I want to do precisely one more section of "Hinterlands-like exploration" in the main story. I think we can still do fun things with that mechanic and I loved writing for it. But that will depend on how things go, it's a bit too early to tell if it'll fit the story.
We plan on adding a sort of expansion to the hinterlands later down the road, you might like that. We'll throw in the locations we originally planned but had to cut for time.