I disagree, but I see the point you're making. I think it comes down to a personal preference. Personally, I LOVE blowing up goblins. In fact, I created a save point in the goblin fortress just before I blew up the first true soul you encounter (I forget the name, but there are about 8 or so goblins in that area, some static and some wanderers) specifically so I could go back and blow them up again and again and again for a good laugh.
My overall tactic for this area, however, was to use Asterion solo and run around stabbing the wandering mobs when I could find them relatively alone. It was great fun! I felt like the barrels would have attracted too much attention if I had used them from the start, so I stabbed the 6 or 7 wandering mobs (including the ones that were close) first, and then blew up the remaining 5 or so that just stayed in the area.
While I do enjoy this tactic, I also found that carrying a ton of barrels around all the time weighs my characters down and keeps me from being able to grab the other loot. Also, there aren't really that many barrels (that I found) and it takes some skill to use them effectively. Being faced with a LARGE force, like in the goblin fortress after you kill the leaders and free Halsin, it's nice to have a few of these things on hand to even the odds a bit. I did see one video of a guy who used like 30 barrels to one shot the goblin army when they came to attack the grove, but that scenario didn't play out in my playthrough because I went on the offensive immediately when I found the goblin fortress. It was a rough fight, once I got out into the courtyard, but I managed to survive it.
Also, it's not exactly feasible (or fun) to use the barrels in every single fight. However, even if someone did decide to do that, I wouldn't be upset about it, because it won't ruin the game for me.
