There is no consequence for using the tadpole casually throughout the game. Every time the narrator says her famous "A-thor-i-ty", it sure sounds sexy, but it's meaningless. Once that illusion dropped, something was lost for me. Now I won't think twice about freeing SH in the tutorial, or using it later on in the game for interacting with illithid machines, because it's consequence free, and you're just missing out on content if you don't use it. Even the skill tree, although I'll never use it, there are zero consequences if you simply remain at the first stage of development. NONE.
I think more than the ending, that was the most disappointing part of the game for me, roleplaying without any sort of game feedback can be fun up to a point, but when I realized that the game simply ignored my decisions, I simply stopped caring about them.
edit: didn't see Kanisatha's post above before I posted:
Yes, it's the huge chasm/disconnect between how the game is being advertised and promoted (by Larian, by reviewers, and by fans) as the "new standard" for cRPGs on choices and consequences and reactivity, and the reality of those things in the game, that bothers me so much. If people weren't trying to make these grandiose claims about the game, then I could just accept the game for what it is, which is that it is a good game overall but not particularly better than other good cRPGs. But when people try to make claims about it being the "new standard" in the face of what are indisputable shortcomings, for me that hurts my appreciation of the game rather than helps it.
It's a new standard only in that it's extremely high production values, very approachable gameplay for a crpg, huge amount of content, and overall, it's a very solid cohesive experience (regardless of the ending). That alone will ensure it's popular for years to come, but if you were looking for real reactivity, and an amazing story including a great ending, that's simply not BG3.
