>>714766570An example of this: When you finally get to the Underdark in BG2 it's like "wow, I'm going to the UNDERDARK?" Seeing all these exotic races feels like a reward: you are finally a heavy-hitter, you DESERVE to see Deep Gnomes and Drow, but you still feel like a fish out of water in a world that you weren't meant to survive in. In BG3, you just stumble into it and do fine in it. Nevertheless, the Underdark in BG3 is really cool and I enjoy it.
Another example: People in BG1/BG2 wouldn't even know what a Gith or Mind Flayer is. Faerun doesn't deal with extradimensional invasions every five seconds. But in BG3 the game leads with them. That was kind of jarring. But again, I'm enjoying it anyway.
One of the reasons Planescape was so fun is that it plops you into the extreme, non-Faerun side of the Forgotten Realms right off the bat, and you DO collect a party of misfits, exactly the kinds of weird characters (succubi, modrons, githzerai) that exist in Sigil. But it felt earned because it was against a backdrop of games set in Faerun. BG3 feels like PS:T-tier weirdness smack in the middle of Faerun from level 1.
But I think it's implied that your character is not really "level 1." You sort of start the game with Level 12+ Interestingness, implied. That justifies your ability to attract Planescape-tier companions to an extent.
>>714766685Yeah agreed, it feels more like Divinity.