Any mages worth their salt will aim to reach INT 20, which requires to have a NATURAL STAT ("Ability") already high enough.
A mage with 8 INT and a circlet adding two INT point won't reach 20. He will reach 10 and set the stat at 18 again because of the circlet, wasting two points.

More in general an item that sets your basic primary stat at 18 will be obsolete rather quickly, especially when later in the game you will feel the urge to free that equipment slot for more powerful items granting more valuable bonuses (a plain +X t some stat, additional spell slots, more damage for a certain class of spells/abilities, some extremely useful resistance... You name it).
At that point if you built you mage to have 8 INT "because of the circlet" you are pretty much fucked for the late game or stuck with a suboptimal option.

The circlet will maintain some (marginal) value mostly for classes that will use INT as a secondary stat. Which implicitly decreases its overall importance even more.

But we are digressing, anyway,

Also, Larian already confirmed months ago that dice rolling for stats will make into the game at some point. I'm not worrying about a "IF". I know it's coming. It doesn't mean I have to like it.

Last edited by Tuco; 23/06/21 09:29 PM.
Party control in Baldur's Gate 3 is a complete mess that begs to be addressed. SAY NO TO THE TOILET CHAIN