Thank you for the tip. Considering the likely bug-a-thon it'll be on release, giving it a year or so, just like the original, and picking it up on sale is probably a good call then.
My main gripe is not even with the stat bloat but with how they don't give you any tools or tricks to deal with it (and the combat in general) apart from just giving you a +2/4/6/8 to all your physical/mental stats belt/headpiece and a +5 unobtanium weapon of fire (hopefully of the type that your character is using, as in - one of the swords, occasionally a scythe or a bow, but good luck getting a good heavy crossbow). Finding and forging magical items and artifacts in something like Baldur's Gate 2 was engaging and interesting. There was lore behind the items, and they had interesting and powerful effects you could strategize around. Kingmaker barely has any item descriptions apart from the - again! - overly verbose ones on the stuff you restore with the Storyteller, and there's almost no reason to pick a belt with a cool effect over a belt that increases your Strength, Dexterity and Constitution by 6. The abundance of the latter kills any instances of actually interesting gear. Did they do anything about that in WoTR?
No, and when you started talking about it I was like "bullseye" because I feel like that all the time. some items (I came across a necklace) are special cool ability items in addition to providing the generic bonuses (in this example some cool abilities in addition to +3 NAT armor) but most items are just like you said, more generic tools in the numbers race.
