I'm not sure yet if its a font problem or a d3d render hiccup, also, it's a problem for me on the "wine version", the one with the date and block numbers is the Linux version. i.e. Linux version works properly. Just some warning(heads-up), Linux is very case sensitive, so if you call for something that has difference in capitalization i.e. Battlelog / BattleLog , it won't find it.
Regarding this, I have not yet tried it in Linux but, in wine, the "very hard" chance at just talking to the slum people are sure success (i.e. I have never failed talking to dangerous slum people if its very hard). so I got there pretty easily without items and all (but lost because I charged in alone, lol). I'll play test in on Linux extensively soon, just resting, for reference, I started playing the new version in wine with 4 trait points, by the time I had finished and ported the save to Linux build, I have 11.
Wine is Linux's way of running windows applications, but it is not an emulator, so I can't call it that, lol.