Larian Studios
Posted By: Nyelin My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 12:13 PM
I'm rather at odds with the companion selection you have available in EA. If this were actually me out there running around with tadpole in my head, I would tolerate maybe two of them - more likely I would travel alone.
Your mileage may vary, of course, and take this with a grain of salt, but here is my annoyance level list:

1. Astarion: He really takes the cake. First of all he has that fake noble "I'm better than you" attitude. And I may be a rather peculiar hairsplitter, but I have this thing about people sneaking up on me at night trying to turn me into their mobile blood bank. Only to draw the pity card after I refuse to do so and pull the "Woe to me, I'm just a poor Vampire, and I need your *blood*". Thank you, but no thank you. I actually threw him out on one of my playthroughs - it had already been one of those days.

2. Wyll: Ah yes, the famed "Blade of the Frontier", who probably couldn't stitch a hole in a wet blanket hanging down on a calm day with his rapier. He's bragging too much and, being a low level character, can't really back it up, and the only reason that Astarion has beat him out for the number one slot is that Wyll hasn't trying to milk my blood. So far.

3. Lae'zel: The only companion I met so far in all the RPGs I played who seemed to have both a superiority and inferiority complex. Impolite to rude, unwilling to believe that anything outside her precious Githyanki community has any value, I do ask myself why the bloody hell I put up with such a constant source of aggravation. She is pretty handy with a sword, I give her that.

4. Gale: Not being much of an optimist myself, I actually like him. Well, of course except for the fact that he's destroying my artifacts. Or that he's walking time bomb (gives ready to explode a whole new meaning). What really ticks me off about him, though, is that he's not believable. So he banged this goddess, and when that fell through, he did some crazy stuff that led to his current slightly explosive condition. But he's not able to throw a decent fireball. I do have trouble bringing that in line.

5. Shadowheart: Seems to be the most normal of the bunch. Which is truly saying something, given that she believes in Shar. Being manipulative and arrogant (and not a fan of certain githyanki warriors), she initially ticked me off, but I now consider her my favorite companion. I mean, she doesn't try to separate me from my blood, doesn't bore me with her alleged exploits, doesn't try to syphon off my precious magical stuff and doesn't treat me like some sort of invertebrate you best step upon. Not high praise, I know, but at least something.

To be fair, I found the interactions with the companions fun, and that is what a game should be about. But it does stretch my suspension of disbelief that I as the MC would actually travel with them. Even with that tadpole in my mind.
Posted By: GloriousZote Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 12:36 PM
To me it's, from good to bad

Wyll->Gale->Lae'zel->Shadowhheart->Astarion.

Wyll's biggest problem is that his stats aren't good for a "blade of frontiers" and that he's a level 1 claiming to be a hero, he's got a nice personality in general but isn't afraid to get a bit... gruesome to get what he needs.

Gale is generally a nice person, but the entire relationship with a Goddess and destroying good items is a really bad thing..

Lae'zel is one of the three "asshole" characters, but at least she has that feeling of urgency and is actually trying to fix the tadpole issue.

Shadowheart is just unlikeable, she doesn't seem to be interested in talking even a little with you, and when she does talk, it's gotta be something negative or stupid mind games.

Finally, Astarion, who not only likes you to be as unhelpful to the people around you as possible, but actually kills you if you don't tell him to stop sucking your blood, when he first promised to limit it, honestly, I wish there was an option after Igot rezzed to talk to him and just have him killed for that.
Posted By: Knoland Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 01:05 PM
Yes the companion line is the one aspect of this game I’m not thrilled about... Considering that they cycle their images in the loading screens (Instead of a lot more random D&D artwork) is disappointing and a shame. That would really add to the game value to have those loading screens using artwork from different D&D sources including BG1 and 2. Lore from the past is suspiciously absent.
Posted By: LoneSky Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 01:24 PM
I actually liked some of them, until I had enough of all their whining. But I think it's all my fault, because I invited them, and it's always your fault if you surround yourself with such entourage: just move on if you can't change them, or if you in a game; just avoid them or even kill them (those which really deserve it), early on their loot may help.

I consider starting again and not recruiting any of these. Somebody posted a way to start a custom party, just don't know if that can be saved.

I'm sure I won't miss them, I rather play solo or die in first encounter and game over, everything is better than carrying these nuisances.

Posted By: DumbleDorf Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 01:29 PM
To people who have a problem with the companions we have, why not give examples or write about how you would actually like the companions to be?

There's no requirement in any such game for every companion to be likeable by all players. Theres no requirement in real life that everyone else has has to be likeable to you.

People often would say that 'if you have a problem with everyone else, then maybe the problem is you'.
Posted By: Abits Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 01:47 PM
I don't know, simply from the way you described they sound like a very interesting bunch. I think your post had the opposite effect on me
Posted By: Nyelin Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 01:57 PM
Originally Posted by DumbleDorf
To people who have a problem with the companions we have, why not give examples or write about how you would actually like the companions to be?

There's no requirement in any such game for every companion to be likeable by all players. Theres no requirement in real life that everyone else has has to be likeable to you.

People often would say that 'if you have a problem with everyone else, then maybe the problem is you'.


A problem? Poor lil' ole me? Highly unlikely. And have another grain of salt, please.

I did say that I found the interactions fun, gamewise. And you are correct, there is no commandment saying that the developers have to write any companion to my liking. But I've been playing CRPGs for ages, and while there were always one or two companions that I didn't like, usually I found most of them rather likeable.
My issue with the current set is that they are all way over the top. It's just too much for me. One or two of them in a bunch of relatively normal companions would be fun, but if you look at the back stories so far, the most normal one is a half elf with an attitude issue being a Shar follower. Or maybe it's the githyanki who seems to consider me her personal servant.
My point is that an over the top story can be exactly what is required to spice up a game, but there such a thing as trying too much. And for me the companions fall into the latter category.
Posted By: LoneSky Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 02:43 PM
Originally Posted by DumbleDorf
To people who have a problem with the companions we have, why not give examples or write about how you would actually like the companions to be?


I could write a lot about what kind of companions I would like, also could list the companions I picked most of the times in other games and why. At this point this kind of companion feedback is useless though, because it's too late to change them, and also I'm sure not everyone would want these changed.

Most likely somebody already decided what kind of companions would fit in this game. I'm fine with that. Hopefully somebody will like these as they are and can have a fun time together.

My only useful feedback at this point is to add custom companions: allow me to pick every dirty spoiler or less dirty secret of every companion character, during creation of a full custom party; allow me to customize everything about them, from looks to proficiencies and stats. And if that isn't possible, then just allow me to have mute followers, with no connection to story at all. My main character can be the only related to story, that would be completely acceptable.
Posted By: Uncle Lester Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 04:15 PM
Originally Posted by LoneSky
My only useful feedback at this point is to add custom companions: allow me to pick every dirty spoiler or less dirty secret of every companion character, during creation of a full custom party; allow me to customize everything about them, from looks to proficiencies and stats. And if that isn't possible, then just allow me to have mute followers, with no connection to story at all. My main character can be the only related to story, that would be completely acceptable.



That's planned afaik - both custom party from the beginning (presumably all tadpoled) and a customizable mercenary system.

-

As for my opinion on the companions... Haven't played EA, but I think I only like Shadowheart from what I know about the origins. Then again, I'm extremely fussy, so it's no surprise. I don't have a problem with them being antagonistic or "weird" though.
Posted By: Abits Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 04:16 PM
Originally Posted by Uncle Lester
Originally Posted by LoneSky
My only useful feedback at this point is to add custom companions: allow me to pick every dirty spoiler or less dirty secret of every companion character, during creation of a full custom party; allow me to customize everything about them, from looks to proficiencies and stats. And if that isn't possible, then just allow me to have mute followers, with no connection to story at all. My main character can be the only related to story, that would be completely acceptable.



That's planned afaik - both custom party from the beginning (presumably all tadpoled) and a customizable mercenary system.

-

As for my opinion on the companions... Haven't played EA, but I think I only like Shadowheart from what I know about the origins. Then again, I'm extremely fussy, so it's no surprise. I don't have a problem with them being antagonistic or "weird" though.

Yeah it's already confirmed, and if you really care about it you can make custom companions even in EA
Posted By: Slapstick Re: My complete companion misguidance - 19/10/20 04:35 PM
I'm replaying the baldurs gate games, and I have at least two take-aways. a) There's a LOT more fun dialogue options in baldurs gate 1+2. Hilarious, but not too out of character. and b) I quite like the npc's in BG1+2, even the unsavory ones. The ones in BG3 makes me want to yeet the writers into a minotaur maze. They're either obnoxious or have stupid backgrounds, and in Gale's case also comes attached with a beyond stupid mechanic.

+1 and well summarized.
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