I join those saying that early game is a pain.
I am in Exploration Mode and I keep getting obliterated by lvl4 enemies.
I managed to build fairly balanced party with melee and ranged classes and some healing spells but everywhere I go I'm out levelled by NPC's.
Either give us more quests/encounters on lvl1-2 or give more xp for what currently is in the game.
Or, lower the difficulty a bit for the first 3 levels cause the game is more of a reload chore than fun.
I think reducing the level of encounters by a level or two would go a long way to making the start feel like a proper opening. It would allow some breathing space that would allow the player to take the path they want instead of desperately scrounging every little bit of XP just to be able to progress.
If a player decides they want to scour the map and do everything, that's fine. They will be overleveled slightly but who cares? It's the start of the game, and encounter levels will all equalise further in the game anyway.
