Originally Posted by Asri
I didn't play EA, but the snippets I have seen and heard of Halsin from EA, he sounds like a much more compelling and interesting character. More emotional and vivacious.

I'm sad I missed that version. The release Halsin seems a bit like a blank slate upon which players write their version. I think it would explain much of the love him or hate him response.
I also missed this version (I played only a little during EA) so I can only watch, read and listen to all what's left on YouTube and Tumblr. Yeah, he was more interesting, he had a real motivation to go with Tav to Act 2 and, I'd say, he also had strong story line in this act which was intertwined with the main plot. Maybe Larian team thought this story is too complex for a mere NPC and they removed it and made it simpler, but when people expressed their desire to have Halsin as companion, it was too late to bring back this because of lack of time.