What we are dealing here is a total lack of familiarity with real RPGs
It seems. It also seems Larian took the worst of the old school features, forgot 15 years of evolution, and added some pretty graphics and a bunch of bugs.
I spend 15 to 20 minutes of my fucking real life looking for a weapon vendor in the damn town:
Went to the market, asked and checked every NPC around, that is, opened their shop button. Found nothing. Went to the Legion camp area, did the same. Went to the harbor, checked there (talking to everybody every times, opening the damn stores). Out of ideas, I asked on the global, and some guy indicated me to the emporium. Fine, why not. Just give some fricking info about it, either through discussion with NPC, or directly through marking the map for the main common knowledge buildings and areas. What a stupid experience it was. Sets you in the wrong mood really, because this is not fun, and an ubber waste of time.
Neither are very hard to find, if you talk to even 50% of the town NPCs.
Why would you look for companions in the first place. Aren't you source hunters, supposed to rock the place ? You are not supposed to be looking for companions that are better than you.
Availability of potions [drops, notably] has been severely nerfed in this beta build.
At least, all that shop openinig around made me find a guys (I don't recall well, it was a magic seller or user, maybe the kind of priest in the inn) that sells 10's of health potions. Of course, thelyron hardly sells these. Sigh.
Edit: thelyron the healer sells no Healing potion. Francis the whatever in the inn sells 141 minor Healing potions in my actual game.
Yeah, "old school" my ass. So much frustration in this game.
