The big draw back is the evil party members will leave if your reputation gets too high...as there is no option to explain your motives. To reassure them or explain to them that, "Hey, I'm as evil as they come...patience. We earn that trust. We lull them into security...then, they're ours! We will use that when needed and do what we want to do. We can frame whomever we want! Cast the blame elsewhere! Have them help us conceal/destroy the evidence...then, if they show signs they will be unable to live with the deeds asked of them and expose us...well, we help end their doubt and guilt, by ending them. No loose ends."
Anyhoo lol...I do hope the evil options in BG3 go beyond Stupid Evil.
I 100% agree with you on your assessment of evil in BG1-2. It was myopic, simplistic, immature and counter-intuitive. It was silly to think that an evil person would not want a good reputation, especially a lawful evil person who would prefer to work within a structured legal system. Evil people in Bg1-2 were obvious, rude, greedy, and always violent. It was stupid. They rarely portrayed them as "damaged" or with much nuance except maybe for Shar-Teel. They were never authentic.
Having said that Larian has made huge strides in regards to how they handle things in Bg3 which if you play enough you will see more and more of. You have much much more flexibility in regards to paths in this game then you had in the previous games. Some key things:
1) reputation doesn't really matter. You need to do something specific to get a party member to leave. Example:
Joining up with Minthara and going to war with the Druids and tieflings with the goblin army, killing everyone in the grove (including all the kids) would be an example
2) You are not obligated to save anyone. No one has plot armor in the entire EA as far as I can see.
3) Who is evil amongst your companions is not obvious. Even the "good" characters have flaws.
4) Alignment is not visible on any character sheets, which is good. This is one of the biggest evolutions to me in how we approach character building and roleplaying. You don't meet people in the world that have an alignment tag nailed to their head.
5) The only obligatory quest is the one assigned to save yourself from the parasite. Everything else, every other fight, location and situation you find yourself in outside of that is optional.
You have incredible freedom to experience this game however you see fit. Its brilliant.
Are there still things that need work? Heck yes, but I am 100% excited about seeing what we get to play with in the end.