Only 1 character?

[Dekeon]

After watching a few videos  I just realized you can only create 1 character? That sucks if that's correct?

[MasterPrudent]

To start off with you can only create one character but if you'd rather create your party (as opposed to recruiting premade companions) you can create other characters of your own as soon as you get to an inn.

[Tartantyco]

You can create your own custom companions in the game, as well.

[Aarionn]

After watching a few videos  I just realized you can only create 1 character? That sucks if that's correct?

Not correct. You can play the game Baldur's Gate style with 1 character made and recruit up to 5 from game.

 

Or you can go Icewind Dale style and make all 6 characters for your group. 

 

Or you can make anything in between.

[Pidesco]

That's not correct. You start out by creating only one character but, later on, you can create a full party of custom characters at the adventurer's hall.

[NorthernSquirrel]

Why wouldn't you recruit the "premade" companions first time around, though? Surely they will offer a more interesting playthrough and story than creating your own and sort of playing by yourself.

[Dekeon]

So the pre-made characters will be like in baldur's gate? They'll have dialog and interact with everything? I still would like to make my 6 person party! Thanks for answering my question!!!

[MasterPrudent]

So the pre-made characters will be like in baldur's gate? They'll have dialog and interact with everything? I still would like to make my 6 person party! Thanks for answering my question!!!

More like BG2 or Torment in terms the amount of dialogue you'll have with them but yep, like that.

[Karkarov]

So the pre-made characters will be like in baldur's gate? They'll have dialog and interact with everything? I still would like to make my 6 person party! Thanks for answering my question!!!

Like MasterPrudent said, yes, the premade characters all have their own backstory, dialogue, and quests associated with them just like Jaheira from Baldur's Gate, Neeshka from NWN2, or even Varric from Dragon Age 2/Inquisition.  One notable difference is this game has no romance though, so you won't be getting any hanky panky with any companions .

 

You can also hire "blank" custom made adventurers at adventuring halls all over the game.  Depending on what level you hire them at they cost more or less, and you have total control of them as characters.  Adventurers Halls are normally found in taverns apparently.  The drawback here is they obviously have no dialogue or quests and are just literal blank slates with no personality other than the one you imagine for them.

 

As far as party comp goes it can be anything with the only rule being you must have your main character in the party.  Past that it can be all premade, all custom, some mix of both, or ever just your character by themselves or with only one or two other people.  Nothing forces you to use a full party.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Karkarov

[matthewfarmery]

 that not too bad, might help to fill in the missing gaps in your party, especially if you chosen a class and needs an extra tank, or ranger, or whatever. or maybe have a char that doesn't have a pre made NPC, at least the game gives you choice.

Edited March 25, 2015 by matthewfarmery

[kalel78]

you also have to remember you get a stronghold at some point.. so creating custom characters would still be useful..

 

my strat is going to be.. create custom characters for stronghold.. then recruit premades as i go around adventuring. 

 

also, you dont get a full party right away, so creating some custom characters when you first get the ability would be a good idea.. particularly if you are on the higher difficulties.

[LeBurns]

Why wouldn't you recruit the "premade" companions first time around, though? Surely they will offer a more interesting playthrough and story than creating your own and sort of playing by yourself.

 

This.  I feel like those games that require you to make most of your party (W2) are just being lazy and didn't want to design interesting NPC's.  I much prefer learning about an NPC I know nothing about than just pretending that two characters I made are friends, or enemies, or whatever.

[Ink Blot]

This.  I feel like those games that require you to make most of your party (W2) are just being lazy and didn't want to design interesting NPC's.  I much prefer learning about an NPC I know nothing about than just pretending that two characters I made are friends, or enemies, or whatever.

 

How is that lazy (W2 in particular)? You still have a large number of companions to choose from. You just can't have them all in your party at the same time.

[Voss]

Why wouldn't you recruit the "premade" companions first time around, though? Surely they will offer a more interesting playthrough and story than creating your own and sort of playing by yourself.

It depends what people want from the game.  Some find having their own characters more interesting.

 

Also, the companions seem to be built like BG1.  Sometimes you get a Minsc, others are Garricks, and need to be fed to bears.

[Quillon]

you also have to remember you get a stronghold at some point.. so creating custom characters would still be useful..

 

my strat is going to be.. create custom characters for stronghold.. then recruit premades as i go around adventuring. 

 

I plan the same. Also I will never take any adventurer hall character with me, not in the first playthrough, not in 2nd, not in the 3rd... Characters without personality is boring. Maybe this is why I didn't like wasteland 2 as much as I hoped.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Quillon

[LeBurns]

 

This.  I feel like those games that require you to make most of your party (W2) are just being lazy and didn't want to design interesting NPC's.  I much prefer learning about an NPC I know nothing about than just pretending that two characters I made are friends, or enemies, or whatever.

 

How is that lazy (W2 in particular)? You still have a large number of companions to choose from. You just can't have them all in your party at the same time.

 

Ok, how about which takes less effort to make?  Custom designing four unique NPC's with backstories and tons of unique dialog, or letting the player just create four characters that do nothing but what the player makes them do and who's only dialog and generic grunts during combat?

[Natsound]

I'm going to do a mix.

I like to have the RP'd feeling of a backstory to some of the characters I create and to get a little more in the way of questing from the companions I've read about that I actually think are cool.

This way will seemingly make multiple playthoughs more interesting as well.

For example, because there is no romance, I'm likely going to create an adventurer rogue as my main character's wife, sworn, mate or bodyguard... but I know I want to get that companion paladin because she seems interesting.

My only question is if you have to drop other members to make room? Or can you have as many as you want chill at home base. Anyone know?

[Ink Blot]

 

Ok, how about which takes less effort to make?  Custom designing four unique NPC's with backstories and tons of unique dialog, or letting the player just create four characters that do nothing but what the player makes them do and who's only dialog and generic grunts during combat?

 

If you're talking a game like IWD, where you make all characters in your party and have no companions to recruit, then I can maybe see your point. Other games though, like Wasteland 2 or PoE, where you make one or some of your own but still can recruit others, no. Point is, in Wasteland 2, even though you make up to 4 of your own, you still can recruit other companions. And they made 18 companions for Wasteland 2. So no, I don't get the 'less effort' or 'lazy' argument there.

[Skor]

I'm going to make a full custom party.  After looking over the pre made companions, I'm not impressed.  I don't think any of them is a class/race combo I'd personally make myself, especially with their attribute points spread the way they are.

[LeBurns]

I'm going to make a full custom party.  After looking over the pre made companions, I'm not impressed.  I don't think any of them is a class/race combo I'd personally make myself, especially with their attribute points spread the way they are.

 

Not assigning points for companions at level-up is an option I like a lot.  In DOA I often just let the game auto-level the companions just to add to the difficulty in the game and (IMO) make it a little more realistic as meta-gaming each companion to be perfect just took away a lot of the challenge for me.  So, using companions that I wouldn't make myself makes the game more interesting and may force me to try or use options I wouldn't have considered otherwise.

[Uomoz]

I won't try to overpower the game content if I play with pre-made companions as they are built to have a precise "personality" stat-wise, and they are not supposed to be perfectly optimized to a specific role. If I want to tryhard and stomp the content I'll probably make a custom 6-men party.

[Sherr]

Great example of premade against custom is BG 2 against IW 2. No matter how much you love IW it would never be even close to BG, where companions bring so much to the table.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Sherr

[Dongom]

I prefer premade characters with their own personalities, quips, quests, and stories.

Some of the best rpgs/crpgs of all time have premade, so I'm not sure why it would "suck". 

But I read this game you can make your own too later on, so don't worry.

[wolfrider100]

I do say I love the way BG2 and KOTOR2 did pre-made companions. Going to try the pre-made one's in Pillars of Eternity

 

the first time around and in the end if I do not like them, then and only then will I make a few custom-made companions.

Edited March 25, 2015 by wolfrider100

[Azureblaze]

I'm planning to main a rogue and then fill out the party with the companions I find myself, I'm going to hunt for as many companions as I can before doing any major quests is my plan. I'll recruit additionals as a last resort, until I have need to  for the stronghold.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Azureblaze