I was going to buy it anyways, even if it's a mess. If I spend the money now, the game feels free later.
I actually haven't preordered it and might not, but this is how I felt about Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and Bethesda games are at the same tier for me. I have hundreds of hours in every game since Morrowind; I'll eventually get my money's worth.
I know buggy Bethesda games have become a meme at this point, but I feel like it's very possible that this will be no more buggy than FO4 or Skyrim. Those games had their bugs, but I had way more trouble with bugs in Morrowind, Oblivion, and FO3. Now, janky physics or mechanics? I'm sure we'll get some of that... And I can't wait!
I wish that there was a way to take better advantage of the Steam Deck controller with this version. I bought a copy to check it out, as I don't really like playing on mobile but would love to take it on the go. It was... Harder than just playing on my phone.
To the uninitiated: despite my comment, Cataclysm DDA is still worth trying out! Where else could you skateboard down the street naked while holding a plank covered with nails?