes to consistency in their story? I don't know, that's up to the writing to decide. But it would be a miles better selection than active romances in act 3 after they've already been clearly marked mono throughout the game, which is why they're the player's only remaining romance in the first place.

Last edited by Michieltjuhh; 04/11/23 05:47 PM.