The denial is strong with this one. A beta is supposed to allow people to report bugs and play the game. But this beta allows real money transactions. Then, it's a soft release (because the mechanics are supposed good enough to drain your money). You're not forced to believe PWE / Cryptic when they say "Hey guys, it's Open…
"Update 4 (2:14AM PDT): We're still working on making the shards available for everyone and are getting closer to having an ETA for you. Thanks!" Seems it will take some time.
You seem to forget what this guy said. PnP (Pen and Paper) refers to the gool ol' D&D, where the GM can be a total d**k-a*s and focus your wizard... :p The AI in Baldur's Gate is pretty straightforward, as it tends to focus the first character it sees.
I would even say that STR is the unofficial main ability score. 1% Damage > 1% Crit, as a Scoundrel specced rogue is less crit-dependent (don't know yet for the other specs). So roll a 16 DEX, 16 STR, 12 CHA! :p