In any case, it does feel like the upper city should be part of the game and like certain quests would be better suited taking place there. I don't understand why so much of the 3rd act feels unfinished and poorly structured unless it was rushed. I think the reason, beyond Larian saying it themselves, that people believe the upper city and some quests were cut down and changed last minute is because it feels that way when you play it. It shouldn't be so easy for people to believe that important quests and areas were cut from the game because of how the act is structured. To me that is a significant failing on the game's part and a game like this deserves better.
Swen has said that the game's story has "a beginning, middle, and an end" so they've done their job, and while I have tremendous respect and admiration for him as a game developer, I think that is a very low bar. Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. That doesn't mean every part of that story is good, or doesn't need work to be as good as it could be. And it's really a shame that the most built up to and anticipated part of the game is the one that has the most shortcomings. But again, I don't really see the point of getting into specifics if they're set on never rectifying it in a way that would truly make a difference.
I think what makes it so disappointing is that it seems to be driven by an eagerness to be done with BG3 so they can move onto new projects, and so they're willing to leave the game in a state that is "good enough." This isn't uncommon with media, Game of Thrones being the most egregious case that comes to mind.
