Treys

Does this mean it is no longer possible to avoid the penalty, or that it now is now possible to avoid it? If you pick Devoted, you will always have the penalty now. I like this, if it means what I think it means. I thought it was silly that multiclassing a devoted allowed you to pick up other weapon proficiency and bypass the devoted penalty. At least I hope this is what this change fixed :D

Does this mean it is no longer possible to avoid the penalty, or that it now is now possible to avoid it?

A mercenary who will not deviate from a contract sounds more like a Goldpact Knight to me. The way I see it, the Bleakwalker would accept sidequests because they need funds to accomplish their main goal.Also at the start of the game your character does not know that the legacy and the leaden key's actions are linked, the character is instructed to maerwald in order to help themselves, so ending the legacy would not be your character's goal right out of the gate.

I have only beaten Pillars once, and have yet to beat Whitemarch part 2, because I keep making characters :D