Well, I made it through the first chapter and even went back and did it again with a different character to see how things changed if you don’t skip the attack on the tavern. Turns out my problem was indeed related to turn-based mode.
There’s apparently no longer any way to slow down the real time combat as there was in Kingmaker. Meaning you have to either pause a ton or switch to turn-based mode if you want to actually think about your characters’ actions. Both paths are viable once you acclimate to the superfast default speed, but it’s worth noting that some battles will become notably harder in turn-based mode (you can’t effectively kite there and confrontations with swarms of enemies will take ages).
The difference between defending the tavern and assaulting the garrison early turned out to be fairly minor (the Nabasu that drops an Amulet of Devouring only appears in the Market Square post-tavern attack, assuming you’ve already killed the necromancer there), so you can freely choose between the hassles of ‘defending the tavern’ or ‘clearing the map in 3 rests or less’:
—Day 1—
Clear Thieflings’ Hideout & Wonders Shop
Clear most of Market Square (skip northeast and southwest corners)
Clear Wine Cellar and Blackwing Library
Rest at Tavern for 9 hours—Day 2—
Clear Silken Thread Atlier, Tower, & Party House
Clear Gwerm’s Mansion & Topaz Solutions—Day 3—
Clear Tirabade Residence
Rest at Market Square for 9 hours
Clear rest of Market Square
Return to Tavern and Assault Garrison
Current build plans to use on each Mythic Path:
<Aeon>
Judge 16
Sohei 2
Slayer 2<Lich>
Hexcrafter 15
Scaled Fist 2
Mutation Warrior 3<Angel>
Kinetic Knight 16
Zen Archer 1
Mutation Warrior 3<Demon>
Scaled Fist 1
Crossblooded Sorcerer (Abyssal, Dragon) 15
Dragon Disciple 4<Gold Dragon>
Sword Saint 5
Scaled Fist 2
Instinctual Warrior 5
Mutation Warrior 8<Devil>
Overwhelming Mage (Red Dragon) 13
Dragon Disciple 7<Trickster>
Eldritch Archer 6
Rowdy 4
Arcane Trickster 10<Swarm-That-Walks>
Grenadier 20<Azata>
Court Poet 16
Dirge Bard 2
Sylvan Trickster 2<Legend>
Sword Saint 20
Incense Synthesizer 8
Mixed-Blood Rager (Celestial/Fey) 2
Eldritch Knight 10