I'm fully in favour of differences between good and bad paths, even in favor of evil paths getting better stuff in some ways. It's the framing I take issue with.
I think the best way to put my issues with the new tadpole powers is this; based on what Swen apparently said, the devs identified what they felt was an issue in the design, little to do between level ups late in the game. They then created a solution to this perceived problem. But that solution only applied if players play a certain way. I think that principle is what bothers me. I feel like it's framed not as purely a story or thematic consideration. When it's put like that it makes me feel like... to use an analogy, it feels to me like Larian noticed a crack in the foundation of an apartment building. And they patched it up but only in a way that certain people who agreed to only abide by certain rules could benefit from. Sure you can still live in the building, but if you don't behave the way they want, then you apartment could crumble.
So it doesn't feel like they're doing this to make the evil path more tempting, they're doing it because they consider the tadpole path to be the valid and proper one, and deviating from that is the "other" path, the anomalous one that's there for people to do if they really want to but is weird and niche and doesn't deserve the same attention.
That is the issue too. It's concerning how they do not seem to care about people that want to play good. Their whole thing about temptation is pretty much about how much better you will have a time playing on more evil side while on good side you will not be having fun. That is not doing temptation well I think. That is making your game worse for many people and it's honestly dumb. Doesn't help that an evil path so far looks like a puppy kicking side for no reason too so there is not even room for some more interesting role play as an evil side.
