Playing New Game Plus on Path of the Damned is a good balance of feeling powerful versus fragile

Working my way into NG+ the past couple days, I've loved having a ton of options to work through a fight while not bulldozing everything in my path. Sure, stuff can kill me pretty quick (ranged build, maybe 2 or 3 Constitution), but I have options for crowd control, companion abilities, armor and weapon specialties, and one of my favorite things, cooking is worth something now. I've got to plan out a good chunk of my engagements. Some encounters will end pretty quick, but it feels more because of how I play with the tools I've got rather than sheer stat avalanching.

Makes me think more RPGs should balance the start of the game toward making you feel capable, but not unstoppable. It wouldn't work for everything, for instance, your game is in the vein of Gothic, Elex, or Outward, where that kind of tooth-and-nail progression is kind of the point. But maybe giving fewer stats and more ability/spell options off the bat could make for a more engaging early game.

Anyhoo, I loved this game the first time around and I'm loving NG+.

Off-topic, but the most egregious problem that remains unsolved in this anniversary patch is the inability to pat the little cat thingies that run around the Living Lands.

Seriously, Obsidian. What the heck.