Nice to see some positive comments for once.
Personally, while I see the need to rebalance certain mechanics, and introduce others to fill needed gaps, I am not looking for strict or even close to strict adherence with 5.0.
5.0 was built for table top game play - where most of what occurs is in your head - no visuals, no audio (except for what the GM states), no jazzy effects. But a wide use of imagination.
BG3 is not able to provide the range of options available to a human GM - players will always stretch the possibilities. What BG3 can do, and does well, is provide the visual, audio and jazz that a GM cannot easily provide.
What it attempts to do, and is still a work in progress, is the "imagination" portion of gameplay.
Lighting, height, environmental effects spell and skill implementation and such are all aspects of this latter forum.
I enjoy lighting, height and environment impacting choice and effect of martial and spell tactics and selection. Do they perhaps need to be tones down and re-balanced to be effectively used in the game? Sure. But I anticipate this will be a gradual process, as other systems, mechanics and ideas are incorporated. They have already begun to make such adjustments.
Personally, I would like to see poison become something an appropriate character can prepare on an arrow or blade ahead of time, with perhaps special benefits to thieves, rangers and druids. I think arrows can be coated with tar ahead of time, allowing for dipping into a flame for extra damage - but I have issues with acid and cold dipped. While throwing boots might get boring to many, I call to mind a certain Gnome in BG1 and 2 who made a career (and a class) based on a damn vegetable!!
I also have no issue with lightning based spells causing further damage to someone in water - this is in accord with nature - but again it needs to be incorporated in a balanced manner.
Even barrelmancy has a place - as long as that place is a potentially explosive vat of alcohol in a brewery or tavern - or something similar in an alchemy lab - not barrels sitting conveniently next to a Goblin nap spot, in the middle of nowhere.
I am thrilled by the attention provided to opportunities for using spells like speak with animals and speak with dead - things historically given little attention in D & D rpg's. I'm hoping other historically ignored spells (and skills such as religion, nature and such) continue to receive attention.
But bottom line, EA is going to last another one to two years most likely - there is plenty of time to provide constructive criticism without screaming end of the world proclamations. And certainly such criticism can be balanced with some degree of tact, bon homme, and kudos for the things Larian is doing right, or at least trying to get right. The game will never be anyone's idea of 100% perfect - each of us will always have things they wish Larian had changed or incorporated - but the doom and gloom approaches the 9th circle of hell on these boards some days.
