I'm gonna do my best to break this up into sections, novel incoming, and spoilers ahead:
Background:I'm a big 5e nerd, and I've been playing D&D for like 5 years or so. I'm coming at this post from the perspective of a "5e veteran", but not like a lifelong player, I was still young when the old BG games came out, so I'm not at all familiar with them. I have DMed for most of that time, and have DMed two games of BG: Descent Into Avernus (DIA). This feedback will be from the lens of someone familiar with D&D, but I'll try occasionally throw in a note from a more green perspective. I have not yet had a chance to try the multiplayer, so no feedback for that here, but I did do the evil playthrough, so I'll talk about that lower.
I played on Stadia, with a pretty solid internet connection. I did like 5 full run throughs each on different classes (just haven't finished ranger yet).
Overall Positives:I definitely love the game as whole, and I'm excited to see the full release.
Generally speaking the changes from 5e are done well, and mostly make sense.
Visuals are fantastic, when functioning properly.
The writing is solid, only a few small points where things got weird.
The story overall is intriguing, even a few playthroughs deep I'm not sure what The Absolute is or wants, and I want to know more about my companions' backstories.
Ability descriptions and the like are done well, I expect people who haven't played D&D at all to have a fairly decent time getting into the game.
Okay, actual feedback and critique now...
Character creation:It's so so good, but I have small gripes.
The hair and beard options should have a drop down menu with little pictures of them on blank heads, rather than the current click though system. It makes it very hard decide between Hair 3 and Hair 12 if I have to flip through all of them.
Nowhere does it explain (maybe it's tiny or hidden and I missed it) that having an odd score provides no benefit over the even score one under it. i.e., it doesn't explain that 14 STR and 15 STR are the same thing in terms of power, because they're both +2. This is a common thing for D&D noobs to be surprised by, and should be explained.
Unless my race gives me a bonus to a certain stat, It's impossible for me to achieve a score of 16 in it. I wanted to make a Drow cleric of Lolth, but they don't get a wisdom bonus, so I had to make her half-drow. The point buy system should be tweaked just enough so that anyone can get to 16 in any score, to make any race-class combo viable.
We NEED starting equipment choices. My fighter should get chainmail at the start so I can skimp on DEX, and Ranger Knights need that option too. That's just one example. We should also be given options of like "do you want the longsword, the battleaxe, or the warhammer" just for flavor.
UI:Overall it's pretty good, but my main issue is with using it as a spellcaster. I'll just use Shadowheart as the example. She has waaaay too many icons. People have already said this, but spells that can be upcast should be stacked in the UI, like how Hex opens to let you choose the ability score. I think channel divinity should also stack and then open out into a menu, so D&D noobs realize the two different options use the same resource.
Speaking of Hex, how the hell do I re-cast it? Seriously, how? I have no idea. Make this clearer.
Dip should be a smaller, more obscure icon (or even removed from the game, since it makes no sense in 5e), and replaced by a dedicated Disengage icon.
I shouldn't have to jump to get through allies. In 5e, you can move through an ally's space at half speed. The game should allow for this, especially when I've allied myself with a huge bear in a thin hallway.
I don't know if it's a UI issue, or if it's intentional, but the Evoker's Sculpt Spells doesn't seem to be working properly. I should be able to drop a Shatter directly on myself and take no damage, but alas.
Also don't know if this is a UI bug or not, but do GOO warlocks really not get a 1st level passive ability? Seriously? I don't care if its telepathy or not, just give me something.
In many fights (particularly ones with ten or more participants) the initiative order is often displayed incorrectly.
Modifier to dice rolls should be additive, not subtractive. If the DC for a check is 13, it should always display as a 13, then next to the d20 there should be a big floating "+4" or whatever it is so I can see my total roll, and get the occasional cool feeling of rolling over a 20.
If I don't have Arcana proficiency, I should be able to make Gale make that check for me mid-convo. This is how group conversation works in D&D, people can chime in.
The trading UI is a hot mess. Why is the 600 gold magic item suddenly 1100 gold when I ask for it?
The icons for Action Surge and Second Wind should be swapped. Why heart make attack more but fist make heal?
AI:Probably my biggest gripes with the game are here, since AI in general is complex as hell.
Also an issue with battles over ten people, enemies just skip their turns randomly. Some even stay idle the whole time. (If you go evil and raid the grove, the druids are a prime example)
I'll add my voice to the chorus: THEY HAVE TOO MANY GODS DAMNED THROWABLES. It's hard to make educated guesses about the difficulty of an encounter when you can't imagine how many literal grenades they have in their pockets.
I once had an option reference Astarion's master by name, even though he and I hadn't yet had a conversation about him.
They sometimes seem a little too smart. Particularly I'm talking about the lower-ranking goblins, worgs, and other animalistic enemies. As a DM, I typically have dumb creatures just attack whoever is closest or biggest, not go around for a sick flanking maneuver on the wizard at the back. I expect this behavior from goblins led by someone smarter, like Dror or Minathra, but not every encounter. In particular when I most recently fought the Minotaurs, they REFUSED to attack Lae'zel with her high AC, and kept going after Shadowheart and my custom wizard.
Balancing and Ability Tweaks:Presented in no particular order:
Acid should fade in two or three turns.
Fire should not hurt when you move OUT of it, only when you move into it, or start your turn in it, and you should not remain on fire after you leave it.
I like that the fire spell/arrow + grease/vines/oil effect is in the game (a common house rule), but it's definitely too strong as it stands.
If I'm an evoker wizard, surface effects such as the fire from Firebolt or the slippery ice from Ray of Frost should NOT affect my allies.
Rogues should also receive "Cunning Action: Disengage" at level 2. I've seen goblins using it, so I know you can make it happen.
Speaking of rogues, the only way to get a hold of a shortsword in the early game is to pick one off the dead bodies in the Nautiloid's helm room as you run toward the transponder. Don't make Astarion use only a single dagger for too long if I don't have the foresight to loot bodies as a I focus on escaping hell.
There's really no reason to choose to the Quasit over the Imp as a warlock. Buff the Quasit!
Currently with no EXP rewarded for peaceful resolution, I don't feel compelled to take spells like minor illusion, friends, charm person, detect thoughts, etc.
On the same note, the simple solution to the "EXP for peace" problem is : No EXP rewarded for killing creatures marked as Green, and automatically mark creatures as Green once peace has been made, giving the party all the EXP they're worth.
Small note, but: Dror Ragzlin has a hammer that can knock people back in a room with a bottemless pit. The instakill potential against a level 3 party is kind of a lot.
I was worried about shove and fall damage being OP, but so far I'm ok with it. It becomes very precarious around bottomless pits, so the less of those the game has the better.
Mage hand shouldn't be for pushing people, it should be for pulling levers, pushing buttons, and setting off tripwires and mines from a safe distance. The only potential combat purpose it should serve is "pull the lever to drop the chandelier" or some such.
Many of the explosive traps are VERY strong, imo.
When I spot a trap, or anything hidden, it should cancel my current movement, and the glow effect needs to be much more noticeable. Maybe even force camera rotation to look at it.
Trap disarm tools and thieves' tools should be rolled into one item.
Getting back into the temple of Selune after killing the leaders but NOT having killed the courtyard goblins is a bit too hard. I thought they were supposed to have scattered with their leaders dead?
Glitches:Crashes were thankfully rare, but I've had a few small other glitches.
Others have reported it, but there's the "the turn that never ends" glitch, that seems to also be able to happen to player characters.
Whacky waving inflatable arm flailing corpse!
Less of a glitch and more of just a "it's EA and it needs polish" thing, but the camera for me rolling a 20 just loves to go into walls.
Sometimes my attack animation plays out, but it never confirms a hit or miss, just wastes my action. Most common with melee weapons, I feel.
EDIT: On more than one playthrough, the conversation with Gehk, the duergar captain at the underdark docks, is super buggy if you approach him with Glut in tow. It'll repeat his one line and then just end without initiating combat, letting me stack up around him and attack.
The E V I L playthrough:Obviously spoilers below if you haven't done this yourself yet.
My favorite thing about this is the dreams with your "lover", and especially the image of
Every player should get to experience something similar, even if the dialogue is different and they come slower. It's a shame to waste such cool trippy cutscenes on dialogue options many players won't use because they rightfully fear the tadpole.
is messy, and suffers the same issues as large battles across the whole game. My main issue is that we get this huge army to fight
, but then
I just get four crappy goblins? Minathra should be helping me there, not before.
Because the EA doesn't allow us to access the overland route to Moonrise Towers, the game essentially ends early for you if you manage convince Minthara to not kill you. Obviously this is a specific issue to EA, just something I wanted to point out.
Obviously there's a million other things to say, but I'll stop there for now. Overall though, bravo to you Larian for the progress made so far, and I eagerly await more content and the full release!