I'm inclined to agree with quite a bit of this but I want to personally expand further on the issue with combat. That's where I'm really REALLY struggling with during this. I haven't beaten Act 1 yet due to this. Hell, I haven't hit level 4 on either of my playthroughs (had to junk one due to a major bug but that's already been posted).
Combat runs by 5e rules, but the encounters are not set up for proper 5e balance.
At low levels (See all of Act 1) the player characters do not have the tools to handle being outnumbered in any degree. This makes the goblin encounters a situation of "Either cheese this fight to be straight up gouda, or it's a thresher". Seven enemies, same level, starting at ideal positions for their jobs in a fight? And there's no way to talk your way through the encounter? The way the game kinda nudges you to encounter goblins for the first time on your own, you're probably going to get absolutely decimated. The windmill fight is going to make you tear your hair out because goblins being reinforced by clerics is just asking for someone to throw their monitor.
My suggestion would be to either lower the headcount, change the scaling formula so that monsters framed as "weak" such as Goblins don't reach same level with the players, maybe PlayerLevel Minus 1 or 2. Their overwhelming numbers are supposed to be the scary part, not the fact that they're overwhelming you, have more abilities than you, and are surface-weavers. They're Goblins. They're not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Surfaces-
Firebolt. This spell is stronger than nearly anything else in my armaments for Wade. Ray of Frost? Pfft. Shocking Grasp? He's a mage, that's just not going to land, ever. Firebolt? Guaranteed damage. I hit? 1d6 fire. I miss? 1d4 fire from setting the target ablaze and them standing in fire. Their turn starts? Chance for 1d4 fire because they start in fire. Everything lands? Minimum 3 fire damage after everything goes, up to about 14 fire damage if the target is having a particularly bad time. As a CANTRIP and it can detonate things.
I want to iterate here that if my damage numbers are wrong for starting in fire and being on fire, and they're too LOW, then that makes what I'm saying an even WORSE problem.
This makes me want to ask the dev team "Are you making Divinity D20 or are you making a Dungeons and Dragons game?" I know surfaces are a huge thing with Larian titles, but it's heavily incompatible with how you're presenting the rest of combat.
This turned into a big rant post, I'm aware, but I do hope these issues are seen and worked on. Hell, some acknowledgement from the devs about Firebolt needing to be looked at would be nice.
I disagree. The game is not hard by any means. The hardest thing is the lag.
The first goblin fight at the village : Just sneak in, go on the top part of the house and kill the gobelin from hight ground, then decimate the survivor.
Windmill: You just have to nearly kill the boss for the fight to end. Granted, this should be easier to do, and maybe one character should shoot ''focus the boss'' to help you understand that, but once you know it, its a one round or two round fight.
Fortress fight : these are only problematic because of the lag and the boredom of waiting enemy turn.
This game is also about knowing the rules, exploiting your tool and the environment. Push goblin off ledge. use spell appropriatly. Use consummable and potion. Sneak in to get better positionning. Take the hight ground. Larian give you so many options to win, you need to use them.
