Having not played DoS2 in its entirety, i gotta wonder if it's just how Larian does things or if it's a byproduct of trying to make this game feel as big as its franchise, quote unquote fill the shoes (which is ironic, considering the biggest takeaway from any astounding Bioware game is that the first enemy should always be rats or the like, so that what comes later on can truly awe you).
Very much the same thing in DOS2. Essentially, if you don't get to converse with gods or some similar "greater power beings" on a daily basis by the end of the first third of the game, then the game is not worth playing.
It's the same issue with Pathfinder WotR, tbh. The game tries too hard to be... grandiose. Tries too hard to impress the player. Tries too hard to shower the player with as much "cool and awesomeness" as they can. A goddess just pops out of thin air and starts talking to you without any prior indication, then next moment a demon lord also shows up and joins the convo, and there you are chatting casually with a goddess and a demon lord at the same time. You can say "but they do have a reason to talk to you" - sure, that may not be wrong, but I simply don't find it convincing at all. It just makes me think wow this game is trying too hard to make me feel important.
Also, admittedly, I got the same feeling playing PoE: Deadfire. All the conventions with gods, and all the dialogue options that make you sound like a cheeky rebellious upstart so you may feel "wow look at me I'm talking to these gods like an equal". Ngl they made me wince.
I guess in this day and age everything just gotta go fast.
I agree with this soooooo much.
I adore the PoE-games to death, but I really wouldnt't argue how PoE:D really tries to make your character so next-level-special that it feels completely off at times. Same with DoS2 - I am seriously very fond of the setting and the game in general, but the entire "talking to your god-thing" on such occasions really makes me frown a bit. I personally do not play these kinds of games to have a character that wants to achieve godhood - I play it as a type of epic DnD session for one player. Being just a regular exploration story - or at least something more subtle like PoE1 - is more my cup of tea. I don't want to roleplay as an exploring searching for godlike powers - I want to roleplay as a regular explorer. (:
Anyways! That is an discussion for another topic - back to the issue at hand!
I do not believe (like many others) that the solution of "Who is Shar and why do I care?" lies in books. Books should be flavor, hints, Easter eggs and some advanced story for those who enjoy it - but not the very core lore with necessary game knowledge. It is much to unreliable in case a player completely misses the book (as many players are not the "I read everything I find!"-types).
Like many stated before me - who Shar is, is something a DM would explain to you if asked them - preferably BEFORE dramatic reveal moments. Larian has stated several times that they want to be the DM of our journey in BG3 and that they want to copy the PnP/TT feeling as far as possible in BG3.
Like Ragitsu said, we don't even need a "book" to understand the basics of Shar. A decent description of Shar that would be enough to cover the basic knowledge that most residents of Faêrun possess could easily be done in one sentence, or two (and so many people here have already made really good examples of such sentences). Personally I am in favor for having the narrator announce the basics whenever Shar is brought up for the first time - as the narrator is supposed to back the player with information that they should possess ingame, yet might not do so irl. Like a DM!
Hoot hoot, stranger! Fairly new to CRPGs, but I tried my best to provide some feedback regardless! <3 Read it here: My Open Letter to Larian
