You're exaggerating. In D:OS1 there is one clear optimal party and it is nothing like other RPGs. A new player might reasonably start with a melee character and an archer and recruit the wizard NPC and rogue NPC thinking that it will be a balanced party.
Doing that in a game like, say, Baldur's Gate would be optimal. In D:OS1 it is a terrible party, especially for an inexperienced player, even if you (accidentally) manage to build the characters optimally. A new player can't know this in advance (without reading a party guide).
On my first playthrough Roderic was (starting as) a wind wizard and Scarlett a rogue.
Recruited only Madora, didn't like Jahan at all (he's a dull as***le), later in the game (at somewhere in the 15+ lvls) got an archer henchman just for fun - 20+ AP per turn with lots of crits and those 2 AP arrow shots. By that time I understood the mechanics and seen the potential of an archer, and didn't have one in party, so just wanted to try it out. Not that my 3-man death squad had any problems at all.
For inexperienced players Larian added an Explorer's mode in EE, and it will be accesible from the start in D:OS2. Others are plain whiners.
Actually I'm replaying NWN1 (for like a 10th time) out of boredom and waiting for another patch, and I should say D:OS1 is much easier and much less punishing. (by any means I don't say D:OS is bad, it's a great game with an old-school spirit). Saying that D:OS is hard, well, you should consider playing Sims then, IDK.
