5e/bg3 is the exact opposite of that though. you can't get better than full plate- unless you get something with godly effects, so realistically your act 1 equipment and weapons once you get a +1, can carry you the entire game probably
and since your levels give you everything you need, you can very much go through the whole game without touching a single merchant and just beelining quests
divinity is a crpg strategy game, the part of about evolving your strategy and learning from your mistakes and the difficulty stemming not only from an increase in the games difficulty, but also from expecting you to understand more about it
no i understand why he dislikes the game, I just think most of his dislike stems from things that for some can be avoided/are just because the game isnt for him (understandable)