Critical Role Critical Role Season 4 DM says encounters will not be balanced.

[TheSword]

Thats wrong. I don't balance and I get great feedback from my players. So I know at least two tables where unbalanced encounter work, so there is clearly not a definite answer possible to the question if unbalanced encounters are good or bad. As usual it depends on play style, table preferences etc. for example my players and me in general don't enjoy combat as sport and find always perfectly balanced encounter dull and boring. Similar to how I find the level scaling in Skyrim boring.

Let me be clear… it’s just my opinion… it’s not a fundamental law of the universe and by bad maybe I should clarify ‘not good’.

I’m not saying that all encounters have to be CR = Party average level. There will obviously be a range of easy to difficult encounters. However if a party repeatedly tackling challenges that are either too difficult or too easy is ‘not good’ … in my opinion.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Someone is advocating for "dull, performative combat"? Weird, but I guess there's no accounting for taste. Do you see a lot of that in earlier seasons of Critical Role or Dimension 20?

Oh, absolutely! Most of combats in CR are dull and pointless. They are super easy, there is no real danger, and attention does not matter as they take long rests so often. Easily the worst part of the show.