There was always a lot of combat in Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, so the mechanic is important, but I’m hoping that BG3 will grow a little beyond the first two.
For me it’s always about choice, does my character have a choice to get into or out of a situation where swords and spells fill the screen? Was it avoidable, did I select the right conversation choice, was my charisma to low or was the fight inevitable? All questions that belong in a players head during each encounter that turns bloody and all things that most definitely were in BG1 & 2, I’m just hoping for a little more of that possibility this time round.
Heck I’m happy to hack and slash my way through an rpg too though and that’s were the combat system needs to be enjoyable. What enjoyable is is the whole debate here I guess.
As for the examples listed above, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones and anything like that NEED the intrigue, the set-up, the character building and relationships, or the action is meaningless.
