Ok I make the assumption that Larian people are intelligent.
The game is already sold and already a success, from the beginning. Because there was "Baldur's Gate" in the title and because there was the promise that it will be respectful of D&D 5e (and maybe because of the trust of some DoS players of course). However, the game has been sold on the sole basis of trust. Not because it was great, because there was no game. I make the assumption that Larian people are intelligent and that they know this : they have to be respectful of what BG & D&D players like/expect.
They have had far, far more time, budget and people to prepare this game than they had with DoS.
So I expect 80% of what has been said here, for years, by so many people, will be addressed in the final version, and that their silence about all this is a mean to better surprise us in the end. Because they deeply wish to be successful in the long run, by pleasing their hardcore followers more than trying to appear original.
So I expect that they intend to amaze us and sell many d&d games afterward, rather than just make a bold gamble.
My biggest fear is to be wrong about that.
So I expect that : * We will be lost in the character creator, surprised by all the esthetical/customization possibilities, races and subclasses finally available, including starting equipment, roll the dices system, other backgrounds etc. * Baldur's gate will be explored in 2 phasis : first in-depth, with both plot-related and non related possibilities of exploration (we need of course several inn and taverns), then under sieged * We will have really several different story archs / endings that we will be able to explore only with different runs * The game will be really huge, like 200 hours + : with epic story, twists and solid exploration of planes * The Act 1 will really offer a new overall experience * They will fix some aspects to be a little closer to D&D 5e and to avoid homebrew collateral OP-ness * We will get some good surprises for things like day/night, random encounter, nice big map ala former BG, an impression of vastness of the country with even secondary possibilities of exploration, etc. (not all our wishes, but surely several) * The Main Char will be as interesting (if not more) than an origin character
My biggest fear is to be wrong and to be disappointed.
