I think its time to try a CRPG with only enough companions to fill out a full party. I want to see a group of companions who travel through the whole game together and have meaningful interaction with every major quest. Deadfire already tested the concept of multiple class options for companions, still very restrictive, but I don't see why it can't be loosened up further. Actually, as long as they fill out a well rounded party, their classes can be fixed. The player character can be the wild card that tips combat and peaceful encounters in different directions, altering the relationships within the party. Does anyone know of any CRPG already doing this?

Well, maybe Avowed will have something like that. I still don-t know the details for the classes and if you will have good companions, or a la Skyrim

I very much look forward to see how the gods will be shown Avowed. Ondra's giant boobs would be most amusing. And the eyes of Wael, the eyes!

The companions in Skyrim felt different to me than companions in CRPGs. They felt more like either someone you travel with for a limited time for a specific purpose, such as that vampire girl, or a hired hand that doesn't contribute to the story, like that drow woman in the first town. Oh boy, it's been years since I last played. In either case, they don't feel like missed opportunities or too much of a good thing.

Mass Effect handles first person action RPG companions the best in the games I played. They are like that vampire girl in Skyrim, but they enter and leave my player character's company so naturally. Most of the time they just do their own thing on the Normandy. If Avowed will have companions like Mass Effect, Obsidian will have succeeded masterfully.

In a way, Pathfinder borrowed a bit from Mass Effect. Companions that don't travel with you are still doing something tangible. Together with auto leveling that eases the burden of leveling multiple companions, it feels like the extra companions stick with you for natural reasons instead of arbitrarily inflating your group beyond party size for no reason other than providing more companion quests and a deeper roster. In Kingmaker, for example, I can spend very little time with Octavia and Regongar and still feel they are working as my ministers and having their own relationship. Even PoE 1 did better than Deadfire, with companions not traveling with you able to go on missions for you through Caed Nua management.

To be fair, the core companions in Deafire feel like they serve meaningful roles: three faction neutral companions plus one for each faction, for a party of five at any given time. I was more put off by the sidekicks than anything else.

Still, I want to experience one AI party that stick together for a whole game. With all efforts devote to just that party and no extras. It could also add to replayability. If enough companions leave or die, then you don't have enough people to continue the campaign. I think that is a good way to encourage replayability of CRPGs beyond Obsidian's frequent herculean efforts to add multiple paths.