Well, I don't think the argument really is as simple as 'DnD VS DOS style'. From my own point of view, I'm only really arguing as such not because I may be a purist (I'm actually not), but because the changes Larian actually did implement basically interact with each other in a way that has resulted in a massive feedback loop undermining all of the core DnD mechanics.
And it seems people are waking up to this. Even the BG3 subreddit today had someone come out saying that BG3 doesn't have to be like DnD, and it instead resulted in a ton of detractors coming out in
droves to say that they kind of agree, but they also weren't really trying to say that they actually want it to be a strict interpretation of DnD to begin with, they only take issue with
the specific changes that Larian made for very valid reasons that can't be summed up as 'lol purist'
at all and would be a problem in ANY tactical turn based game. It is actually making me think that majority opinion on the game's combat design is shifting, and I think part of it is that people are starting to think a lot more about it with each subsequent playthrough they make.
And again, if that many people feel this strongly about it now, imagine this spread out into an 80+ hour game at official launch.
https://old.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/mmd1ms/baldurs_gate_3_shouldnt_be_exactly_like_dd_5e/If people haven't figured it out by now, I am the user 'Alilatias' on Reddit. And I will repost something I said from there that fully encapsulates my thoughts on Larian's changes. For the past few months, I felt there was something off, but I never really understood
why I felt that way until it came to me while reading those comments today.
Part of it is that [the mechanics] also inherently work to mitigate or outright ignore the RNG as much as possible - choosing not to use them means you're dealing with an exercise in frustration in comparison, and the RNG may be balanced the way it is purely because of those mechanics existing to begin with. So instead of trying to come up with changes to make the combat in general more interesting from a tactical standpoint or the RNG less frustrating, they came up with systems that basically tell you to utilize them, or else you'll be punished by facing more severe versions of the absolute worst aspects of the base DnD mechanics, precisely due to how the changes work (like damaging field effects not allowing you to roll a saving throw to avoid them, which cascades into triggering concentration checks, of which stuff like height/backstab advantage makes concentration spells like Faerie Fire inherently worthless in most situations already).
