It's really quite interesting going from the love to hate and hate to love.
So far no one has disappointed me, even if I expected it I've been pleasantly surprised.
Probably Cassandra is the biggest surprise for me, I thought out of anyone she would be the one I may not like, that has proven not to be the case.
Sera seems to be quite divisive a character, I like her, even if she's a bit ditzy.
I am feeling a great deal of trepidation about Blackwall (have yet to meet him).
I only know just got Sera, so I'm still missing half of the companions. But so far I like them all. I'm very surprised about it.
Especially about Vivienne who I thought I'd HATE. Arrogant, power-hungry mage? No thanks. And she looked the part too on the promo pictures. I was ready to despise her. Ended up approving of her stance on the mages in our first conversation, haha. I'm all pro-mages, but she is right in saying that mages don't all feel oppressed nor are they all being abused. It's good to remember that... Anders made you feel like ALL mages lived in terror beyond words. Not true!
I'm sooo glad I love Solas. I was hoping I would. He sounded most like my cup of tea in his profile, and he is. Decided on romancing him before I started playing and I will now for sure. I'll just have to ignore that he looks like Nosferatu's long lost twin brother... he's even more ugly in-game >_< But he's got a beautiful, fascinating personality so far. I was SO worried he'd turn out to be another mage nightmare like Anders and Fenris. I was especially worried about another angry mage romance trauma... *shudders at the memory of Fenris* Solas is just awesome, though. He's not mopey, not angry, not socially awkward. Easy-going, polite guy. Yes! I approve.
I knew Cassandra would be great. I was right. She's just awesome. She disapproves of pretty much everything I say, haha, but I don't mind. I get it. She's tense as hell. All this responsibility. All those Chantry idiots. That poor woman had to take matters into her own hands to save the world. She's got no time for disagreement.
But deep down she's all soft and kind. It shows right away. She disapproves but is not bitchy about it. She often understands my character's point of view, even grudgingly agrees. I need to romance her on my second playthrough. Gonna be great, I know it.
Bioware usually gets female characters right. At least the important ones. Cass is every bit as cool as Aveline. And I'm impressed they went with such unconventional looks for female characters. Both are kind of butch, but still have a distinct soft feminine side. I really like such characters.
Sera I had no opinion on other than disliking her looks, which was (and still is) the case for ALL companions. I read she's kind of crazy. And oh boy, indeed! O_O
I don't always know what she's trying to say, but that's part of the charm. She'll be a fun character I'm sure. The closest to the happy go lucky girl stereotype, but with a darker touch. I like her. I just hope they flesh her out a bit. I hope she won't stay so black and white and mock detached. My inquisitor and her won't get along otherwise. But as a character I do like her, though. I always like crazy characters if they are not over the top, which she isn't. That stupid nervous laugh of hers is adorable.
Varric is Varric. Knew what to expect and got just that. Nothing really new about him. That's not bad though. He's as funny as before.
Can't wait to meet Dorian. He seems to be a fan favorite. Had no opinion on him other than thinking: oh another gay mage... he looks the part too. I pray he won't be too cliche a fabulous mage.
Josephine is kind of meh so far. I neither particularly like nor dislike her. I like her well enough. I hope she'll stop being so passive.
Still don't get the hype about Cullen. Never cared for him before and I still don't. He looks too much like a pretty boy to me now. I can't romance somebody like him... he's the only character who's not ugly but no. Not my type AT ALL. He doesn't have much personality yet. Not big on the templars. I don't hate him, but he better become interesting fast now that he's got a bigger role.
Iron Bull- expected to like him, did like him a lot. His conversations are probably the funniest in the game, but is also very intelligent and a far cry from just being a ''me smash'' big guy. Don't see really what there is to dislike about him.
Cassandra- Was ambivalent, like her a lot now, I do think they made her into a bit too much of a softie in her romance arc, but eh, she still kicks ass.
Blackwall- Didn't know much about him. Pre-personal quest, I found him boring. Post, he's more interesting but still my least favorite warrior.
Varric- it's Varric. He has the least character growth but really, what is there not to like about him?
Cole- Came in ambivalent, ended up liking him a lot. His unique perspective is very interesting, and his VA does a terrific job. Bit of a shame that DW rogues aren't so good or I would bring him along more often.
Sera- didn't think I would like her, ended up really not liking her. She basically a teenager with a black-and-white, stickin' it to the Man attitude. Almost every word out of her mouth annoys me.
Solas- Came in ambivalent, ended up liking his perspective on the world but he can be a bit of a condescending arse and prove almost as dogmatic as those he decries.
Vivienne- thought I would like her, in reality not that much. She has an air of grace and is obviously smart but she can be incredibly stuck-up sometimes and her ''my dear''s can ring wrong, as if she was adressing a child or something.
Dorian- Like Varric, he's kinda the guy you can only like. Intelligent, witty, skilled, defector from an evil faction, sympathetic victim, there's a lot to like about him. Still think his mustache look silly even if it suits him, and his personal quest was a bit, I don't know, preachy?
Cullen- He is the perfect straight man in any humorous conversation, I admitedly didn't speak to him that much since he's so out of the way. His snarks on his War Table cards are great, however.
Leliana- Stone. Cold. I love her. She finally leaves the girly girl persona behind and focuses on being a ruthless spymaster.
Josephine- slightly too naive for my tastes, but she's competent and has some great lines too. Her personal quest is annoying, however.
Overall the cast as a whole is much more likeable than the bunch of fanatic and idiots (sans Varric) we had to deal with in DA2. I guess it means opinion on some characters will be less varied, but it's refreshing to have a Bioware cast that's not a massive ensemble of utterly dysfonctional individuals.
Did I change my preconceptions about the party members? Yes, I absolutely did, for the most part. A lot of the characters I thought I would hate became likable and a lot of characters I had high expectations for tended to fall flat for me.
Cassandra: I actually didn't change my opinion much about her, and that's because I didn't really feel too strongly about her one way or the other in her previous appearances. Though, I have to say Cassandra vs. Varric has got to be one of my most favorite scenes ever in the DA series.
Varric: I actually liked him more in this game than in DAII. I thought he was dull in DAII, but I love the seriousness he's picked up along the way.
Solas: I thought he was going to be a bore, but I'm really loving how thoughtful and intelligent he is. He also has some pretty neat stories to tell.
Sera: I didn't think she was going to be anything special, but boy, was I wrong. The girl is TOO much for me, and not in the good way. I like her pranks, but she tends to confuse me most of the time and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Vivienne: I expected much more from her than what we got. I thought she was going to talk more about the high life and her social status, instead she always drones on and on about the silliness of the apostates and the importance of the Circle, which became tiring very quickly.
Blackwall: He absolutely left no impression on me when I first saw him and I thought he was going to be bland and forgettable. Now, he's one of my most favorite characters in the entire DA series and he's going to be the first character I create a female for in the DA series just to romance. He also has a pretty cool voice, and as much as he cares about being a goody-two shoes, he speaks much more brusquely than I would've expected from similar character archetypes.
Iron Bull: I knew I was going to dislike him, and I do. I haven't done his personal quest, so I don't know how his character will progress, but I just really dislike the Bull. He comes across as a typical dudebro douchebag with a little sprinkle of soft-heartedness thrown in there, and it just does not work for me.
Dorian: Like Vivienne, I had high hopes for him, but his arrogance irritated me to no end. We get it Dorian, you're the cat's ass but you don't have to constantly go on about yourself! Not only that, but I expected him to talk more about Tevinter's positives, but apart from a line or two, everything about him was all about trying to save Tevinter from itself, and like Viv, it got real old, real fast.
Cole: Surprisingly, I really like him! His voice actor knocked Cole's demeanor right out of the park and made him a joy to be around. I really didn't expect to like him, but he really is fairly adorable and earnest, and his conversations with the other party members are just cute. I also thought he had the best personal quest from the ones I did.
Cullen: I don't really have any strong opinions about him.
Leliana: I found her kinda boring in DAO, but she was really fun and interesting in this game. It was nice seeing a fairly pious and devoted Andrastian question her beliefs, and to see how her bond with Justinia really affected her after Justinia's death.
Josephine: I didn't really think I would like Josephine because she seemed kinda boring, but I actually think she's pretty neat. She still isn't the most interesting person ever, but she has enough personality and story to make her somewhat noticeable.
I knew I was going to love all companions the first time I saw them and it's been true so far.
I thought i would hate Cassandra and Blackwall but they turned into some of my favorites especially Blackwall who i think is maybe the best character in the game. I liked Cole in Asunder but in the game he just scares me so i mostly leave him alone. Seriously why did they make Cole go all exorcist XD. Iron Bull i just feel stronger about now. I knew I'd enjoy his character but now i pretty much love him. Varric was a character i didn't care much for in Dragon Age II but he has some good development in this game. Shame he's useless in combat.
The ones i hate the most are the mages basically. Dorian and Solas are snotty little know it alls. Solas is like the alpha nerd of Mages and i just want to punch him. Vivienne is much like Wynne in Origins. Preachy and a total ****** if you don't agree with everything she thinks. I suppose at least she doesn't try to murder you every chance she gets like Wynne did so that is something.
Sera has gone back and forth. At first i was on the fence if i like her. Pre release i had an idea in my head of what she would be and she was totally something else. I warmed up to her even if she is hard to please. Sees things very black and white. Kind of naive and uneducated. But various qualities like that make her quite a unique character since she represents the commoner with nothing special about her.
Everyone who doesn't like Vivienne calling you 'my dear'... I can think of many places you should not visit if you don't want to be called dear 
. Where I'm from, people commonly refer to others as "me love" or "me lover". I'm not talking about family or friends, but strangers and acquaintances like cashiers, shop assistants etc to their customers.
On topic
-I thought I'd love Vivienne. I do, but she isn't quite what I imagined her to be (not in a bad way though). If you're having trouble empathising with her, complete her quest arc if you can and then think about it again
-Bull's hilarious
-Cassandra is adorable
-Sera... can be grating at times
-Cole. Umm. I never expected to like him, but I'm still kinda neutral about him.
-Varric's awesome as always
-I haven't really warmed up to Blackwall
-Solas stopped being interesting after a while
-Dorian I like but I can't place why
-Josephine is cute in a funny way
-Cullen is so adorable
-Leliana ... oh crap ...
Cassandra: Loved her in DA2, have not been disappointed in DA:I. Only disappointed in that I have to pick between her and Blackwall for my tank, so I don't get to see as much of her as I'd like.
Blackwall: I had thought he'd be just another warden, wasn't that interested. Now he's one of my favorite characters. One of the most down-to-earth and stable of the party members, and his voice acting is straight out of Game of Thrones. Sounds like a Baratheon, which is win.
Varric: All the 
Cole: Was a bit worried about how he would be handled. First off he had a different person writing him than in Asunder, and secondly the end of Asunder seemed to hint that he'd be losing the naive qualities that made him really enduring and lovable there. Turns out that they nailed him perfectly in DA:I, both in portrayal and in character development. He feels like the same character as in Asunder, just further along in understanding himself and his purpose. Perfect.
Iron Bull: Wasn't particularly interested in. Seemed like he'd be the stock big tough guy archtype. I'm still unsure of him even after meeting him, he still seems like just the stock big tough guy archtype. But this is Bioware, so I'll wait until I finish the game before I judge.
Sera: Didn't expect to like. Elf archer? Same worry as I had with the Bull in terms of being a stock character. I was off the mark there... but not for the better. My bf describes her as a chav, and I'd agree. Didn't invite her due to how grating she was, which is a first as I usually take every character at least the first time around (like Zevran, who I love but only ever took the first time because it requires holding the idiot ball to agree to invite an assassin into your camp that's out to kill you and just tried to kill you). I'm sure Sera is probably a good character, but I just couldn't stand talking to her.
Solas: Another bald elf? What is it with Bioware and bald elves? Didn't expect to like. Was pleasantly surprised by him in DA:I. He's the Obi-wan of the group, I like him. Even if his baldness still gets on my nerves.
Vivienne: Expected to love. Do love. My only issue is that I have so many awesome mages and can only pick one for my party, since my Inquisitor is filling the second mage slot.
Dorian: Like Vivienne, I expected to love Dorian and he has not disappointed at all. Same issue, I want to have him in my party but I only have room for one mage. Kind of annoyed though that he hasn't mentioned our shared necromancy specialization, he's one of the few characters who didn't say anything about it even though he's also a necromancer.
Leliana: Wasn't that great of a fan of her in DA:O, but she wasn't bad. In DA:I though... ugh. Apparently hardened Leliana is canon. She also likes to hold the idiot ball in regards to how she handles scouting.
Cullen: Always awesome, still awesome.
Josephine: Wasn't sure what she'd be like but was very interested in seeing her in DA:I. As it stands, she's my favorite of the advisors. I'm very very happy to see a "party member" focused on political/non-combat stuff for once. That's definitely my preferred way of handling things.
I found Solas a bit dull at first, but I've really come to love having him around. It's like hanging out with Spock.
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