I find Gale problematic
I find Gale problematic
I'm not even talking about bugs. Opinion based on act1 and very beginning of act2 experience.
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- Dialog and player choices feel railroaded as heck, options are suddenly lovelove or rude as fuck. Quality of dialog writing is very different from other parts of the game.
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- His story is r/rpghorrorstory level problematic. From DM perspective his backstory and associate npc's are especially bad choices.
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It wouldn't bother as much if either was better, but both in current state just sticks out to me.
My partner thinks this character must be some executives personal OP character shoe horned in to game despite criticism.
spoiler
sidenote: His story would work far better if he was delusional insane person. Instead its literal game over with "certain choices", if you take him out of the portal.
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Gale is a weird one. He's an arrogant prick that acts as this powerful arch mage but you get him at level 1/2. I know part of it is becsuse of the whole mindflayer tadpole thing but I feel like he should have been a recruitable in act 2/3 but then he wouldn't have much reason to join you.
I was romancing karlach and most npcs acknowledged that. I didn't take a single romantic option with Gale, didn't have a single romantic scene with him, and nothing anywhere gave the idea or impression we were a thing. I progressed with Karlach enough to get the polyarmory issue with Gale and its like, bruh. We are not a thing, we were never thing. Even when talking to you I didn't have the "talk about our romance" option. Given what people say about Gale,this seems quite common. I can't help but feel like he's bugged a bit in this way.
I do see what people mean when they talk about how the npcs are really horny for your pc. I understand why but I wish they didn't start coming onto you until you take at least one flirty option.
I'm not sure how I feel about his backstory, it fits his whole arrogant prick personality but again, it feels weird when recruiting him as a level 1/2 companion. It doesn't help thst his voice actor did a very good job in selling his arrogance. Half of his dialogue is patting himself on the back and complimenting his talent with magic. He's worse than Astarion when it comes to being narcissist and you expect that from Astarion.
Plenty of issues, big ones and small ones. From writing pov.
Lets take a small, but significant example.
The dialog option to ask him about his cat in act 1. People who like cats are likely to ask him this.
Asking about cat starts innocent questions narrative path about the cat. That ends in 4 dialog options, 3 different level options to be horny towards gale and 4th option to say cats are horrible awful things.
Some on social media say this asking about the fucking cat starts the romance. A dialog Trap? Because for cat loving people its either savescum or romance gale by accident.
There are other dialogs where, even after successfully save scumming to avoid romancing him, your Player characters responses are tailored to be supportive fan or absolutely rude as fuck with gale. It jerks away the immersion of playing a roleplay video game.
Its odd, because most of the other dialog ingame is very high quality and has plenty of room for many different player character "roleplay" dialog.
Yes, Gale gives me the feeling that the wasn't "intended" to be a romance option and they show horned it in later since "everyone else is". It's fine to have companion that only allow platonic relationships. Gale is a weird one because you accidently fall into his romance but nothing tells you that you have. When you got the dialogue he asked me to choose and I had never committed myself to him, so I simply ended the dialogue.
The other champions seem a lot more obvious about romance paths, but I do dislike how nearly all the "no" paths are rude or mean in some way.
Gale is an arrogant prick
I genuinely do not see how people have this opinion of him. He is by far the nicest character that isn't named Karlach.
He's arguably the most noble and selfless character in the entire game.
He is a "Nice guy" but he isn't a good guy.
He's constantly overselling himself, his skills, etc. Talking like he is some master Gandalf or Dumbledore and it's like... you're level 1 dude. He has that narcissistic front and it's like "oh yea I was in a relationship with a goddess" and it's like Stay in your lane.
It doesn't help that half of his romance building path dialog isn't romantic at all. Talking about your cat doesn't mean I want in your pants, Gale!
He literally offers to sacrifice his own life, immediately upon hearing the plan to sacrifice him. He is also literally that strong, prior to his rejection by Mystra/unfortunate accident. He's not lying.
stay in your lane
He paved that lane.
His Approvals are all tied to good acts. He respects caring for and defending those weaker than him. He supports acts of charity. He supports honesty, and humbles himself before the entire party up to and including being willing to leave over his condition.
There is no way to paint Gale as anything but a good person.
He is badly written like that. Good guy, but the tells of a "nice guy" proudly written in without second thought. It really wouldn't be as storytelling breaking without elminster and mystra. Those just finished the nice guy cake.
He is not badly written lmao
OK, that's how you feel.
Yeah man we're allowed to disagree. That's the beauty of this kind of content.
Some people love lae'zel and tbh I'm just not capable of giving her her due.