is it just me or do most of the companion stories feel a bit on the "lighter" side....? most are basically just travel to 2-3 locations, not a lot of story / backstory, not a lot of impact of any sorts...i dunno...was expecting more - would have liked if the companion stories had more impact and were somehow more connectd to the overall story

I think it's official that they wanted lighter companion quests.

It's not just you, apparently the companion stuff is expensive. But it's also something a lot of players care about. I definitely would've liked to see more. 

Eh, to be fair, lots of them were pretty light in PoE1 as well. Pallegina's "quest" was just to walk her to the trade negotiations in Twin Elms.
 

Personally, I'm okay with lighter companion quests as long as we get good banter and dialogue.

Eder, Xoti, Pallegina are substancial i suppose. You do several things and some have some epicness.

Aloth is very simple.

Tekehu is just talking, you could leave him on ship and do the talk before ukaio.

Serafen is moderate.

Maia quests are complex, but she used us, how could you Maia, i though we ware benchmates.

Eh, to be fair, lots of them were pretty light in PoE1 as well. Pallegina's "quest" was just to walk her to the trade negotiations in Twin Elms.

 

Personally, I'm okay with lighter companion quests as long as we get good banter and dialogue.

Like half the companion "quests" in PoE1 were just gated behind length of playtime. Wait long enough, talk to them enough times, you're done.

Eh, to be fair, lots of them were pretty light in PoE1 as well. Pallegina's "quest" was just to walk her to the trade negotiations in Twin Elms.

 

And the reward for doing it is her turning into an angry hobo in Deadfire!