I don't mind choosing between a select few as long as I find a few that I end up liking, however, I do always use a custom character meaning I am usually one character short from the companions. I will never play an Origin character. This game nor DOS2 are The Witcher 3.
I am unaware of how the other companions will end up, but if they are just dead because I didn't choose them, that would be rather lazy in my opinion. I think there are clever ways to handle companions leaving if you aren't interested in adventuring with them.
