Celan

I really don't like the disposition system, and I wish that sidekicks were cut to free resources for deeper stories with the full companions. Especially with only 5 in the party.

I don't want to shock you, but Xoti is 27. Yeah, I know. But that's what she says hersel When does she say that exactly? She looks, and acts, like someone who is maybe 22-23. Also Eder did not "just suddenly decide" anything, he realized something was missing, he thought about it, and figured out he regretted not staying by her when he was younger. That is called a realization that you made a mistake in your youth, it isn't a midlife crisis or a random event. Here. He's midlife, and it's very normal to start seeing that there's more behind you than in front of you and regretting decisions you made earlier. It's just weird that he apparently has no notion his mind can change again.

Garrus, who was one of the most popular romances in the Mass Effect series? I think he's a very good example of why the buddy romance can work out well. Obviously that was not what the writer had in mind here. The story we got was just, IMO, not executed very well. I do agree that Eder and Xoti are like oil and water, but isn't it possible for them to end up together in some scenarios? As I see it now, he wasn't on the ship for the Watcher, he was there to pursue Eothas and your ship was going his way. It is apparently impossible for the Watcher to form lasting friendships, just working partners or sex partners.

I don't think anyone is saying he has to be because he's fictional- it's the fact that there are obvious design choices that are disappointing to those who hoped to have that option, and to me they are downright puzzling. So it's not like a real person who has their own preferences, we're talking about the writers' choices. Aloth isn't a lost puppy- he's been on his own for five years and doing just fine, in my game. It's not any more in his character to fall for the Watcher than it is for Eder, who also wishes for a family and seems to want stability. In general I find it strange that the companions who shared so much seem to go their own ways and never see or speak to the Watcher again. I'm all for companions having their own agendas and plans, but that just seems odd. Even NPCs who I did a favor for at least wrote the Watcher a freaking note. And now in PoE2, the only ones besides Aloth who want to be in a romantic relationship with the Watcher are those who basically have no standards at all. It's just weird to me, because you invest so much into these relationships but the game seems to want to make them dispensable.

Friendship isn't a bad basis for more. Since Eder is a fictional character, we can question why the writer chose this arc. What makes Aloth any more likely to fall for any given Watcher? You could try it again without sarcasm. Personally I never intended to have my character hook up with Eder, it just seems incongruous that the option wasn't there, to the point that several other characters comment on it. That's like an extra slap in the face to those who were hoping for that to happen. And I do agree with those who don't care for "one night stand turned dead girlfriend turned true love forever" as a character arc. Obviously a writer can have their own ideas about how a story should go, but those who read/ play can like it or not. It just seems to me to be one of the more puzzling writing choices in the game.

That would assume that there's a "canon" male Watcher. I echo the OP's confusion and somewhat disappointment. Eder was his usual cheerful-yet-fatalistic self, but his story arc is disappointing in that he seems pointlessly stuck on a one night stand. On the one hand it shows that he really does care about those he's involved with, on the other hand it leaves him seeming rather immature and neurotic. The companions just ditching the Watcher felt incongruent in PoE1, too. I don't expect all companions to drop their own agendas and be devoted to the PC, but in making sure they stay independent, it ends up feeling unnaturally cold. Like, does the Watcher have bad breath or something? I did consider that it might have been an issue of egalitarianism in the romances, i.e. Eder is straight so he's out of the picture, and they had to come up with some reason why that would be the case, unlike with Pallegina who's much less cuddly.

Favorites are the PoE1 companions. Unlike others who've commented, I like seeing them again because you can see a progression, and there are at least a few people my Watcher knows and trusts around. Xoti is my least favorite. She started out okay, but at the Eothas stuff I wanted to drop kick her.

Druids get no love in PoE and haven't yet come across any special druid options in 2.

I think the OP has some valid points, but maybe not framing them well. The issue in the character writing for me is that they're pulled into rigid tropes by having to artificially fit into the disposition system. Incidentally, the Xoti "little girl in a woman's body" model is familiar from other games, though I had always assumed this was written for straight men. Writing female characters is hard, because you're always damned if you do or don't. As far as the rulers go, I assumed that the Huana were matriarchal, as the Hawaiian culture largely was?? If so, the dominance of female rulers is deliberate though not because of SJWism.

It was very easy to avoid this trap by having the previous companions be romanceable, when there was history and some basis for trust and friendship. At least it appears we got that with Aloth.

I was puzzled why Eder was not a romance, especially after waking up to find him watching over you (who watches the Watcher?) and with what Eothas says to him about taking care of you. I interpret his personal quest as an attempt to resolve something that had been bugging him for years. While the fate of Woden was foremost on his mind, he wasn't thinking about it, but solving the Hollowborn crisis brought it back. Then he finds out he might have a son and both this old flame and his maybe-son are caught up in an Eothas cult. It's one part midlife crisis, another part crisis of faith, and not just burning feelings for Elafa. Hopefully he could move on and maybe in the future (offscreen or on) it might finally be his and the Watcher's time.

Well, DAO also had this stupid approval system too. I hate it with a passion, personally. I'd rather companions judge me not by the number of times I cracked a joke but by my meaningful actions in the world. And his sullen face sure does indicate his overly serious no-nonsense attitude, the portrait is spot on. Guy needs to stop being so hard on himself and loosen up a bit once in a while, jeez He should spend more time in a luminous bathhouse, I think Btw, what do you, guys, suggest to swap conflicting dispositions with? I think if he's anti-Leaden Key Stewardship should be replaced by pro-Progressive and if he's Pro-Leaden Key Autonomy should be replaced by pro-Skullduggery (shady). Also, he and Serafen has fewest number of dispositions, maybe one extra positive should be added. Yeah it does, but in DAO it's also pretty easy to predict what people will object to and Morrigan in particular is transparent. Plus if you can't be bothered to switch out your party to stop them moaning or arrange your choices around them, you can bribe them with gifts. OFC that makes them come across as superficial, but still xD I personally liked the DA2 system the most, where characters could remain loyal to you and love you *in spite of* disagreeing with you on some things, because your relationship with them is essentially deeper than agreeing on everything and they can accept their view might not be right or the only one; but it seems a lot of people, especially those who only play a game once, found the rivalry system confusing. As for Aloth, I personally think he should always be pro skullduggery since he makes use of it himself in both games, and you can rogue subclass him. Shouldn't he be wordly? Anti leaden key, I'd say anti tradition, anti religion, pro autonomy; and pro leaden key, pretty much the opposite. That's possibly where the problem lies because it's too complicated, tooo many variables, and combined with his POE1 history with the watcher being potentially good or bad, Iselmyr or no, it creates this hypocritical, shallow persona that hates or at best tolerates you in a lot of cases. Unfortunately the PoE2 system reminds me of DA2 in a not-positive way, in that companions are more like mouthpieces for factions than individuals. I was reminded while playing of having to endure Anders and Fenris constantly harping on their viewpoints which I felt was artifically keyed to the friendship/rivalry mechanic. I get the same feeling here.

I'll preface by saying I liked all of the PoE1 companions, though I was puzzled that not even one of them stayed in Caed Nua. (Something I said? Korgrak's BO?) I haven't yet finished PoE2, but so far I'm not liking the developments with companions at all. The approvals system as a minigame is distracting. I much prefer when we learned the companions' perspectives through the occasional comment. It seems to me that the system is gamed to make contrasts between companions, which makes them artifically polarized. The constant flashing of yays and nays on the screen is annoying. It seems artificial and offputting to me that Aloth only wanted to talk to my character after she said something he agreed with, and not because of what they went through together. Speaking of annoying... the number of new companions I want to slap is remarkably high. Perhaps related to the above? I wanted to drop kick Xoti into Magran's Maw for all her ridiculous squealing. Where is grumpy Durance when you really need him. I completed Tekehu's romance (though not epilogue yet) and found it shallow and the dialogue cringe-worthy, I'm sorry to say. I like romance content in RPGs, but it rarely seems to pay off well. Serafen does get points for being funny. I do like the exploration and so far like the main quest alright, but companions are a highlight of these games for me so it's been a disappointing run thus far. I will try to keep an open mind as I finish out the game.

This does feel quite confining. One of the things I loved about my PoE1 druid was being able to select from a range of spells.

I haven't played the beta. However, I will not like a 6 second cast, particularly since enemies move, you can get interrupted or not hit. That will make my very fun and versatile druid into a frustrating class. The reason I prefer casters to chanters or ciphers is that I hate waiting for a power to charge up. Action!