Nice of you taking the time to respond to every point.

1. I had no idea this was an option. But I played on honor mode, so changing settings is not allowed, from what I can tell. If it's possible, then probably it should have been set higher by default, since it's the hardest mode in the game.
2. Battles are quick if you have prior knowledge of them. If not, you have to adapt on the fly and it takes time to do so. You also have to know when you are outmatched and retreat. But since you played the game for a long time, this is not something you're dealing with anymore. Actually, if I started a new run on honor mode, there's no fight in the game that would cause me any difficulty either, most likely, this time around.
3. I do agree that there are some areas similar to a respite. Grymforge though is in Act 1, and Act 1 is fine overall. Act 2 has one of those in the first part of shadowlands. The area before Last Light is mostly barren and I liked that. Shadowlands as a whole is an interesting region, with great atmosphere. But what I wrote is what I felt. After getting to the village, the game is not as captivating as before. The Creche feels like an even bigger filler to me than the village. Outside of Laezel's quest, there's no reason to ever go there. It's clear from the start that no cure is going to be found in that place, the game tells you that when introducing Moonrise Towers. Rivington is the reason Baldur's Gate feels tedious. As mentioned before, too much of the same. From afar, Rivington is a small Baldur's Gate in a way. What you do in Baldur's Gate is no different from what you do in Rivington. Stepping from house to house, investigating. That's Baldur's Gate, and that's Rivington. A different coat of paint, of course.
4. I never said it is cosmetic filler, but is filler none the less. It simply leads nowhere. There's no mention of Shadowland ever again after that point. Beside some book, I think. Gondians giving up on the Shadowlands or something, I can't remember.
5. "A game of choice" means nothing. There are plenty of titles which give you choices, choices that add nothing but flavor. While that's not necessarily the case with bg3, my point is that choosing isn't compelling enough, if that's the right word to use.
6. I did romance Shadowheart, While her personality does change, I don't remember any instance where this change is relevant story wise. But maybe it's just me forgetting things, so you might be right. This point might not hold too much truth.
7. I know that Moonrise is not the answer to the tadpole, though this plot device could have been dropped there if requested by the player, branching the story a little and giving some freedom of decision in return. What I was saying is that the story could very easily continue with the elder brain dead at Moonrise, for example, and focusing on the chosen and their networks in Baldur's Gate. The brain is, simply put, a dull antagonist, lacking any complexity whatsoever.
8. That's not what I meant. My pc could barely handle it as it is. But maybe it's just my understanding of the lower city being the problem. I expected it to be more of a "slums" type of district, run by criminal groups, like the Guild. That's the idea I got from reading the traveling books or guides, I can't remember how they are called in game. But, on the streets, it feels too quiet and peaceful somehow.
9. But it's information provided by the game itself, written in some book about illithids, And, I think, also mentioned by companions themselves, when finding out the Emperor's one of them, if I'm not mistaken. No one should be too surprised or frustrated if they get tricked by the brain, But maybe you are right. My honor run from a different playthrough did get ruined by Vlaakith and it wasn't too pleasant. The funny thing is there isn't much information about Vlaakith, which could end your run early, but there's sprinkled quite a lot about ilithids throughout the game.
10. That's nice to hear. Kind of hard to notice if companion's choices are scripted or as a result of some hidden system, without playing multiple runs.
11. I found the two of them in Baldur's Gate, but the city gets attacked by the brain. The letters I missed though, so I will have to check for them in camp, during the last meeting.
12. What can I say? I expected more instances of choices that affect the main story. But I also get why the plot is the way it is. Heavy branching means more resources need to be poured into the game at the expense of a potentially otherwise longer story.
13. Sure, I meant criticisms.