Honestly, the powerful character starting at level 1 never really bothers me - it's just a convention of the genre. Take POE2 for instance - you finish POE1 as like a 15th level badass or whatever, only to wake up on a ship back at level 1. It's just how it works. For me, arguing that for reasons, the character shouldn't start the game at level 1 is like complaining the character doesn't have to stop to take a leak behind a tree every few hours.
I’m of the same mindset. The level backstory disconnect is solved for me with one word: “meh” 🤷🏻♂️
