I don't think the game is unsalvageable -- I just think they're taking it in a different direction than I'm interested in. Although the fixed loadouts and entire "pay gold for spawn" system pains me, I could get over it. It's the combat mechanics and general clunkiness of gameplay that's scaring me off. The animations, the movement controls (for cav especially), the timings of blocking/swinging, etc all feel very off. Doesn't feel like Mount and Blade to me.
And, maybe it's not intended to? IMO, Warband with some polish, extra features and better graphics would have been the perfect next iteration and I think many others (especially the older players) were expecting something along those lines. Instead, we have a dramatically different game, with the only real carryover being that you can still block and swing in 4 directions. Sadly, there are multiple games available which have emulated that combat system (some of which do it better than Bannerlord), so I don't think it's enough to carry the franchise, especially if Bannerlord's execution doesn't compare with Warband's or any of the other available titles.
I hope and expect that Bannerlord will get better, especially with a bunch of experienced players like OGL/Eb/Vorn giving them feedback. But, this is the beta. That means TW spent a long time playing this and testing it out and going "Yep, feels good." So while I would expect to see a bit of polish and some tweaking on animations, damage, etc., I wouldn't assume they're going to make some of the broad changes that I think they need to make to create an enjoyable multiplayer experience. I'm just sort of looking at it like the transition from Halo 2/3 to Halo 4 and wondering if I want to play that game.