Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Problems with Halsin's character, advances, LI and general character interactions, etc.

I romanced SH as Astarion and honestly I just laughed when during her Act 1 romance scene I had a dialogue option that said something like "tell her about your scars and past" and all she had to say to that was literally "Morbid. And fascinating."

Halsin's proposition was hilarious though, because it fell between Shardowheart asking me to go swimming and Mizora making her own offer. And the next long rest was Orin showing up and telling me Bhaal wants me. That was a very... Astarion experience, and telling Orin that Bhaal will have to wait his turn was very fitting.


Cazador's palace was very underwhelming too. He doesn't even have thoughts on Velioth's lessons.

I forgot what she said to Gale's life story but it was equally noncommittal. Talking about scars and fatal romantic presents evidentially was not what she had in mind for the evening. I am not sure if that scene was intended to be as hilarious as it was in both cases.

Edit: But on more serious note. I was disappointed that in both cases nothing came of it. Just like telling Astarion everything about the orb during the bite scene doesn't allow you to later on discuss the hunger, it's such wasted potential. Just like not being able to discuss the scars with either the cleric, the ex-archmage, the warlock or the woman who spend years in hell.

I was tempted to open a separate thread about this, but it might be too controversial and in the end it just ties into the same issue: Halsin and the polymance is not well written and feels rushed.

I don’t mind joining you in that conversation, but I can see how it can be controversial. The writing to me, as a survivor, is intrusive and insensitive. I don’t blame people who call this game a “sex simulator” or that it deters them from wanting to play it, because Halsin’s writing gives it just that: a chance to have sex with as many people as possible or get intimate with a bear, which is understandably freaky.

I fail to see a purpose for Halsin’s character after act 2, so it might’ve been better if he had just stayed behind and helped to rebuild the shadow cursed lands if you lifted the curse. Even if he had no purpose in the game, I wish the writing wasn’t so forceful and that we had a specific set of dialogue choices to show that the character has interest in him, instead of him outright admitting he wants in on your relationship just because you helped him with his issue. But there isn’t, and I can’t escape him or his proposition no matter how uninterested I act with him. And trust me, I tried but he still comes onto me and it’s off putting.

I used to be in a poly relationship and I think that poly dialogues are written by and for people with minimal or no irl poly experience. That dialogue tree with Astarion after Halsin Propositions you made me both sad and disappointed.

To this day I don't understand why we don't have an option to tell them(SH/Ast, Lach too maybe) that you wouldn't want this, but was checking on their reaction(kinda like Shadowheart tests you after your first Raphael dialogue). And to have 1 dialogue tree after that to talk about how you see your relationship with them. I think this would fit well.

There are as many understandings of what poly means are there are poly relationships. I was in a relationship with someone with attitudes very much like Halsin's. Free agents and relationship anarchists exist.

But, having said that, it wasn't the best representation of a poly relationship. The game has cute same sex and cishet couples so why not a cute polycule?

There is a 90 page thread on this topic a few entries down.

From everything written here, I don't think this is the real concern.

As much as some people like to pretend, it was indeed written just for the sake of sex and that's it. That bear thing from the last Panel from Hell was included because they knew how much attention it would bring to the game with a shitload of people talking about it. Fucking a bear, who wouldn't be curious on what else you can do?

Halsin is a walking sex toy first and foremost, the reason he's in the game is for someone to fuck him. I remember seeing some dialogue where he says he doesn't want to be objectified, yet both he himself and the game do that all the time. The hope is if Halsin's problems are fixed, by extension both Shadowheart's and Astarion's are as well. But alas, outside of this nonsense I'm losing faith in Larian to actually try to fix the game's problems.

If you try to break up with Halsin, then change your mind he gets frustrated and asks to not play with his heart. The script is filled with lots of holes: on one hand you can see he loves Tav with all his heart, on the other he has lines which says almost the opposite. His "mono" romance needs some flags/edition, imo. And poly romance too. This dude has, unfortunately, lots of problems.
But it is a conversation for Halsin's thread (and it was already discussed there many times).

Sorry, I edited my post before I saw your reply but yeah definitely.

Any other dialogue in the game would at least have an "on the other hand, I don't want this" kind of response option.


Astarion literally tells you "I don't want you to see me through the lens of sex", and look what the game's marketing did with him.

I've just thought about it, but what happens with Gale and Tavs who romanced him asking about Halsin is probably around the same level of heartbreaking as Astarion. When he knows you want to talk to him about something he assumes you want to talk about raising a family together, but nope you're asking him whether you can screw someone else. We can talk about Gale specifically in the Gale thread, but this is a cruel potential addition that comes with Halsin.

This game's community is really crazy and the excesses of hate is growing rapidly. Everyone seems to be at another's throat for the dumbest stuff you can find.

It just came to my ear, that there are people on X calling people who like Halsin lesbophob for whatever reasons. I mean, I saw people saying you are transphobe if you like Halsin (because he doesn't really feel like a man and that's why he doesn't want to be reduced on his body or whatever it was, too confusing) and people claiming that by liking Halsin, you are also saying you are okay with SA and maybe even worse (something like "Why would a big muscular guy be interested in kids beside ...?").

Sure, Halsin brings a lot of problems into the game, more than he adds to the experience right now, but what is going on with the community? The Golden Joystick Award for best community is absolutely not well-deserved.

"Mature romances."


I avoid places like X for the sake of my own sanity, so I wouldn't know, but that friend said all those "i want to kill Halsin" posts talk about how creepy he can be, same as we're discussing here.

If they wanted to add him for sex, they could have added him as a hook-up. They specifically wanted to add him as a full companion and romance, but they ran out of time. His whole romance is full of contradictions, Halsin treats it as something deep and emotional, while your main romance partner treats it as fun.


To be honest, I think in Astarion's case it initially worked on a meta-level with his story.


The more people like something, the more likely it is that something insane pops up. Twitter/Tumblr and now TikTok are fertile lands for terrible behavior. The Halsin discussion popped up on Tumblr too with some hilariously bad comments from people who do not want to admit there is something uncomfortable about Halsin's behaviour.

It's X, there are positive things as well as this garbage, but not just there. It's nothing new on the internet.

Again, this is all a result of Larian catering to the sex obsessed. I mean it worked, it got people talking. It may not be a timeless classic but BG3 did rake in a lot of cash.

Having Elijah Wood and Sean Astin playing BG3 is the closest Larian will ever come to a masterpiece, which LOTR undeniably is. BG3 had so much potential but they threw it in the bin just to get the attention of the desperately horny people.