The "rest system" maybe archaic, but the entire class system and individual powers are balanced around it. Compare the Fighter subclass Champion with Battle Master or Eldritch Knight. The ultimate ability of the Champion is regaining a few hit points at the start of each combat (with conditions placed on it), and this usefulness is already questionable...even before taking unlimited heal items and resting into account. Strong once per day abilities becomes usable every encounter by the click of a button. Full casters like Wizards will eventually be able to be fully buffed and only use the strongest of spells - every battle. The most powerful classes become even more powerful without some kind of real restriction to their abilities and/or EXTENSIVE rebalancing/buffing. Bad balancing limits good choices.
Resting when implemented properly, is not simply a mechanic or a system, it is ROLEPLAYING IMMERSION with some tangible game effects. The current implementation leaves a LOT to be desired though! The plethora of balancing issues aside, it also manages to bring a strong NARRATIVE DISSONANCE on its own. Tadpoles eat your brain and will turn you into a monster, and Gale's heart is a ticking time bomb on top of that again. But hey! Not really! It is also IMMERSION BREAKING in multiple ways; you can rest in the midst of geocoding a goblin camp, and you will be teleported without being teleported to a camp that never changes to reflect the environment. The goblins will, out of politeness perhaps, not disturb your beauty sleep and not react to the lengthy passage of time. This is simply half-assed and BROKEN.
Another "archaic system" being broken by Larian's "funnsies" is the easily exploitable use of advantage on attack rolls for higher ground and flanking. I like DOS2 combat rewarding tactical maneuvering, but it *will* break Barbarian's central Reckless Attack ability that gives you advantage but attack rolls against you have advantage as well. Especially jumping/flanking becomes a tedious repetitive exercise. Same thing goes for setting your weapons on fire. Only boredom prevents you from exploiting this round after round, battle after battle. If we are virtually guaranteed extra damage and advantage on nearly every roll, why force us to do this ritualistic dance every time? The faithful, but clunky implementation of the Warlock's Hex spell manages this without Larian's help. It's BAD GAMEPLAY. The "BG3 vs DOS3 balance" needs to be reconsidered because at it stands; they are clearly at odds with one another. One or the other got to give more.
