There is a concerning power-creep in the encounters from BG1/2 to BG3. The first encounter in the original game (not counting the cinematic) is with gibberlings, a creature that in the Forgotten Realms is the equivalent of a rat or slime in a typical cRPG. The next encounters, depending on which way you go, are with bandits, hobgoblins, bears, wolves, or Flaming Fist mercenaries. In BG3, the first encounter is with imps, then intellect devourers, then an NPC party, then goblin raiders.
Actually, now that I've typed it out, this is less of a power-creep than a stylistic choice. But this game definitely makes the party seem more powerful than a typical party at level 1. It would be easy to chalk this up to a Black Isle/Larian difference, but this is actually a difference mirrored in the difference in styles of campaign building between AD&D 2e and D&D 5e. AD&D 2e had random encounters and more encounters per character level, along with characters that leveled at different rates depending on their class. BG1 had those random encounters connect to the story of the game by having most of the bandits be desperate for cash due to the iron shortage. D&D 5e discourages random encounters in favor of a (relatively) heavy narrative. Consequently, there are fewer encounters per level, and all characters level at the same rate.
