Level 4 - having a blast but every fight is normally death first time round. I think I need to scout more.
The more you play this game the more depth you realise the combat has & how you can approach situations differently.
People who claim to “breeze†through the game are either very savvy with the rules & combat - might just be me but there ain’t no easy path in this game that I can see - but that’s the beauty of it.
That's odd, I don't see how the party setup can vary that much, and players are not given powerful artefacts, weapons or armour, at least I did not find any (aside from +1 weapons). But I did not have problems with any fights, meaning that I beat them at the first or second try with the occasional death of one party member, without any shenanigans.
Lae'zel: +1 AC at L1, Battlemaster at L3, +2 strength at L4. Melee, Twohander
Shadowheart: Melee with Shield, 2+ Wisdom at L4
Gale. +2 Intelligence at L4 (yeah I missed the headband that gives 18 int)
PC wood elf ranger:
https://fextralife.com/baldurs-gate-3-builds-hunter-guide-ranger/This ranger build has very high hit chances from higher ground and consistent damage thanks to Colossus Slayer.
Fights depend very much on Gale and PC being on high ground or not. But then use mirror image for Shadowheart and Gale, mage armor for Gale, hit enemies with menacing strike with Lae'zel, with guiding bolts from Shadowheart, Melfs acid arrow from Gale, Ranger just fires her weapon.
Lae'zel can dish out two menacing strikes in the first round with the fighter's action surge. That can make a huge difference, if one lands.
The minotaurs managed to kill Gale, but aside from that my party won on the first try this way.