Evil Playthrough- Custom or Story Companions?

[Hazmy]

Sziasztok! ( Hi everyone in hungarian   )

I would like to turn to you for help, as I am planning to start an Evil Playthrough for the game. On my first play, I felt that story companions fairly limit your choices as they always react negatively on your evil deeds...it bothered me.

My question now would be that, can you play with story companions without them becoming too unhappy?( I don't understand negative relationship mechanics ) Or am I better off with custom adventurers who will follow me dead on into danger?

Thank you for the help!

Edited August 9, 2018 by Hazmy

[daven]

Maybe take some of the sidekicks, that hooker dwarf is probably decent for an evil party.

[Tagaziel]

Konstantin isn't a hooker, he's a masseuse.

 

OP, define evil. Is it "eats babies and kicks puppies for fun" kind of evil? Or "manipulates people for their own gain and profit, caring nothing for the destruction in their wake" kind of evil? And what's the desired endgame?

[Hazmy]

Yeah I know the way most describe helping people can be considering manipulative Evil, but In games I simply consider that good as you are helping people and they thank you for it, the Evil manipulation part is most of the time just your own Roleplaying, very rarely an option in the game.

Video games limit you on that I think. So I guess when I speak in Pillars of Eternity terms....A cruel character. Most companions dislike that afaik.

Doing quests and choosing the Cruel options most of the time, or options that end with death.

[Tagaziel]

So essentially a kind of a sadist, deriving satisfaction from making people suffer, with monetary gain a distant concern? Well...

 

Xoti could be useful for such a character, especially if you push her in the maniacal serial killer direction (as my Rational, Stoic Watcher accidentally did).

 

Eder is probably not going to fit your bill, though his deadpan snark might be useful throughout the game.

 

Aloth will take offense to this, especially as anti-Leaden Key.

 

Pallegina is right out, unless you want to slap bastards and get rich through the VTC and supporting Lueva Alvari (who is about the cruelest possible option for the Deadfire). Bonus points if you use the story generator to make her betray the Republics and get banished permanently, then shrug when she complains, leading to an epic meltdown and probably a massive boner for any sadist.

 

Tekehu is generally nice, so he might be out as well, unless you enjoy playing with people and making him kill fellow Huana (haven't tried that yet).

 

Maia is pretty ruthless, but generally good-natured, so she'll likely take offense to needless slaughter and cruelty.

 

Serafen will not put up with needless cruelty, and siding with slavers is absolutely off-limits for him.

 

 

Sidekicks generally don't care.

 

I think it's a matter of whether you prefer to have a mirror for your character's cruelty to reflect in. Outrage at atrocities can be quite useful for reinforcing your roleplaying concept.

 

(I miss Tyranny, where Fear actually gave you proper perks with your followers)

[1TTFFSSE]

above post is pretty accurate from Tagaziel

 

Xoti can go full chaotic evil with right dialogue choices - it's a shame and a bit immersion breaking though that she is still "nice" when talking to you and some scripted interactions that way but her random lines are then pretty dark (make her keep souls etc)

 

Maia is a  "neutral" mercenary character she will be a yesman/woman and just follow what you do

 

Fassina in general is pretty neutral/ self centered from what time she was in the party

 

Ydwin is not evil per se but she has a pretty detached view of life

 

Serefen is a pirate so killing is right up his alley it's just he takes exception to slavery

[Zaris]

I think the best companions for such playthrough would be Verse, Kills-In-Shadows and... oh, that’s not Tyranny. Well, **** then, I guess you’re down to Xoti the Reaper, Konstanten and Maia. Not bad, since at least you can focus on them and not have plenty characters just bumming around on the ship. Damn, I miss our party from the times in the Tiers.

[1TTFFSSE]

I think the best companions for such playthrough would be Verse, Kills-In-Shadows and... oh, that’s not Tyranny. Well, **** then, I guess you’re down to Xoti the Reaper, Konstanten and Maia. Not bad, since at least you can focus on them and not have plenty characters just bumming around on the ship. Damn, I miss our party from the times in the Tiers.

I mean Fassina and Ydwin are no "dogooders" from what I've learned traveling with them. Fassina seems to have had a pretty abusive relationship with Arkemyr and is pretty angry inside. Ydwin only got to the deadfire because as she stated "stole from a dead man what she needed" but she did not say anymore about it. 

[Amun Quoi]

Apart from a couple of exceptions, negative relationship won't cause story companions to leave the party. In fact, it unlocks some very interesting dialogue, so I definitely recommend bringing them along instead of using custom adventurers. In fact, I wouldn't even take Xoti along all that often - if you're playing evil, what's better than having people calling you out for it, right?

 

Any of the three faction companions (Pallegina, Maia and Serafen) may leave the party if you make a big choice against their faction, like supporting the wrong side in the final stages of the main quest.