Hi All,
First off... want to say I love this game and the playstyle. I love how many viable builds there are and can't wait for any future games released by Larian.
I do have several critiques which could be easily addressed however when it comes to the combat / stat / persuasion systems.
Weapon Skills are Lackluster:
The best way to provide an amazing experience in my opinion is to make sure every stat has a purpose. I expect every combat point I use to have a clear reason to be picked over another stat.
The weapon skills seemed very lackluster as they were additive with our Attributes, rather than an additional multiplier. There was never a reason to pick a weapon expertise over warfare as a physical user until warfare was maxed out. This, to me, seems like it could have been rebalanced rather easily.
Attributes:
Damage attributes, apart from Strength, offered no value outside of damage. Strength gave additional carrying capacity... I feel Finesse and Intelligence should have also had some Quality of Life benefits.
Also, as a min maxer... I'd prefer if I received even a minimal benefit combat wise from intel / finesse as a Strength character. Sure have +Dmg be the main feature for each attribute... but they could have small secondary buffs that benefit all characters. (Strength increases physical armor, Finesse increases Dodge Chance, Intel provides magic armor). This would make me feel like the 3-4 points in each of these attributes to wear specific gear was less of a waste.
Initiative:
Initiative as a stat feels rather pointless with the new combat system. I could see the value in keeping it as an additional benefit from WITS, but keeping it as a lone stat on gear makes for some unattractive gear. This is because what really only matters is that one person in your party has initiative so your team can go first. After that... you are only building initiative to go before your other teammates.
Persuasion Checks:
Lorewise, I think it would be better if persuasion was tied with Wits (to act as a form of Charisma). I like having checks for each attribute and would prefer if everything wasn't always the same. Sure, my strength might be higher but realistically maybe my constitution check might be better to use over an intimidation attempt. So if given a Constitution Check and a Strength check option, perhaps the Strength check requires 20 Strength and the Constitution Check requires 15... based on the realism of the situation.
That's all I have... The game is great and I can't wait for whatever comes out next from Larian Studios.
