Agree that casters are generally underpowered relative to fighters, at least in this portion of this iteration of the game, although a level 4 Warlock with Agonizing and Repelling Blast, halfway decent CON and DEX and the Moderately Armored feat for an AC of 18/19 can hold his/her own. In my play-throughs, Wyll often ends up with, if not the majority of kills, at least his fair share. The change to two short rests instead of one, meaning you can replenish your spell slots twice a day, was also a significant upgrade for the class.
I now generally take Gale for the extra challenge, because he's basically trash, Magic Missile + MM amulet notwithstanding. "Can I make it to the skiff?" has now become "Can I complete all combats without ressing, helping or hiding Gale?".
