I know i'll get dogpiled but....

[Captain Explodo]

I'm super disappointed. The game plays so well , and the detail is great. the DnD combat tactics are on point. However, the companions are ruining it for me. Anyone else feel this way ? I don't want any of the companions in this game , in my party. None of them appeal to me and what I would like in my party. I know you can run without them but that sorta defeats the point of the tactical party combat.

I can't believe the low number of companion options we have and how none of them are .... eh . cool ? I just want some stereotypical DnD companions . I want a dumb brute or a drunken dwarf , or a street brigand , or a super self righteous paladin or a weird , super serious wizard . I wish I could make an entire custom party , Can I do that ? is there an option I'm missing ? I want the party tactics and none of the characters they made . that's what I want.

I just can't believe how bad these are in an otherwise amazing game.

I was just sitting there looking at my party try'n to think about who I found the least annoying to me so I could make a party I could suffer with long enough to get through the game and it hit .... I hate these characters.. this is ruining the fun for me.

I don't know i'm sure people will attack me just for not liking them but I really wish they would patch in some sort of custom party mode at least or someone could point it out to me if it is there.

[RACHMANOVSKI]

Originally posted by Draeka3:

Originally posted by RACHMANOVSKI:

Pretty sure you can screw over all of the companion in this game the first time meeting them.

Tried with the first two.
First one : Dialogue, added to party no matter what i tried, killed her.
Second : leave in pod, not sure but i think if "you're on your own" might not add her to party but not sure if after the intro she's added or you're good.
I'm waiting on cards to go further as to not get an achievement before then.
No time anyway. Getting a new release 10th and after that 25th and before that 8 PS2 games to beat again before starting the latter.
Too tight.

You can click your weapon and attack her while she sleep.

The nautiloid is part is "tutorial".

And yes, you can push Laezel trough the ledge once you beaten the little demons.

[Gaius]

Some of them kinda grew on me, but yeah, nothing cool like Fane in DOS 2 in this as far as companions go. Gale it the best by far IMHO.

[RACHMANOVSKI]

Originally posted by Gaius:

Some of them kinda grew on me, but yeah, nothing cool like Fane in DOS 2 in this as far as companions go. Gale it the best by far IMHO.

Fane... is good?

[Vorgor]

They need to add more companions Like Alfira.

[Janthis]

Originally posted by RACHMANOVSKI:

Originally posted by Gaius:

Some of them kinda grew on me, but yeah, nothing cool like Fane in DOS 2 in this as far as companions go. Gale it the best by far IMHO.

Fane... is good?

Yeah, tbh he was also a typical Larian character with his superiority complex, fancy talk and super special origin story. The only companions I liked in DOS2 were Beast, Ifan and Lohse.

[Lunar Shower]

Originally posted by Deylendor:

Hey man. Sometimes you gotta work with people you won't like right of the bat.

This is not a story where you meet in a tavern and decide to take on a dungeon.
You were thrown together by chance and work together to get rid of the tadpoles.
The "companions" aren't your friends... they may become you friends.

Yeah, basically this.

Like, I DO understand people's wants for more simplistic, and stereotypical characters you'd see in just about any DnD or group party RPG game akin to this, but honestly having companions that have their own thing going on and don't just outright worship the ground you walk, or want to be buddy buddy, is pretty great. Also, generally speaking, lots of options to be evil here off the bat, and have a party fit it pretty well to boot. Of course, not gonna be like 99.9% of players cup of tea on a first run, but its a nice option.

All in all, I've been pretty pleased with them thus far, and especially how some have evolved with their story into the second act and beyond. They won't be for everyone for sure, but ultimately I enjoy them thus far.

[Lunar Shower]

Originally posted by Johnny_B_80:

Originally posted by RACHMANOVSKI:

Fane... is good?

Yeah, tbh he was also a typical Larian character with his superiority complex, fancy talk and super special origin story. The only companions I liked in DOS2 were Beast, Ifan and Lohse.

Lohse was great, fantastic pay off to her story in the end too. Fane I also found to be super enjoyable, and he just so happened to be written by Chris Avellone which I think helped a lot with his stronger elements, namely the background bits and the actual lore, and how HEAVILY tied to some of the background elements and history of the game he was. It was a very unique take on a character, and pretty singular to boot compared to any of the rest of the cast.

As for the rest, Red Prince was pretty cool, unexpectedly so, and while I did play as Ifan my first run through, I honestly find his story perhaps the most boring of all the companions? Him or the elf I can hardly recall at this point. Beast kind of just sat in the middle for me, not enough to particularly interest me, but didn't really dislike him either.

All in all though, yes, Larian has a thing for liking their special characters with crazy origins/backgrounds as opposed to those who are more simple in terms of background. Can be enjoyable when its done well and with layers, or just decent execution, or flop when its done poorly, which largely just kind of ends up being subjective really.

[smellibear]

Originally posted by Lunar Shower:

Originally posted by Deylendor:

Hey man. Sometimes you gotta work with people you won't like right of the bat.

This is not a story where you meet in a tavern and decide to take on a dungeon.
You were thrown together by chance and work together to get rid of the tadpoles.
The "companions" aren't your friends... they may become you friends.

Yeah, basically this.

Like, I DO understand people's wants for more simplistic, and stereotypical characters you'd see in just about any DnD or group party RPG game akin to this, but honestly having companions that have their own thing going on and don't just outright worship the ground you walk, or want to be buddy buddy, is pretty great. Also, generally speaking, lots of options to be evil here off the bat, and have a party fit it pretty well to boot. Of course, not gonna be like 99.9% of players cup of tea on a first run, but its a nice option.

All in all, I've been pretty pleased with them thus far, and especially how some have evolved with their story into the second act and beyond. They won't be for everyone for sure, but ultimately I enjoy them thus far.

That's all well and good, but what about the fact that they're all the same? We basically have a Man and Woman. The Man is a fun guy with a hidden danger about him, and the woman is Strong Female Character who kicks ass

I keep coming back to Pathfinder since it was the last game I played, but that set of companions had real variety! This feels so damn bland, like walking into a super expensive restaurant and being served the most beautifully soulless food imaginable, tastes like nothing and feeds no hunger

The fact that this game is relentlessly horny and it doesn't provide me with a single man I feel like ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ is straight up stupid. For once I pity those attracted to women, in this game they have only a couple options and I know most straight guys will not be into all that

Does everyone need to be ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥? No, but there should be enough distinct variety to satisfy a wider audience. I do not want to bang a voice-acted LLM trained on tabletop podcasts

[Snaxxor]

I will add to this discussion further by saying that these people aren't even people I would want to know in real life.

[Draeka3]

Originally posted by RACHMANOVSKI:

Originally posted by Draeka3:

Tried with the first two.
First one : Dialogue, added to party no matter what i tried, killed her.
Second : leave in pod, not sure but i think if "you're on your own" might not add her to party but not sure if after the intro she's added or you're good.
I'm waiting on cards to go further as to not get an achievement before then.
No time anyway. Getting a new release 10th and after that 25th and before that 8 PS2 games to beat again before starting the latter.
Too tight.

You can click your weapon and attack her while she sleep.

The nautiloid is part is "tutorial".

And yes, you can push Laezel trough the ledge once you beaten the little demons.

Still counts.
In the previous games, you could do a full run with only your character and not have anyone else in your party.
As soon as another chacacter joined your party it did void the solo run in the previous games.
It makes sense, the tutorial is still part of the game no matter how you spin it.
I kill goblin, orcs, githyanki and so on on sight.
From what i heard i'll have to restrain myself on a run for a few achievements (it's already getting my stomach turning).

[Lain]

I don't think they're bad, at worst they can be a little bland. I actually like Gale, Karlach and Halsin, its just a shame theres no "weirdo" characters. Like a warforged, kobold, changeling or whatever. Even a half orc, dwarf or gnome would shake it up a bit. They're all very stock human looking guys, with Lae'zel as inhuman as it gets and when it comes to DND Gith aren't all that exotic.

In Fallout 2 my party was stuffed full of clashing aesthetics from across the board, a talking deathclaw, a robot dog, a super mutant etc.

I'd never expect BG2 number of companions in a game with this kind of graphical fidelity, but 9 humans/humans with funny ears + frog & Big Tiefling isn't blowing my mind.

I feel like every rag tag adventure party has gotta have at least one nonhuman standout that shakes up the aesthetic and is super memorable, even if they boil down to a mascot. Star Wars has Chewbacca and the droids, Guardians of the Galaxy have Groot, Final Fantasy VII with Red XIII, Planescape has Morte and Nordom, Mass Effect with Wrex and Garrus, hell even He-Mans got Orko kicking around.

Its not game ruining by any means but its a little... Dull? To see a camp of fairly unremarkable dudes you could accomplish with some irl cosplay.

[RACHMANOVSKI]

Originally posted by Draeka3:

Originally posted by RACHMANOVSKI:

You can click your weapon and attack her while she sleep.

The nautiloid is part is "tutorial".

And yes, you can push Laezel trough the ledge once you beaten the little demons.

Still counts.
In the previous games, you could do a full run with only your character and not have anyone else in your party.
As soon as another chacacter joined your party it did void the solo run in the previous games.
It makes sense, the tutorial is still part of the game no matter how you spin it.
I kill goblin, orcs, githyanki and so on on sight.
From what i heard i'll have to restrain myself on a run for a few achievements (it's already getting my stomach turning).

who made the rules? :/

The council of balls smacker?

[Meow]

Agreed the way the companions is set up is over the top

[Draeka3]

Originally posted by RACHMANOVSKI:

Originally posted by Draeka3:

Still counts.
In the previous games, you could do a full run with only your character and not have anyone else in your party.
As soon as another chacacter joined your party it did void the solo run in the previous games.
It makes sense, the tutorial is still part of the game no matter how you spin it.
I kill goblin, orcs, githyanki and so on on sight.
From what i heard i'll have to restrain myself on a run for a few achievements (it's already getting my stomach turning).

who made the rules? :/

The council of balls smacker?

Check achievements.

[ChrisPharmD]

"Hey, there's one of those brain things in the bushes. Can you kill it?"
Puts a knife to your throat
"Well, onto the matter at hand" (Or whatever dumb crap he says)

Oh... wait... you mean I'm supposed to say either "We should stick together" or "Go back to my base and I'll meet you there"?

Is this game serious? I'm supposed to actually ask him to stay with me? He can't ask? And then after I ask since I'm pretty much supposed to, he goes, "And to think I was ready to go it alone."

What world is this good writing? What world is this a good RPG?