Larian, my favorite studio, please hear me out.
Gaming has advanced. We're in the 20s of the 21st century. Having a mute protagonist in such a high-quality, roleplay-oriented video game is not only outdated, it's downright weird. There are video games over a decade old that have a custom player character who is fully voiced, and let me tell you - the majority of those games' popularity stems precisely from that feature.
I can't comprehend why you didn't fully voice the player character. If the limitation was financial, I can understand that. But it's been some time and I suppose your coffers have been refilled, due to this game being such a success. If it still isn't enough, or if you think this isn't a valid investment, you could make a sort of paid DLC that enables Tavs and Origin characters to always speak their lines.
I'm not sure how implementing the voiced feature works technically, but if it's doable, please consider it. If you're still not sure, I suggest you make a survey about this and see if the players agree. It can't hurt to at least make a survey, right?
The reason I'm being so insistent on this should be obvious, but... perhaps nowadays everything is muddled in the sea of compulsory opinions and self-imposed limitations.
The most important aspect of having a fully voiced player character is the CONNECTION. There is something truly magical and unique in hearing your character speak. It's like a small godlike power of creation, provided by the game, and it's pure gratification. It is thrilling and fulfilling. There is also the feeling of anticipation, to hear and see how that character will perform and come alive. Having their own voice in dialogues gives them genuine identity, makes the player feel more invested in them, and subsequently makes all the decisions feel more impactful.
But when your character is just standing there mute in a dialogue, and you just read what they're supposed to say out loud - the magic falls flat, evaporates. Muteness feels like a setback, and our character loses some of its importance. Most of all, it feels forever incomplete.
I have found myself yearning to hear my character's voice, and anticipating those moments, just to feel that unique connection... And that connection fades or even breaks every time I see my character, quasi-participating in a conversation with another NPC - who always seems superior in comparison, just because they can actually SPEAK.
What is the actual argument for not having dialogue lines voiced for the player character?
I'm under the assumption that fans of roleplaying video games who defend the mute protagonist mainly do so because they are USED TO this shortcoming. Old habits like that can be very detrimental for the future of video games. Old roleplay games that didn't fully voice player characters are such because of lack of funds, or lack of development time, or lack of talent - or all of those combined. I know for a fact that you guys have tons of talent, you have employed wonderful voice actors, and the sheer dedication to your games is staggering.
So, just... why??
