Uuuuuuh ...
1. Karlach is the best, but she's still not a too complex person.
2. Wyll is also great, but he's clearly also stupid, the way he became Warlock.
3. Gale is intelligent, sure. But he is also super creepy. The way he talks about being in love with Mystra and then he suddenly hits on the protagonist. What a collossal jackass.
4. I am willing to tolerate a lot in the case of Astarion, after all he was tortured for 200 years straight. Still he's just utterly evil and beyond redemption.
5. Laezel is a murderer and boasts about it and talks about killing "teethlings" just because they are "weak".
6. Shadowheart literally follows a deity that wants to destroy the world.
These choices SUCK.
So where are my Imoen, Aerie and Keldorn ? I just cant find them here.
Frankly BG2 had quite a bit better companions than BG3. Also much better, much less creepy romances.
In BG3 I literally start a romance with Karlach ASAP just so everybody else leaves me alone. If there was a "no romances" switch, I would switch it on.
The reason I like BG3 is other factors. The way I can finally play Bard and enjoy it. The enormous complexity of the game. The good dramatic storytelling. Companions and romances ? Tolerable, but not great.
To be honest, I quite like the BG3 companions. I have some beef with some of Biowares companions, but that would derail too much.
About Wyll: he was 17, when he made the pact and he had to decide on the spot. Lae'zel comes from a culture that sees killing as a necesseity, which kind of makes sense, since they are fighting a pretty powerful foe. SHe learns throughout her journey though and can become a bitter person. Shadowheart was brainwashed and you can help her get out of it. SHe is the classical cult victim. Astarion is an evil companion for an evil playthrough mostly, same as Edwin or Viconia in the old games.
And I don't get, why Gale is creepy. He had an affair with Mystra (who btw is a relatively new incarnation), that ended a long while ago and his romance really starts in act 2 - and only, if you showed interest, otehrwise, he will never hit on you (that he did that after release was a big).
