How Vital Are Origin Character Classes to Their Stories?

[FearlessJDK]

As I think about my first play-through I'm struggling with planning out my companions and their classes.

I'm going to do an ALL GOOD playthrough and my PC will be a Dark Urge Pally.

I'm planning to bring
Wyll, Gale and Shadowheart.


But I'm not wild about that class makeup. I'd prefer to have a fighter or maybe Ranger in the party. But it feels weird (in concept) to make, for example, Wyll a fighter when his story seems to be focused on his Warlock backstory.

I could, in theory, have Shadowheart multi-class into Pally. Cleric and Paladin aren't too far apart in concept.

But it still feels odd to me.

Any thoughts from those who have Early Access experience or have been following all the developments are welcome.

[MisterRed]

You can change their classes with respec, but it will likely be a little awkward, since all dialogue will still pretend they are their original classes. For his story, Wyll NEEDS to be a warlock for it to make sense. Gale the same with being a wizard. Shadowheart needs to be a cleric, or at least be a direct worshipper of her particular goddess, otherwise the origins make no sense.

But yeah, you can change classes with respecs, just be prepared for the game to still pretend they are their "canon" class in all dialogue about them

[ComradePreacher]

Wyll, Gale and Shadowheart are good trinity for a morally good party. Being heroic and expecting to do the right thing.

No one fully knows if you can respec Shadowheart and Wyll's Subclass since they are quite tied to their origin story. Gale is a wizard and his subclasses are specialising on different schools of magic.

You could have Shadowheart being a support cleric, trickery has tricks for distraction and stealth.
Gale could be a many roles of big damage or support.
Wyll being fiend patron will be damage heavy, he does get temporary hp from killing an enemy.
You yourself could either be a tank or a healer.

[EricHVela]

In EA:
The companion character classes at the first meeting are based on the characters' story up to that point. That history will remain, but what happens from that moment forward is up to the player. The game will continue to make references to the characters' historic occupations prior to meeting the player. That's the limit of the classes' influence on the companions' stories so far.

Will that change in release? Dunno.

[FearlessJDK]

Thanks.

I'm also asking assuming you can only recruit 3 companions. Do we know if that's the case? or can you recruit all possible companions, but only take 3 with you as you go?

[MisterRed]

Originally posted by FearlessJDK:

Thanks.

I'm also asking assuming you can only recruit 3 companions. Do we know if that's the case? or can you recruit all possible companions, but only take 3 with you as you go?

When you are full up, you can send other companions you dont wanna bring to your camp. They will chill out there and travel with you, but we wont know if they eventually get sick of it and leave or something until full release, since we also only have access to 70% of act 1.

[ComradePreacher]

Originally posted by FearlessJDK:

Thanks.

I'm also asking assuming you can only recruit 3 companions. Do we know if that's the case? or can you recruit all possible companions, but only take 3 with you as you go?

You can recruit and send em to camp but you can only have 3 with you.

Worth to add if you do things some won't like. I won't spoil but it's drastic stuff they might leave or turn against you.

[MisterRed]

Originally posted by ComradePreacher:

Wyll, Gale and Shadowheart are good trinity for a morally good party. Being heroic and expecting to do the right thing.

No one fully knows if you can respec Shadowheart and Wyll's Subclass since they are quite tied to their origin story. Gale is a wizard and his subclasses are specialising on different schools of magic.

You could have Shadowheart being a support cleric, trickery has tricks for distraction and stealth.
Gale could be a many roles of big damage or support.
Wyll being fiend patron will be damage heavy, he does get temporary hp from killing an enemy.
You yourself could either be a tank or a healer.

Tbh it makes the decision hard for me, since I want all three of them plus Karlach in my party, but I also wanna play a custom character. Either gonna have to leave out Shadowheart or Gale, since Im very interested in the Wyll rewrite.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

I tend to view classes as just mechanical abstractions for gameplay - Shadowheart is a devout follower of Shar (or a brainwashed Selunite), regardless of whether she has Cleric levels or not.

The story revolves around her worship of and feelings about a goddess (whether real or implanted), not her power level.

Wyll is a tiny bit different in that his patron is inextricably tied to his powers, literally granted to him by Mizora...that said, it's also possible to massage the deal he made with her so that she granted him something else besides his Warlock levels. Not everyone who makes a deal with a Fiend is a Warlock, some are just tragic suckers. I mean, look at Mayrina. She made a pact with Auntie Ethel, is she a Pact of the Archfey Warlock? No. She's just a stupid peasant girl in over her head.

Gale's situation can be explained by whatever happened between him and Mystra wiping his knowledge of magic, apparently he was a much more powerful Wizard prior to the start of BG3, and who knows what direction he'll choose now that he has a clean slate?

Astarion can pretty much be whatever you want him to be.

Lae'zel would be limited by her culture's dictates, and I don't know enough about Gith lore to say specifically whether they had any class restrictions based on their cultural enforcement, but other than that...

As for the other 'companions' the only danger is diverging from thevestablished canon, if that means anything to you...

[ComradePreacher]

Githyankis don't have much restrictions in 5e, can be any class, literally.

I thought Karlach was gonna be a ranger but instead barbarian. Still, Wyll and Shadowheart will probably not be able to change their subclass due to being tied heavily to their backstory.

[golfan88]

Short version - I think if you respec it will screw with some of the dialogue options and from Early Access there is a lot of lore tied behind those companions. You do NOT need to use them at all. You can get hirelings in the fully released game but you lose that dialogue.

If you like you can multiclass in full release and I plan on doing that with my origin characters. With the ones you named specifically:

• Wyll - Fiend Warlock 3 > (Valor or Swords) Bard 5 > Fiend Warlock 4
  
• Wyll - Fiend Warlock 3 > Paladin 5 > Bard 4
  
• Wyll - Fiend Warlock 3 > Draconic Sorcerer 7 > Fiend Warlock 2
  
  
• Gale - Enchantment Wizard 4 > Lore Bard 6 > Enchantment Wizard 2
  
• Shadowheart - Trickery Domain Cleric 6 > Way of Shadow Monk 6

Side note, as she regains her memories in Early Access she seems less good and more appearing to be good as things progress and she talks more about Shar.

[Linde]

Originally posted by FearlessJDK:

As I think about my first play-through I'm struggling with planning out my companions and their classes.

I'm going to do an ALL GOOD playthrough and my PC will be a Dark Urge Pally.

I'm planning to bring
Wyll, Gale and Shadowheart.


But I'm not wild about that class makeup. I'd prefer to have a fighter or maybe Ranger in the party. But it feels weird (in concept) to make, for example, Wyll a fighter when his story seems to be focused on his Warlock backstory.

Ditch Gale, Pick up Karlach.

[wolfsmile1966]

doesnt matter im killing them all eventually

[Gloom]

LMAO ALL GOOD DARK URGE!? xD ♥♥♥♥♥ WTF do you think DARK URGE Meant?? How did that go for you??? Were you ALL GOOD...Or did you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ kill people because YOU'RE THE DARK ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ URGE XD

Also someone didn't ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ listen to Larian WHO OUT RIGHT SAID YOU SHOULDN'T PLAY DARK URGE FOR YOUR FIRST PLAYTHRU XD

[Gloom]

Originally posted by Pan Darius Loveless:

I tend to view classes as just mechanical abstractions for gameplay - Shadowheart is a devout follower of Shar (or a brainwashed Selunite), regardless of whether she has Cleric levels or not.

The story revolves around her worship of and feelings about a goddess (whether real or implanted), not her power level.

Wyll is a tiny bit different in that his patron is inextricably tied to his powers, literally granted to him by Mizora...that said, it's also possible to massage the deal he made with her so that she granted him something else besides his Warlock levels. Not everyone who makes a deal with a Fiend is a Warlock, some are just tragic suckers. I mean, look at Mayrina. She made a pact with Auntie Ethel, is she a Pact of the Archfey Warlock? No. She's just a stupid peasant girl in over her head.

Gale's situation can be explained by whatever happened between him and Mystra wiping his knowledge of magic, apparently he was a much more powerful Wizard prior to the start of BG3, and who knows what direction he'll choose now that he has a clean slate?

Astarion can pretty much be whatever you want him to be.

Lae'zel would be limited by her culture's dictates, and I don't know enough about Gith lore to say specifically whether they had any class restrictions based on their cultural enforcement, but other than that...

As for the other 'companions' the only danger is diverging from thevestablished canon, if that means anything to you...

Hey Dingus....In DnD A Cleric is basically just a Holy ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Warlock xD so It actually DOES Matter that shes a Cleric....as later in the game if you switch her from a Sharan to a Selunite IT LITERALLY SAYS THE SOURCE OF HER POWER CHANGED xD So it does have to do with where she gets a powers just like in table top.....if you don't follow your Gods rules then you ether lose powers or have something happen to you......Every time we do something that isn't in lie with something Shar would want Shadowheart to do...her hand hurts....that is her as a Cleric getting in trouble with her God

[Ironwu]

Origin stories are take 'em or leave 'em. They don't really yield exp or gear as you progress them as compared to Drops, Chests, Vendors, and Side Quests.

Oh, and if you don't have a party member that is ace at Lock Picking, things are going to be somewhat more difficult for you the further you get into the game. :/