I think you are missing the point. The OP isnt promoting the idea of less difficulty or an easier game. He is saying to make the lore/situattion/immersion with the level of the party. Not in terms of difficulty. My suggestion would be that they create a story element that would explain why these seasoned adventurers are such a low level, considering they have what seems like a varied background and high level experience with magical items, and have fame for adventuring. These are clearly not Level 1 characters in any sense. Level 1 adventurers are adept at combat and know a skill or spell or two but in no way have they completed many adventures or have any sort of renown. If they have I believe they would be level 3 or 4 atleast.
No, I did not miss the OP's point(s). On the other hand, some of you have missed my point: Larian Studios (and internal testing) had indicated that the max level for BG3 would be in the neighborhood of 10-12 possibly a wee bit higher short of a modder creating a mod to bump it to say something like 18-20. To those of you advocating starting at level 10, what's the point in playing when a BG3 full release only has 3-4 Acts with a max level of 10-12?
Start at level 10.
End game at level 10-12.
What? Huh? Did I miss something here?
You're definitely missing the OP's and others' point.
The OP is not saying increase the starting level to 10. Rather, they (and others including me) are saying lower the starting story and character backgrounds level from 10 down to 1. There is currently a mismatch. The game and our characters are starting at level 1. But the story and companion backgrounds are at (about) level 10. So those should be rewritten to a more appropriate level 1.
You can certainly disagree that there is this mismatch (as some posters here have done). But nobody is asking for the game to start at level 10.
There is a mismatch if the player decide that has to be.
All the companions backgrounds, once you start discovering their story, plenty justify the fact that they are at level one. Not to forget that a level one is however above the average sentient being in Faerun.
As I said before: Gale as messed up the weave and lost his connection with Mystral, he has done so much damage that being alive and at level one is a better outcome in comparison of what he could have got (nevertheless he still is in danger of explode); Will tried to take a step back from his contract with his patron, patron that has been kidnapped thus weakening his connection to the source of his powers; Astarion is not a full fledged vampire, he is a minion, a slave that Cazador used as entertainment fo lash out his sadistic aspects; Laez'el is a low rank gith; Shadowheart was sent in a mission that required her memory to be erased.
So how is it incoherent the fact that they are at level one?
About the supposed contradiction between the introductive cut scene and the subsequent fights. The vessel was a transport for kidnapped and infested beings, a ship that strays from its course and ends up in hell, then it crashes in a very casual place, so casual that it is at the center of a conspiracy that sees bugbears, drows, goblins allied, with the gobbos betraying their faith to follow a new cult, in this place the darkdruids are making their move, the hag has contacts and does affairs with people in Baldur's Gate, meanwhile the party find people like Volo (a comic relief but still a personality of note in Faerun), can make alliance with Hasrim (an arch druid) or Minthara, you have to interact with the Flaming Fist, the Zentharim.
All in the introduction.
As far as I can see there's a lot of coherence with the background of the companions (and in my case even too complex stuff for my freshly "graduated" Tav fighter), who were person of some social impact and find them selves in the middle of a conspiracy of such level that a demon of high level like Raphael decides to gave them a visit.
But again, if a players decides that there's an incoherence than incoherence there is.
