It’s much easier to balance the game around 3 pure class predetermined companions than around the idea of 3 fully customized optimized build multiclassed ones .
In short Withers is 100% a gameplay feature not a Qol feature
If any fight can be won with a solo super build why does it matter what can be done with companions?
I agree with your point that Withers is a large advantage to the player, but I also can see how having the ability to re spec allows a player to experiment and learn the game more quickly. This, in fact, makes Withers a QOL feature. I mean if I had to play a new game to experience every build combination it would be pretty stifling to my game QOL.
It would be nice if Withers was a setting.
Again, QoL isn’t something that affects balance in any way or shape.
It’s like if the devs make a new toggle on/ off feature that lets you insta kill your enemies, you would come here and argue that’s a Qol feature because you can toggle it on and off and just saves time as you would eventually win the fight anyways .
But it -Does- affect the actual gameplay.
One of the reasons I can solo everything so easy is because I can fine tune my build for every encounter, something I wouldn’t be able to do without Withers.
Like my end game solo build relies on me having 8 constitution so I can utilize the constitution necklace from Raphael , however if I couldn’t respec I would have to make it to act 3 with just 8 constitution in order to have this optimized build which would significantly increase the difficulty for me from act 1 to 3 .
And if I decide to go with 14 CON to start with then the medallion wouldn’t optimize my build to such extent this I will be weaker .
Same goes for boss encounters, I always trivialize Grym fight because I always respec Someone to monk for the extra damage on constructs so I just beat him up in 2 turns with ease.
But if I don’t want to play monk as my main then I would have had much harder time in this fight if I can’t respec back.
Some encounters like Ethel in act 1 I can solo as a monk but I can’t even get close as a bard for example while late game it’s the opposite.
But with withers I can be a monk when I fight Ethel and grym and a bard when I fight House of grief for example.
This is hardly a “quality of life” thing, it really screws the gameplay as you can single handily offset any disadvantage from your class by just respecing .
And same goes for companions: if the game is balanced based on what the devs gave you as far as companions things would be easier as you can balance the end game with the idea that say wyll would Just be a maxed out with top gear warlock - not a warlock/ paladin with top paladin gear etc .
And also would make the evil path an actual gameplay decision as you would have to decide weather a paladin like Minthara would be worth losing a warlock and a barbarian and a Druid - with withers it’s not a decision as you just respec wyll to paladin and that’s it- you don’t lose any items or anything, Minthara is just a cosmetic as you can have a paladin with easy respec.
