I voted 2nd even though it's not exactly what I think but the closest to how I feel about the ending.
I'm okay with the sadder tone or what transpires in it (Karlach dying, Astarion burning etc) but the way it's executed is so damn rushed there's barely any gravity given to breathe those moments in.
It'd need not only a rewrite but a complete structural change and way the animatics are executed. I actually think Gale exploding himself feels better than him not doing so because there's just more time spent with the ending as a result of getting a proper scene of him grappling with it, lol (also improves the pacing as well since the final battle is a massive drag)
I do think that, had it been executed better, even without any changes in what happens in it people would feel it's less miserable as well because it'd be more satisfying to sit through. This ending is a wet fart and I just remember finishing the game the first time (patch 1) and thinking "Wait... huh? that's it?". I don't even think the epilogue fixes that. Overall I consider all tweaks that have been made to the ending very band-aid-y in nature when in order to work it'd need a complete rehaul.
