Having not played the series before, I am entirely lost on all of the lore in the setting.
Knowing the previous series lore would actually confuse you more because the lore changes every game.
For example, "Elves" didn't used to have horns or skin textured like tree bark and there was no mention of cannibalism.
Overall it produces the impression that Larian writers and producers get together in a big group and take a take a test on the the lore established in previous games in the series. The one who gets the lowest score on the test becomes the one who determines the lore for the next game.
