not gonna lie - if datamining proves tru and their are only eight npc companions, id be pretty disappointed. i really liked the variety original bg games had with 25+ recruitable companions and even if we can recruit 'mercs' imho that still falls short of an actual npc companion.
as an aside, i also cant seem to shake the feeling that the reduced number of companions also has trickle down impact to other game design choices outside of just party size, (like party movement/control, encounter balancing, rest/camping mechanics, hyping of origin characters, emphasis on multiplayer features, investment in vo/mc - admittedly vo/mc arent necessarily high on my list of bg3 ea priorities relative to other gaming aspects, etc.) and not for the better
