I think WotC's intention is to return a sense of danger to the game, especially at low levels. They want to disavow players of the notion that, so long as they stay out of the grave, nothing can really hurt them. We have evidence of that from playtest reports, where a paladin had to rest for weeks due to blood loss from stirges.
Which I'm on board with, so long as lowly foes still get dispatched with ease. It's not much fun to be struggling against rats and fire beetles. Danger in the game still needs to look scary and dangerous, and needs to be defeatable with smart play. I'd like to see a version that lets beginning PCs beat small kobold groups without too much trouble, and have an ogre as a terrifying but viable opponent.
Which I'm on board with, so long as lowly foes still get dispatched with ease. It's not much fun to be struggling against rats and fire beetles. Danger in the game still needs to look scary and dangerous, and needs to be defeatable with smart play. I'd like to see a version that lets beginning PCs beat small kobold groups without too much trouble, and have an ogre as a terrifying but viable opponent.