With Larian, I wouldn't even plan on paid DLC, rather, I wouldn't plan on content being added with DLC. Perhaps free updates like the grab bags, but nothing as big as the artificer or full companions. With their past track record, even when it is wanted, they haven't done much in the way of DLC. Heck, DOS2 has one DLC, and it is a Squirrel with no mechanical and very little story significance, and for many that DLC was free, So I really would not count on Larian following other company's DLC plans. If anything, a DLC I'd expect from them would be a whole Module or Expansion that would amount to its own game built with the existing mechanics, that seems more the MO of a first Big DLC for them, they seem to like to go big and emphasize player enjoyment.
Further more, it has been confirmed we will have more than 6 origin companions, though we do not know how many. 12-13 is the ideal number because that gives one tadpoled member for each class (the 13th being Artificer which I advocate a bit for.)
Also 12 companions would be too small for a Baldur's Gate game. If you look at the past titles, BG1 BG2 and even the SoD expansion, the games have A LOT of companions. Base Baldur's Gate has 25(!) companions, while the Enhanced Edition has a whopping 29! Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear has a total of 17 companions. And Baldur's Gate 2 has a total of 17 while the enhanced edition has 22 companions (with an extra sacrificial lamb one added on to be a temporary 13). The minimum the series has gone is 17, but with the resources Larian has they could go way more than that while delivering quality. Essentially, Larian has the chance to make the best cRPG in a long time just from a companion front.
Also I genuinely feel just 12 companions would be a disservice to the series. Not just from a size standpoint, but from a world standpoint too. Companions help flesh out a world, and Faerun has A LOT to flesh out. each companion is an opportunity to display a different facet of the world or a new perspective, from a basic knight who has taken up a sword to end bandits to a maniacal cleric/thief who believes himself to be a rising god, they act as unique characters that also give bits of the world. Limiting it to just 12 thus limits how much can be delivered. So I say add as many as Larian is willing to add, rather, add as many can be added without compromising the quality of the game.
Furthermore, locking companions behind a paywall would be something that'd sour me greatly. We as consumer's have gotten way to used to scummy DLC that we truly think of it as the norm, and locking things that should be packaged with the base game behind DLC is one of those things. I really hope larian doesn't go that route. If they must add something through DLC, add it in a full expansion with content, such as full campaign module to display BG3 as something that can host different campaigns (Heck, once mechanics are sorted out and long after the game is made, I'd definitely like to see a new Icewind Dale or Tomb of Horrors).
Edit: I am still of the mind that this should be developed as a single player game first and a multiplayer game second. I do want to see DM mode and the like, but as something later on once the single player has been refined. Though on that front, perhaps they should give Origin companions more purpose when not actively in the party so they can have purpose for Four Player games (or Six player if they ever finally up the party size).
