Being unable to cast healing powers on people at full hp neuters the usability of heals that include buffs, like Agni's new heal+fire weapon buff power.
On the other side of this, not showing what characters' max hp is clearly enough so you don't have to memorize or save it to a text program every time you level up, change 1's set or change stats with a trainer. That or not letting you heal undamaged characters.
Why isn't there any room for more exposition to help with the world building, like asking more characters for backstories on their races like Cait about catfolk, Azyrran for hornetfolk, Etheryn about boreal elves, Atani for marefolk, etc. Wasted potential. Like, you can't ask characters about their life stories, like knowing how Hretha lost her sight or how Infrith became her apprentice.
Why isn't there any room for more exposition to help with the world building, like asking more characters for backstories on their races like Cait about catfolk, Azyrran for hornetfolk, Atani for marefolk, etc. Wasted potential. Like, you can't ask characters about their life stories, like knowing how Hretha lost her sight or how Infrith became her apprentice.
Why isn't there any room for more exposition to help with the world building, like asking more characters for backstories on their races like Cait about catfolk, Azyrran for hornetfolk, Etheryn about boreal elves, Atani for marefolk, etc. Wasted potential. Like, you can't ask characters about their life stories, like knowing how Hretha lost her sight or how Infrith became her apprentice.
There is plenty of world building and exposition if you read everything. I don't know about you, but finding something out through various bits of information is a lot more enjoyable and rewarding. I like being slowly spoonfed lore versus having it all dumped on me, unless in context there is a benefit for an info dump. And CoC 2 does both, depending on who you talk to.
It's worth mentioning, Cait, Azzy, Ryn, and Atani are all pretty smart gals who would know the history of their people off-hand, not to mention they are all some form of nobility, leader, or royalty, and probably had some form of oral (hehe) and/or formal education. Keep in mind, a good bit of the information from before the Godswar and the fall of Belhar roughly 200 years ago was lost, and society at large is still recovering. Compare the characters you mentioned to, for example, Brint/Brienne. They are slightly educated, grew up learning to fight, offhand, they know where they're from, how they grew up, and any history they might know isn't relevant to them 90% of the time. If you bring Brint/Brienne through the undermountain, they will mention what they know about the tunnels and the city of Khor'minos as it comes up. This fleshes out the world, and gives you reasons to use different companions outside of the game-y reasons. Like Mass Effect, one of the reasons CoC2 is so replayable is all the unique dialogue companions can have for a lot of locations, scenes, and quests.
The answers to both of your questions are findable, Hretha lost her sight genetically, but the visions are a blessing from Lumia. After completing "Shadows Over the Sun" you can speak to Lumia with Arona in the party using the "Companions" option under Lumia's talk menu. In the conversation with Arona and Lumia, Lumia states, "It was no curse or malefic taint that took her (Hretha's) sight, nor your niece's, but a quirk of blood long passed through your family."
Infrith straight up tells you why she became a shaman of Lumia in her "Training" dialogue, she was genetically predisposed to be a shaman of Lumia (no joke, the reason is that she got thicc instead of stronk,) and was given to Hretha as an apprentice by her family. With all this, you have to keep in mind the Kervus have a sort of tribal caste/feudal system with a focus on fighting and a reliance on slavery for a lot of the more 'menial' tasks that keep their society afloat, like farming.
I don't know why you bring up Mass Effect, but a lot of the races in that game are fleshed out over 3 games. And this is the first CoC in Savarra, with the only real carry over from the first game lore-wise being some of the demon and portal stuff and CoC1 champ beating Lethice. Also, I personally rather learn from finding out things more naturally, rather than having an awkward conversation where someone has various info-dumps based on dialogue options. I learned more about the Quarians going to the Flotilla in ME2, than the dialogue with Tali combined with the codex entry on Quarians in ME1.
Also, if you haven't, do the Convocation of Mirrors dry, then go back with a guide and do the best end, it is amazing and one of the quests that turned this from a porn game that's also a RPG, to a RPG that is also a porn game, at least for me.
