Feedback on Hexxat

[Dorok]

Did a full play with Hexxat, but only partial plays with other EE specific companions so I won't bother compare.

Overall it's not a bad job, to summarise:
- Writing amount: A lot of stuff (banter, disputes, companion quests, comments, participations do dialogs), but a hole between end of romance and end of quests until exit of Underdark. It's widely more than most companions I played with.
- Writing quality: Even if uneven, it's overall good. For dialog with NPC specific to her Vampire condition I started seen some like with Bodhi only from exit of Underdark, it would have been better to ensure of some before.
- Companion writing: I didn't felt fully right her personality writing, something not proper between good and evil, like a lack of coherency when she shows good behaviours and evil behaviours. For the "racism" aspect covered through vampire aspect, it's a bit sad, but well done. For her sad end, I don't like those easy killing of companions, that's big ropes. But it's well done, worked on me, and at worse the player has the option to force keep her in party.
- Companion attachment writing: For me it's a major aspect of companions, Through all the play I didn't felt the attachment was high, despite a romance done and achieved. But on another way I haven't been indifferent or irritated. Moreover with her sad end, with Hexxat dying from becoming again human but very old, it touched me more than I would have guess. So overall for attachment, it's fairly good writing job.
- Vampire implementation is a mix of good and bad. A list of immunities, high STR and DEX, some useful special abilities, that is ok stuff. But the cape aspect and the death aspect is good mod stuff at first, bad stuff in the long run. It becomes very annoying to manage the cape again and again, and the special death isn't bringing much but annoyance because you need rest and can't use resurrect.
- Class choice: Very bad choice, Pure Thief is just not proper for SoA+ToB.
- Bugs: Nothing major but I noticed some problems like enter in an indoor area doesn't stop the burning, and some weird stuff when she dies during a combat.

Overall there's more good than bad, but her class is killing her as a companion to replay with. Morover her sad end is another reason to discourage replay with her, but it's a more minor problem because you can force her stay in party. And the annoyance with cape and special death is another blocking burden for replayability with her. So overall one play with her was ok and there's worse companions even from Bioware, but clearly I'll never ever pick her again in party or just to get her bag of holding.

[Zotliatlicor]

If you dont mind using the EE keeper, you can make her a kitted thief. I once played with her as an Assassin, and it was much better. Any kit will do, but i like backstabbing.

[LukanGamer]

imo (that I see most have said so just re-saying or being unoriginal suppose) she cringe, worse offence extremely unfitting by far, and easily forced segments ruining the "emotional parts" especially with the handling of the "gal before you get her".

[Dorok]

Originally posted by Zotliatlicor:

If you dont mind using the EE keeper, you can make her a kitted thief. I once played with her as an Assassin, and it was much better. Any kit will do, but i like backstabbing.

You can add kit with EEKeeper but you'll need reset manually anything Hexxat get, that's quite annoying, and not just one click.

Originally posted by LukanGamer:

imo (that I see most have said so just re-saying or being unoriginal suppose) she cringe, worse offence extremely unfitting by far, and easily forced segments ruining the "emotional parts" especially with the handling of the "gal before you get her".

Well I should show you the translation in French:
elle grince des dents, pire infraction extrêmement inadaptée de loin, et des segments facilement forcés ruinant les "parties émotionnelles" en particulier avec la manipulation de la "fille avant de l'avoir".

It makes zero sense lol.

With some guessing I think you found incoherent and was very hurt by how Clara was managed.

There's a long long road past that, it makes no sense to link this to ending.

On another way if I was quite touched by the ending, and more than I would have guess it, it's not meaning I find it coherent. I already posted it in another thread but to recap it with a large copy/paste:
- She didn't had a long life as a vampire, she was not a vampire and got trapped in a tomb along centuries. So she doesn't know much of a vampire life (with the cape at her disposal).
- Her only life as a vampire was with party, ok a handful of companions reject her brutally, but that's just a handful of companions along some months, from a character as mature than Hexxat it makes no sense she concludes she can't endure this life.
- It's even more incoherent with a romance achieved.
- There's nothing else justifying it's so terrible even if for sure it requires her use the cape, and she will have to manage an eternity until death.
- There's nothing justifying that die as a human is anything better than as a vampire. That's the choice leading to keep her in party, but it's so obvious that it's very artificial it's hidden behind a limited and specific series of dialog choices, obviously an artificial way to ensure the player will get once the emotional ending.

It's not changing that if I don't find the global coherency good, it's still rather touching. Frankly Seravok disintegration let me cold.

Moreover the player still has a choice to keep her in party and not even force her with some pressure but just convince her that there's no need die right now as a human, she cna be killed later as a vampire if needed. It's hidden behind a series of dialog choices but it's here.

EDIT:
For the clara affair, it's part of problem of coherency between good Hexxat and evil Hexxat, the writing isn't clean on that, and it's not hinting in any way a struggle between both sides.

I can understand dev had a way to move out Clara because it wasn't the plan to add two companions, only Hexxat. I doubt Clara would be great companion, the player doesn't play with Clara but with an hypnotized Clara. But for a global writing of Hexxat looking at the good side, Clara could have been saved without any option to add/keep her in party and replaced by Hexxat.

[Hopper]

I'm always a bit surprised when someone says they like Hexxat...

She just feels like an unfinished NPC mod to me. It's like they had an idea for a vampire companion but couldn't be bothered to flesh it out with good writing, like she never got past the placeholder stage. And don't get me started on her romance... I've had stronger feelings for my tomato plants than she has for the player.

All her dialogues go something like this...
Hexxat: "You are interesting to me."
Player: "I am? Why?"
Hexxat: "It does not matter. Let's continue on your quest."

Annoying. Tho to be fair, all the romances are terrible.

[Volfogg]

Ehh... I'd rather progress Jaheira's or Anomen's than EE romances.

[Sin]

Originally posted by LukanGamer:

imo (that I see most have said so just re-saying or being unoriginal suppose) she cringe, worse offence extremely unfitting by far, and easily forced segments ruining the "emotional parts" especially with the handling of the "gal before you get her".

you forgot that most of her dialoges are one sentence dialogue popups. Quite disapointing. Yes, the EE companions can't shut up, but in her particular place it might aswell be
"Mhh .."
"Vampire stuff."
"Mhhhhh."

Would say about as much as what is actually written.

[Giblets]

I like Hexxat, thought she was a great addition to the game and an evil party.

[Dorok]

It's false that most of her dialog are a few words.

For romance, it's possible it's very pale, I don't like companions romances anyway. For romancing Anomen, lol that idiot, no thanks.

It's possible some fan companions do a better job, usually none are translated in French so I didn't tried add them. For a future replay perhaps.

[khumak]

IMO, what they should have done instead of adding Hexxat is tweak it so you can turn Bohdi to your side and recruit her like you can with Sarevok in ToB. They would have had to do something like the original devs did with Sarevok and tone her abilities down after you defeat her or turn her to your side though, she's too strong otherwise.

[Dorok]

I have read the dev are limited in changes of original content, that's the first problem with Bohdi. Second problem with Bohdi is she can't be a SoA companion, too huge change in SoA, not looking like a feasible idea.

Perhaps the writing could be more solid, but when playing her, she is definitely playable but it's not changing the Thief class choice is awful for SoA+BG2 content. Really cool would be that EE companions offer some choices when added first time in party, as did PoE2 if I remind well.

For Hexxat, let choose, among all Thief variations, Thief, Any Thief Kit, Fighter 5 dual Thief. Alas Fighter/Thief isn't an option with Hexxat being human before Vampire.

[Hopper]

Originally posted by Dorok:

It's false that most of her dialog are a few words.

But they are. Even when she says a lot, she still says almost nothing at all. They tried to make her enigmatic, but she just comes across as boring. A vampire should charm your socks off, not leave you feeling like you're making small talk with a grumpy stranger.

She's been trapped for hundreds of years, you'd think she'd have more to say, more questions, more shock at how much the world has or hasn't changed. You'd think she'd feel slightly bad about all the innocent deaths she's caused... but nope, all you get are short bland chats and an annoying focus on getting back to working for L.

[Volfogg]

Originally posted by Hopper:

Originally posted by Dorok:

It's false that most of her dialog are a few words.

But they are. Even when she says a lot, she still says almost nothing at all. They tried to make her enigmatic, but she just comes across as boring. A vampire should charm your socks off, not leave you feeling like you're making small talk with a grumpy stranger.

She's been trapped for hundreds of years, you'd think she'd have more to say, more questions, more shock at how much the world has or hasn't changed. You'd think she'd feel slightly bad about all the innocent deaths she's caused... but nope, all you get are short bland chats and an annoying focus on getting back to working for L.

Yeah, I just remembered something. Nalia of all has valid banter accusations towards Hexxat. Something about Hexxat using poor excuses to justify commited atrocities, because it's easier for her to lie to herself. You know. Classic choices have better excuses. Being from absolutely cruel community and unable to fit in, loss of husband, crippled wings and slavery, extremely abusive father... That kind of stuff.

[Hopper]

Originally posted by Volfogg:

Yeah, I just remembered something. Nalia of all has valid banter accusations towards Hexxat. Something about Hexxat using poor excuses to justify commited atrocities, because it's easier for her to lie to herself. You know. Classic choices have better excuses. Being from absolutely cruel community and unable to fit in, loss of husband, crippled wings and slavery, extremely abusive father... That kind of stuff.

I think that's mostly true for Viconia, but Hexxat doesn't seem to care about lying to herself, she has no excuses for her behaviour. She admits to getting possibly a hundred people killed by manipulating their minds like she did with Clara, she calls them pawns in the game. She admits to killing innocents at night while the party sleeps. She even makes jokes a couple of seconds after killing Clara... "A girl's got to watch her weight."

There's no tragic backstory, no conflicted emotions, no doubts about anything. All this would be fine if she was interesting in some other way, or at least provided comic relief... but nope, she's just a boring shallow type of evil.

[Dorok]

Lol, I'll just quote from wiki. But some people here should learn read better.

Hexxat: You've become quite the archmage, Nalia.
Nalia: What do you want?
Hexxat: To offer some advice. You are powerful, but do not—
Nalia: I can do without your advice, thank you.
Hexxat: Nothing good comes of hubris, mage. Remember that.

Hexxat: Thank you, Mazzy.
Mazzy: You have nothing to thank me for.
Hexxat: I saw what you did in that last fight. You put yourself in harm's way to protect me.
Mazzy: That was for <CHARNAME>, not you. As long as <HE/SHE> needs you, I will treat you like any other member of our party.
Hexxat: I appreciate it.
Mazzy: I am not required to be anything beyond cordial, however. I've no desire to speak with you unless it concerns the welfare of our group.
Hexxat: I'm sorry to hear that.
Mazzy: I am sorry to say it. But it's the truth nevertheless.

Aerie: I would have words with you, vampire.
Hexxat: Please, Aerie. Call me Hexxat.
Aerie: Hexxat was a woman who died two hundred years ago. You are an abomination—one I'll no longer suffer to live.
Hexxat: Your suffering will end soon, I promise you that.

Korgan: I don't like ye, vampire.
Hexxat: Many don't.
Korgan: However chummy ye be gettin' with th' others, there'll always be one here watchin' ye.
Hexxat: More than one, I think.
Korgan: Ye fain even look at me funny an' I'll take t' sleepin' with a stake under me bedroll.
Hexxat: Sleep with it atop your bedroll, dwarf. Keep it beneath and you'll never reach it in time.
Not that you'll ever need it. But if you did... Yes, best to keep it on top.

[Dorok]

As some people seem have difficulties, I'll explain a bit the writing of Hexxat, ToB part.

She didn't shift to Good, but she tries be more friendly with the team, and anybody reject her. Viconia could be the exception, I hadn't in party, didn't bother check.

But it's not based on any fact just Hexxat being a vampire.

In my opinion, the writing try build a lite case of racism, and try setup a reason of Hexxat wanted be a human, and when discovering it will kill her, still want it anyway.

All the blah blah of other posts is plain wrong or from people commenting something they didn't play, lame people, don't comment something you don't know, that's the base. Or learn read.