Larian’s Swen Vincke posted a tweet yesterday showing the game hitting 500,000 concurrent players, making it the third most played game on all of Steam He said that he told IT to only expect 100,000 concurrents at max.
If you haven't played a game like this, there is a learning curve. I've been playing stuff like this for decades and there's still lots to explore, in purely mechanical terms, with BG3.
That said, it is very much worth the initial investment. I found playing Divinity 2: original sin very much prepared me for BG3. You could start there a little more cheaply before delving into this expensive title. At least then you can see if you enjoy this style of game.
Being familiar with dnd 5e will give you a head start in the basics. Things like how ability scores and combat/social interactions can play out. But not necessary. They've changed quite a few minor things that deviate from the tabletop game that I've found myself having to actually unlearn dnd.
Monks are actually useable. Went with a 4 elements subclass. So I have a mix of spell-like abilities for range, and can still smack things with my staff and fist.
The main thing is, being aware of the micromanaging you'll have to do in combat. Don't be afraid to use consumables. And explore! I'm still only in act 1.( I've had pre release for over a year, so I'm taking it slow to see what changes are in the actual release).
And like regular DND, positioning is really important. Use the environment to your advantage: block line of sight, have the high ground, use spells that have an AOE to drive enemies where you want them to be.
If you go charging into the middle of the open room surrounded by baddies you're probably gonna get wrecked.
Yup, and action economy is still king 👑. Action surges, flurry of blows etc. Even at lvl 5 vs lvl 2 goblins can still be dangerous if your group is outnumbered.
If you're passingly familiar with 5E D&D, you should be pretty much good to go. The CRPG-ness of it shouldn't be too much to get your head around if you know the underlying system at all.