Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Least Liked Companions Voting Poll

Halsin... I don't dislike him so much as I don't really acknowledge him. He sits in camp and has that one quest and beyond that he's not really a thing.

Wyll is annoying, since he likes to cry about everything "Oh woe is me, I have a pact with a devil that I made willingly" "Oh woe is me, turns out devils are mean" "Oh woe is me, my dad who disowned me because of my pact with a devil is in danger". As well as his weird, creepy "Hit on all the girls" banter...

But, my least favourite has to be Gale. Because despite his nice demeanor, his entire situation was caused by his narcissistic arrogance. He literally had it all, the vast expanse of the weave (Available to mortals), sleeping with a literal goddess, friends with Elminster. But he decided he wanted more. Enough to disregard Mystra's wishes (Showing he didn't really care about her, or at the very least, cared about his own wants more) and try to access the parts of the weave forbidden to mortals.

Then he turns around and starts flirting with you. "There's few I'd consider special" I bet Gale, because you care about yourself more than anyone else. At least Astarion has a reason to be self-centred, he spent several decades being tortured as a slave to a Vampire. What's your excuse Gale?

This matches my own feelings. I gave Gale the astral tadpole. He looks a bit less dandy now. (Evil me)
When Wyll told his story,my first thought was : you cretin, this so-called Tiamat ritual was just a scam and a devil's ploy to lure you into their power. But turned out it was real. I still find it a strange story though. I think the devil's trap would have been a more logical explanation.

It's like we didn't even play with the same companion or something. Wyll doesn't even mention Mizora by name before she shows up to make his life difficult, and then only when you ask him about his past (after she puts him on the spot), and when she forces herself on the party. Outside of that he barely talks about her or his pact. Or complains in general. Especially not about his father, who he talks solemnly about once, when he talks about his past.

I can't stand Astarion. He's legit my only truely disliked companion and is only my lockpicker and pickpocketer. Otherwise, he's my camp's squatter. His selfish and brooding edgelord nonsense gets old VERY fast. Minthara (who I'm not a huge fan of, because I dislike Drow) was spot on about him. The only redeeming thing about him or his character to me, ONLY occurs when you go out of your way to leave everyone in camp and talk to the source of his problem, with only Astarion in the room, after said problem has been defeated. Because he actually does the right thing.


:edit:
I'll never understand Wyll hatred. He's perfectly fine. But I guess because he's not a sociopath or cruel, he's "boring." Which is ridiculous.

Same.

To me he is just a very nice and chivalrous guy wanting to do good for the people, who just fell in with the wrong crowd. As Lae'zel likes to put it; "Idealist do-gooder, benevolent burden"

I also liked Wyll even during Early Access and personally consider his story then much more interesting than being tied to Karlach. Felt more grounded with an actual motive to do good.

As expected, purely based on appearance, of course. You expected a reasonable and in-depth response and honest thoughts from the Reddit community. It's a cancerous site. Your average BG fan is not going to like Wyll or Halsin; they want to obsess over Astarion and Shadowheart. Why I m not surprised Black person is there on lowest. Wyl Mizroa scenes are better than any of Astarion whining. Jesus, this generation, thats what women want these days, Astarion type, they dont want a real man,but a child. Any man or woman that shows the slightest touch of pragmatic, reasonable, stoic behavior is against; they want crybabies and drama queens. I am team Minthara. You see these poor souls have not even included every recruitable character. Disgusting. Reddit attracts worst vermin out there.

Gale is most played, well of course, Typical generic human and humans are one of the most played races of all interesting the ywant to pick standard ones. Wow. A wise choice ,once more. Its crazy how community loves simplicity and mundane races. Humans, you are a human, Developers are offering something unique and you wish to pick something so ordinary. Its a trend that keeps on and ever on

intelligence and creativity of gamers is getting lower and lower , but gamers are evolving and BG is a pinnacle at the moment. Incredible its going on reverse. Its disgusting. You have already ravaged characers with over sexualization and presenting them as in wrong light

He doesn't have to mention Mizora by name to be complaining about her.

He starts off ranting about how he needs to kill Karlach. Then mention about how something will happen soon after you meet her.

Mizora will show up and he'll complain about his pact. He'll complain about his pact in Act 2 when Mizora shows up again (Regardless of if he was there when she appeared or not) and will keep complaining about her.

He mentions his father after saving Councillor Florrick, he'll mention him again if you read a particular letter in the Mountain Pass, and again after the ending of Act 2.

Meanwhile, he's supposed to be a hero of the people and much of his dialogue is him complaining about his own life (And the entirety of his in-camp prompted dialogue).

Talking to him more, he'll express that he doesn't regret his decision to get the pact because of how it has allowed him to help people. But then spends the rest of the time complaining about his pact and Mizora. His concern lies not in what he can do to help others but more so how evil Mizora is and how it's imperetive that his father be rescued.

That's what grates me about him.

He's supposed to be the Blade of Frontiers, carrying the burden that is his pact and its consequences but making the most of it to help others. Yet what we get is a self pitying loser.

I wanted to see someone trying to do good in the world despite his problems, someone gifted with incredible power using it to help everyone he can. You know, someone like the PC during a Good run.

Astarion is unlikable, but it's understandable as to why he's unlikable. Centuries of enslavement and torture would probably put a downer on anyone. It also explains why he's so power hungry and willing to embrace the tadpole (That has provided him his free will back and also additional freedoms on top of that such as being unaffected by daylight).

He's pretty much what you'd expect from his character. Which is more than I can say for Wyll. I was expecting more stiff upper lip and stoicness with his vulnerabilities being revealed after getting to know him more and he can rely on you for support.

He mentions Karlach once in the grove, because that was his intro to the game, and why he was captured. I don't remember him even mentioning Karlach again when you talk to him, until you meet her. Unlike how she keeps mentioning Anders and the Oathbreakers until you kill them.


He mentions her once immediately after her appearance, because there's a literal mission associated with her. Twice, when you first enter the lair where the mission takes place, if he's in the party.


Ya...because he's tadpoled and is a puppet. And he's also important to the story. So naturally his own concerned son would mention him.


I'm wondering if you're adding your own head canon dialogue, because this is either REALLY reaching/misinterpreting everything he actually says or you're just making things up completely.


Ok, so it's actually both "reaching" and "making things up."


Ya, this is just cartoonish levels of bias towards Wyll. Because he literally does the first sentence. That was his whole entire career after forming the pact and before getting captured on the Nautoloid. Trying to portay him as some whiny and mopey sad-sack is utter nonsense. Or did you forget where he was and what he was doing in his very first scene, and in the subsequent scene when you go in the grove? Wyll is more of a paladin than most paladins. His whole theme is "being TOO HEROIC self-sacrificing isn't always a good thing."

And Astarion being enslaved is no excuse to be a complete sociopath towards innocent people who did nothing to him. Like he often is. He also doesn't like the idea of taking the special tadpole in his dialogue.

I don't know why but I found myself not having Astarion in my party most of the time. I know he is like one of the most popular characters from the game.

I also found Wyll really charming.

He literally says that he wants you to know the Blade not the person he left behind.

He literally says he doesn't regret his pact because of all the good he's done.

What's to misinterpret?

The Blade is literally him going Batman and taking his Warlock powers and helping others.


Yes. That was his whole entire career. That's what he was doing in the first very first scene.

But after he joins your party? "Waaaa Mizora is mean" "Waaaa we need to rescue my father" "Waaaa I hate this pact"

That's the entire point. The entire thing about the Blade of Frontiers, how he's put forth in his first encounter is completely at odds with his in camp dialogue where almost every time you return to camp there's a new ! signalling he's complaining about his life again.

Where's his dialogue showing concern for others? Him telling you how you should help the Tieflings? How you should help the Harpers? No it's "We need to get to Moonrise to rescue my dad" and "Mizora is a meanie"

If you talk to him, he has a few other dialogues about being a Noble or how he became the Blade. But the rest of the time it's all about his dad, his pact and Mizora.


It's not an excuse. But its motive behind it. He was enslaved and tortured for literally centuries. His main concern is about freeing himself and avoiding being stuck back in that situation. He doesn't care about anyone else because he's extremely fixated on avoiding that fate. He's also jaded because the last time anyone helped him, was when he was turned, so naturally he's going to have a negative attitude towards others.

Again, he's not likable. But he's understandable. He's broken as a person, he's not trying to be above his circumstances, he's fully into being the jerk that fate created.


No, because that doesn't give him any more freedom. His idea is to take control over the tadpoles, that way he can control his own and others (Which is not too dissimilar to the whole "Become a true vampire" outcome)

I going to base my least-liked simply on play time, and going by that it's:

Least - Minsc! I get him just too late. Magic items have already been optimized, pairing combinations gelled, stories developed. Maybe in a play through I'll beeline to him Act3 before even Rivington.

2nd Least - Halsin. Act2, it's over. Sex pesting when MC is well into a relationship is not welcome. Plus he competes with Jaheira, who's actually a top 5 favourite. Guess I could respec him.

3rd Least - Karlach. On release I thought she'd be top romance pick, but found her simply unattractive. Doesn't help I prefer fighters over barbarians, and she's not very barbaric anyway.

Honourable mention - Minthara. Locked behind evil (for romance) or neutral path. I'd quite like her as a companion, but for me massacring the grove requires a certain MC with leaps of logic.

"Reaching." Him saying that makes sense because he's literally not the same person as when he was pact-less, while also not being anything worth complaining about, since the players didn't KNOW him when he was pact-less anyway.


And?


This comment from me was mainly commenting on the false claim of him being a self-pitying loser. Which you conflate with him simply commenting once about being punished for not listening to Mizora. Which is a WILD misinterpretation.


This is exactly what I mean when I commented about your head-canons. He mentions Mizora only once after she leaves her three camp appearances and when she's captured (since she directly addresses him every time) and never in-between at any other time other than when Zevlor directly asks him why he looks different all of a sudden in Act 1. And rightfully so, because she's directly being a nuisance for him in each appearance. He mentions his father, because 1.) he's his father and 2.) like in the Florick scene in Waukeen's Rest in Act 1 that kidnapping the Grand Duke would only serve the purpose of destabilizing Baldur's Gate. Which would be bad FOR EVERYONE LIVING THERE.

'Seeing the forest for the trees,' as the saying goes.


He mentions his demonic transformation for doing the right thing in camp, after the fact, once. Twice (about horn care tips) if you talk to him as an Origin character to Karlach, after he gets changed. Because why wouldn't he comment about being turned into that against his will? Did you expect him not to comment on that once? What person wouldn't say something about that? You're still reaching. Because the whole "going off and searching to play the hero" thing takes a HARD backseat because he and everyone else believes that they're on borrowed time, because of the tadpole, and they're trying to find a cure. There's limited chances for him to "go off and search to play the hero" along the way, because you go to the Shadow Lands for all of Act 2, where 99% of everything is dead. Then it's Act 3 and saving the city/Sword Coast.
 

So, you just didn't (as I previously mentioned) pay attention to:

- Where he was and what he was doing when you initially MEET him or when he's inside the grove afterwards? Did you need him to tell you to help the Tieflings, to demonstrate his concern for them, when he's already DOING that? "Reaching."
- Or how he told Umi that he doesn't want him to do anything but stall long enough so he can flee because doesn't WANT him to be a warrior (since he's not good at fighting).
- Or the special dialogue if you talk to Umi as Wyll after the goblin camp is decimated?
- Or how he gets enraged if you do the non-heroic thing and betray the Tieflings, on the grounds of them being innocents?
- Or his angry concern for Karlach as being an innocent target to Mizora (whether you kill Karlach or not it's the same remark).
- Or when he shows concern for Mol at Last Light Inn when she forms a pact with Raphael?

You have a really interesting selective memory. Also, I already went over your (at this point) intentional misinterpretation of him rescuing his dad and his issue with Mizora.


You seem really hung up on him wanting to rescue his own dad (while ignoring that he was the only companion to remark on how his absence would be bad for all of the city) for some reason. The same with harping on his few instances of mentioning Mizora, only once after she makes an appearance (outside of when I mentioned when Zevlor directly asks about his new look.) These aren't valid points/critiques, no matter how many times you return to them.

This degree of misreading and general media illiteracy on your part is really bad.

Did we even PLAY the same game?

I never understand the hate either. Wyll would be the companion, I would most likely be friends with in real life. He made a bad decision, but he is mature about it. I only wish, he would be a bit more recognised in BG as the son of Duke Ravengard. And his story would have more content.

Imagine if he was recognized as the son of the Duke and it let you get more access to the areas that you can't enter (a little easier), so long as he was in your party. Like cellars in houses (for the greater good of gathering supplies to aid your party in the fight against the Absolute's army) and other restricted areas.

For Minthara I'm just roleplaying as the Durge who couldn't control themselves and led Minthara to the grove. They feel incredibly shit about it as they thought they were able to control themselves after killing Alfira, but the urge to slaughter was too strong. Afterwards they seek comfort in Minthara, probably another monster such as themselves. This is incredibly dumb on my part, but I have no other idea how to justify getting Minthara as a romance and getting the good ending.

If I didn't have to slaughter/ignore the grove I'd pick Minthara over Halsin every single time.

Ok, it seems as if you have a problem with Astarion or Shadowheart. If that vote were about looks, Halsin would be on top. He just became a companion, because people wanted to have sex with him - you clearly have not been here in EA, since otherwise you would know, that he was treated as a sex object the whole time (yes, I know, there were one or two people, who wanted him as a companion for his character, but mostly it was clear, what people wanted from him). The phrase 'climbing Mount Halsin' became so wide known, thit it was even inserted as a joke in game (I think, Astarion uses the phrase). And his whole stick is being a sex toy, he has no story, no development, nothing in act 3, but his sex obsession - he is literally, hwat you critizise about other, well developed characters. If you take Halsin and Astarion for example. both have suffered SA, but in Halsins story it is treated as a joke, while in Astarions story it is handled in a very believable and healthy way. Halsin is the least liked character, because he sucks writing wise - he lacks the depth, you seek.

Minthara I can't say much about, because I don't play murderhobo. But when she will be included in a good playthrough, I certainly try her out as companion. But again, you haven't been here for long: Minthara, like Halsin is a fan request. She seems to be handled better from what I hear, but still, people basically wanted the hot drow, the new Viconia.
And as a woman: I'm not interested in Astarion or one of the other male characters in that way, my type would be Karlach, but I play games for content and to see different stuff, so I probably will do all romances at one point (not Halsin though, since he lacks content apart from sex scenes - and those don't interest me).

And pulling out the racist card is a bit unfair - Wyll has simply less cntent than the other origin companions and a big rewrite from EA to full game - I liek new Wyll more, but there are people, who preferred EA Wyll and that is ok. They both are interesting. I like him well enough and have him nearly always in my team - as I said above, Wyll would probably the one, I would want to be friends with in real life.

I personally would have preferred some companions from more diverse races like halfling, gnome, dwarf, dragonborn or half orc. But sadly, it is mostly the elves, half elves and humans, with one gith and one tiefling for flavor.

Once...

You mean twice?

He complains about being punished by Mizora in Act 1 and again when sent to retrieve the asset in Act 2 (Where he goes deeper into self pity saying he'll just end up being turned into a blob)


He has in-camp noted dialogue for Mizora (With the special scene where he gets turned into a devil) and then he mopes about how it sucks he got punished with dialogue options prompting you to tell him to get out of the pact (Which he readily agrees to but says it will be difficult)

He has in-camp noted dialogue for his father, because it's his father. He makes it clear that it his father IMMEDIATELY upon the first time he is mentioned by anyone in the game.

He then has in-camp noted dialogue for Mizora again in Act 2 when she appears to get you (Not specifically him unless he's in the party) to rescue Zariels asset. Where as mentioned, he mopes about Mizora.


Really?

My PC didn't have ANY trouble running off and saving the Tieflings. Running off and saving the Deep Gnomes. Running off and saving the Harpers. Running off and saving the Tieflings and Deep Gnomes (Again).

We're all on the same borrowed time. Why is he just focused on his dad and Mizora?
 

He's not demonstrating concern for them much is he? He helps them at the gate (Though that could just be him helping the scouts). He's helping one single child when you talk to him.

But what then. Does he tell you he wants to help the Tieflings when he joins you? Does he mention he has any care for what happens to them when he's going with you instead of protecting them? No he just mentions he's hunting Karlach.


Ahh, yes. Now he's on a similar hero level as... Karlach. Who is by no means, portrayed as a hero.


It's his one moment of defiance, which is commendable.


Again, same level of hero as Karlach.


Yes, because he mentions them multiple times. In specific noted in-camp dialogue that's hard to miss because of the "Someone in camp wants to talk to you" warning when trying to rest.

It changes the way the character is portrayed because it's putting these self focused dialogues as prominent character development points instead of portraying him as the hero he's trying to be.

In my opinion it'd have been better character development and writing if:

Something along those lines would better portray him as a hero archetype, rather than a self pitying loser. As it will show multiple times, how his resolve alows him to go above his unfortunate circumstances and think of the good he can do. Rather than slamming the player with "Noted dialogue" about how everything sucks repeatedly and making it seem like he mostly cares about his father and Mizora.

But that's just me and my take.

I think, he would have had more of that, if the upper city would have been in final released as it was planned. But for example: if you do Free the Artist and the butler in front of that ladies house would recognise Wyll (I had him in my party) and just bowed to him and say, that his lady would be delighted to see Duke Ravenguards son again - and maybe ask him, if he could deal discretly with the problem on hand. Little stuff like that.

It's also hard to logically justify recruiting Minthara.

The basic premise there is to save yourself by infiltrating the Cult of the Absolute to find their secret stash of cure-tadpole.

(Lae'zel's creche has arguably* better chances.)

If I'm going to non-stupidly recruit Minthara without being a sociopath, I'd exhaust grove options, exhaust Halsin option and possibly Gut/Hag - then sacrifice the grove out of desperation. Heck, a sympathetic MC might even try forcing Zevlor to leave before the attack.


*

That is such a missed opportunity. If stuff dealing with the upper class and nobility was locked behind either having Nobility background, passing a difficult charisma check (where we get to use the Actor feat for once) or having Wyll in your party. It´s strange how everyone respects and recognizes my urchin Tav and invites them everywhere as if they are some high status celebrity.

That would have made sense if Larian would have killed off inactive party members as planned. But when you can switch Wyll in and out as required from practically everywhere this doesn't really have much impact.