Originally Posted by Filia
I understand your point and if you started with patch 4, I get why it feels like really good writing for you. From what I read and saw myself and from what others said, the main story is really plain (like the usual 08/15 story you get).
Some of the flaws:
- You have a brain eating amoeba in your head but you never feel the threat coming from it. On EA, you were kinda constantly reminded of that tadpole while on full release, it's a topic at the beginning and from then on it's like "nah I don't care, let's have fun" and all of that just for the emporer to have a reason to exist. Speaking about the emperor, beside his real background (which was like a slap in the face for some DnD fans), there are far too many flaws or stuff that could've been done better. I recommend this thread: Click here
- They removed Daisy from EA, a character no one complained about and who has been far more interesting, embodying the seduction of power.
- The change of the effect of Omeluum's ring from EA (shielding you from the tadpoles influence) to release (immunity against charming iirc). They could've used this character as an ally, working together with us against the Absolute but now here is just some NPC. I guess he was redundant when they came up with the Emperor
- Two of the three bosses are a joke. Ketheric has a huge build-up and is the only one who feels like a real threat and you are somewhat satisfied after killing him. Orin could've been a good enemy, but it feels lazy she just appears somewhere, just talks a bit and then disappears. If they wanted to play psycho games, she should have felt way more like a threat than now. It's more like a "yo remember I am still there" and even with the way the kidnapping is done (it should always aim at your highest approval companion or LI), it's just lacking a lot.
Gortash, who undenyable could have been the charming enemy is just a joke who likes to use Teams chat to tell you "nah nah, don't go into my water prison" and otherwise he just lacks a lot. You can feel that he was supposed to be in the Upper City and that would've been perfect. Ketheric: Shadowcursed Lands, Orin: Lower City, Gortash: Upper City. Sadly, this whole part of the city didn't make it and so Gortash has been banned to Wyrm's Crossing.
- The humor and jokes always feels off for me, it doesn't really fit the whole situation, it feels artificial at scripted at some times. Example: All of those dialogues with the Drow twins, it felt like some giggling 13yo teenagers writing some supposedly horny stuff on some kids chat. Don't get me wrong, I love humor but the way Larian delivers the jokes are off to me. Some of the more humorous answers the Tav can say also feel more like they are made at the expense of others. They lack timing and situational awareness. But, truth be told, there are some good jokes, like all the characters reactions to Dribbles the clown.
- The game punishes you for playing evil and also they punish you for "oversexualizing characters", but I won't go to deep on this matter, as that would include speaking about specific Larian members.

Now about the characters:
- Gale: He feels like Larian doesn't really like him, he is always the victim of jokes and they don't really care how people who like him feel.
- SH: She is written pretty good, her quest line is one of the best, but there is no real difference in her Shar and Selûne path (beside the hair color and the ending), but there needs to be a difference. You do not simply react and behave the same if you follow two opposite goddesses. Even if she is on the Selûne path, she still praises a lot of things from her Shar past (although she says she hated it at another point). To be honest: They just wanted that for sex. Let's not talk about her reaction when cheating with Mizora or in Sharess Caress, that just doesn't fit her Selûne path at all.
- Wyll: Never played his quest line on my own, but from what I know it's mostly not about him, but the history of Baldur's Gate and the Emperor.
- Astarion: Possibly the best written character and to be fair the one they invested the most in.
- Karlach: Her whole quest line feels like it was intended to be way bigger, giving the Tav a chance to fix her engine (that's what you collect the items for, at least that's what they want you to think) just to end up with nothing more than an unsatisfying ending with a stupid cigar in Avernus. Even 6 months later there is no solution to her situation, leaving this character arc completely unfinished. If you play Karlach as Origin character and romance Halsin, you get one of the worst endings with a dude who just doesn't give a f*ck. So, so sad.
- Minthara: I think this thread is evidence enough, but if you need more insight, please check this wonderful thread.
- Halsin: Probably one of the worst written characters and a living contradiction. Where should I even start? Maybe in EA, when he was just some NPC with influence on the main story. His character was strong, independent, wise and so on. There were lot of hints about his background and his connection to the Thorm family (especially him killing Isobel in an accident, causing Ketheric to go crazy. The weapon named Sorrow used in the accident can be found in the grove), but they decided to cut all of that. At this point, he doesn't even recognize Ketheric when he sees a painting of him. His character is inconsistent, Larian just fused the "oh daddy" and the "family daddy" styles together to get the ultimate "Daddy Halsin". His romance shouldn't even be called a romance, his solomance is unsatisfying and even in a polymance, he lacks commitment (and we talked about that often enough, a polymance isn't just about sex, it's about commiting to more than one person with all your heart), but at least the epilogue added the feeling of him commiting to the Tav (while avoiding to say they are in a relationship).
- Minthara + Halsin: Both share the same destiny, both of them feel rushed, they lack a real slow burn romance plus you are forced to choose between them (which makes Halsin look like an idiot).

Bear in mind: This is my opinion based on what I saw and what I gathered from others. Also, there is a lot more than that, but this would be too much to write here. I just listed some of the things I could remember or that bothered me.
Things I didn*t really touched on but also have flaws: Mizora cheating, Haarlep, Tav being from BG but no one even asks you where you lived, no one remembers you and so on.

I appreciate you filling me on this. I agree with some of your points, and have different feelings about others. So, to your first point, while you did not feel the urgency of removing the brain eating tadpole, I did. That was my experience playing the game.

Omeluum's ring was a head scratcher to be sure. That it was originally more powerful makes sense. The ring you get in the game is lame by comparison to the mind shielding magic that Omeluum describes.

Ketheric is the best boss fight of the three Chosen, Orin was not much to speak of.

Wyll is the most boring and unappealing of the origin characters to me. He screams "daddy issues". I don't want to be part of his psychotherapy, thanks. Fortunately, I was able to mostly ignore him.

To return to topic of the thread, Minthara was a disappointment. So much potential and build up, and there's not much to speak of in act 3. But I've written about her before.