Honestly, I would have preferred less scattered side quests and focusing on the characters from Act 1 throughout the city and companion quests.
and I would rather have act3 from the beginning of the game. I care much more of
than survivors of a tabletop campaign I never played.
Now, it is not unusual for areas in cRPGs to be narratively self contained - attempting wide reactivity throughout the game creates challenges. Usually games run into this problem in the sequel, BG3 manages to struggle with its own promised reactivity chapter to chapter. It seems the game is building up to the finale where alliances we forged are to be in some way acknowledged - as long as things we did in the past will be responded to in some form, all will be fine.
The issue I have, is how much of act1 acts as a set up. I don’t have a problem with grove - they are a specific to this area, and their story is resolved. It would be nice of Druids showed up in final battle, or something, but already Halsin/Minthara act as camp/goblin legacy. But tieflings, hag, Mol - they all end of cliff-hanger and “to be continued”. For the game to mostly move forward and focus on something different feels unsatisfying… earlier stories feel unfinished, while act3 feels like a change in focus and narrative.
