I liked Deadfire quite a bit, too, but Kingmaker is just a much more
game at its core (except for class/race reactivity which I though Deadfire really did excel at).
I don't get the whole race/reactivity thing insofar as NPC reactions are concerned. Surely as a peasant, for example, you would be far more reactive towards the fact the guy is your baron rather than he is a paladin or a mage or a monkey's butt? And unless a particular race is particularly hated or loved, surely a merchont won't give a flying rat's arse if a dwarf or an elf or a child-I mean, halfling is buying his dagger?
I said before that I like Targos from IWD2 as an example of good reactivity. You get a comment if you are drow because drow are so hated and feared. You get the option to bless if you have a cleric in the party. And all that, but no one addresses your class or race directly or even really acknowledge them. If you don't have a cleric in the party, for example, you won't even see the option to bless. It
flows.
Sure, I don't disagree, but early in the game you're not a baron and nobody acknowledges much about you. You also don't get to talk much to your companions about things you probably should: like if you're a Cleric of the appropriate god, you get little to no interactions with Valerie about Shelyn (she should be rolling her eyes at you all the time), Jaethal about Urgathoa (she doesn't know anything about her goddess, which bothers her), Harrim about Groetus (I don't even know if you get an option to NOT call him an idiot during the part of his quest in the Troll Keep?).
The other thing about Deadfire reactivity I liked (that came from White March) is that you got options popping up in dialogues and book adventures to use class abilities, like casting Chill Fog or Protection from Elements going into a burning house, being able to protect the kid in the duel with a Paladin ability, etc. Not just peasants saying "hi Mr Paladin!"