Im not sure about the dislike this game gets from some lanes of RPG fans. Exposition and "lore dumps" are interesting to those invested in the world. The combat though, is classic Sawyer "balance above all else" the story is interesting, though that is certainly subjective. Its not a low level adventure ala Baldurs Gate, Its not...whatever BG3 is. Its its own thing. Personally I enjoy the setting, the lore, the ambiance of it all. I certainly wouldnt call it perfect, but it stands on its own and among the classic Bioware/IE engine games or just CRPGs its certainly is in the same vein and even class. It may not hold up in nostalga to the classics but for a modern take on a RTWP CRPG? I think its outstanding. Going back to the setting, I prefer the first over the second or even over more whimsical settings ala Pathfinder. Battles are handled quite differently than BG positioning and choke point matter especially in POTD. Overall in almost 300 hours I still find myself coming back to this over Pathfinder, BG3, DOS2 and some of the other more recent offerings in the world of CRPGs. I certainly wouldnt call it my favorite game, but it is my favorite of the crop during the re-emergence of them 10 years ago. Something about the bleak setting, a world teetering on the edge, etc sucks me in every time over the bright colorful worlds of the others.
