or if I know I'm at The End, how should I know how many stages the Final Boss has (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TrueFinalBoss)
my pockets during the final cutscenes may be stuffed to the gills, but at least I made it
> For instance, using a ‘Speak with the Dead’ scroll on a certain suspicious corpse unveiled a questline I would have otherwise missed.
this is a pretty common scroll, you can buy them from most stores, and later learn a spell to use it constantly
if you want to be brave, blow that Orge Horn (https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Lump%27s_War_Horn) during a fight with like three mud monsters
I have this obsession with playing optimally at the highest difficulty level. So I have to collect every resource, craft all the best items, etc.
But collecting all that stuff is actually quite a tedious click-fest in many modern games like D:OS2. (Dallas' bedroom on Lady Vengeance is a prime example.) And it requires going to every nook and cranny of the world map.
So I can't stand leaving anything behind, and I'll never end up using even half of it, but what if I do need it and I don't have it later on?
I've been playing Cyberpunk 2077 recently, and I don't have that problem with this game, though the solution may be unsatisfying to many. I've already hit max level on everything, and upgraded everything that I can. There isn't that much loot in the game in general (each mook has one or two items), and that can be quickly picked up and broken down as needed. I have more money than things to spend it on.
So I spend my time exploring the world rather than managing the character's inventory.
The Nintendo Switch Zelda games also do a pretty good job of balancing all the inventory / crafting. The resources regenerate (fruit trees grow more fruit over time) so it isn't necessary in most cases to try to grab everything whenever you see it.
Use consumables and long rest often in this game, your experience will certainly be more enjoyable.
“The goal is to die with an empty inventory”
This also made me think of this article Are you playing to win or playing to play (https://commoncog.com/playing-to-play-playing-to-win/) which is about doing things that aren't necessary to achieve the goal, but which you do to feel like you've done it right (as opposed to objectively doing it right).
An example from the article is someone who doesn't want to win at Street Fighter using throws, because they are seen as cheap: "Throwing violates the rules in their heads even though it doesn't violate any actual game rule"
Saving you potions feels like a rule derived from efficiency or frugality, trading off leveraging the resources you have.
Lots of mind traps here.
I really enjoyed this line. Seems like a good median point between extremes of scarcity or abundance mindsets.
Be respectful though, there's a spectrum between "too shy to ask" and "annoying grifter". You want to sit somewhere in the middle.
Honour your commitments and repay your debts. Look for win-win situations. Help the tide raise all the boats. Don't emotionally manipulate your mark or take advantage of people's ignorance.
Using 2 hours of precious time to save $2.
Investments with a time frame that is longer than their expected remaining life.
Driving across town to get a couple of percent off a tank of gas - actually wasting petrol and time.
Hoarding stuff that they will never use - often stuff that would be useful to their kids or friends.
Then again I see the opposite in some people: drawing down a reverse mortgage like they'll be dead in 5 years and ruining their finances. Smoking and boozing and otherwise ruining their health because they "haven't got long to live".