The challenge is that HP bloat (HP bloat is referring to lowering AC and raising HP to compensate) has increased the incentive to spam spells. The current game meta involves taking down enemies by always putting your best spell forward. which requires a follow up rest. A lot of folks have advocated to be more true to DnD 5e. At this point I think it'd be good to bounce ideas on how Larian could add fun homebrew to the game.
I see your point. Personally, I don't think we should be expecting pure D&D, but on the other hand I don't want to throw out the rulebook. I think the HP bloat you're referring to is just a consequence of it being a video game.
Save scumming is one of the big things a video game needs to be built around.
I understand Larian's position to want to avoid save-scumming. HP bloat is another change that is currently overtuned. For example, in the current game meta there is little incentive to use spells that require a saving throw. Lowering AC only benefits AC targeting attacks.
{Assuming Larian is committed to one form of HP Bloat or another}
One thing that could be done is to give the player a +1 to proficiency, and enemies a +1 to AC.
This would help balance the effects of HP Bloat on using saving throw spells versus AC attack spells.
As both spells get the improved accuracy to avoid save scumming that Larian is aspiring for.
- TBH it would be easier to balance HP Bloat by not starting with lowering AC and raising HP.
- Giving the player +1 to proficiency and the enemy ~5% increase to HP would have raised accuracy more equally for both attack types.
- Also this would have been less of a distortion to game balance.
Hindsight is 20/20 xD
I think adding expendable material components is one of the best ways to balance the future game meta. It'll keep uses of strong spells, like Fireball, in check while allowing the character to more freely use other spells.
This also sounds like it'd be a bit of a micromanagement chore.
My ideas for improvement are dependent on Larian improving the UI and inventory management.
I'm picturing that most actions involving material components would be automatic for the player.
- The spells will notate which material components are needed.
- Material components will have their own inventory (normally a wizard would have their personal bag).
- If the spellcaster knows the spell the material components will show in the bag with 0 stock (so the player will know what to look for).
- When the spell is used the correct amount of material components is spent.
For example, the spell cloud of daggers requires a "shard of glass". At camp, the player could tell Gale to gather shards of glass and the bag would fill it's inventory to max 2/2 (or something like that)
Now Gale could cast that spell 2x between long rests.
The spell Fireball requires "a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur" which let's abbreviate as "sulfur compound".
When the player asks Gale to gather material components the menu can pop up and they could a limited amount. So the player would have to choose between "shards of glass" and "sulfur compound"
Now the developers can balance these spells with how often they would like the player to cast between long rests.
EDIT: material components are also a great candidate to replace all the spell scrolls littered around the world 
