While I don't think it's as dramatic and would still play an Abjurer, I agree it should be changed to work correctly. Concentration is a big deal in BG3. The way you take small damage from endless surfaces and can't hide your Wizard behind cover, you definitely need all help in keeping your concentration up.
What I don't like is the VFX for Arcane Ward. It's way too pronounced for such a persistent effect. They could simply turn it off entirely when exploring. Even in battle it doesn't have to be this big eggshell around you. You have icons for indicating active effects. It can give visual feedback when it's activated and actually soaks damage, we don't need to see it all the time.
