So endgame is just like it was in DD1/DA, except now we don't have multiple layers and pieces for the upper and lower body. And this was supposed to help prevent everyone looking the same, apparently, based on an interview snippet someone posted talking about the simplified armor system.
Now you actually have less possible sets since you can't mix and match the 2 clothes and 4 separate armor slots. I said before, the armor system is probably the biggest thorn to me about the game so far. The only spot I personally feel is completely worse all around with zero benefits.
From what I've seen its even worse. Gear doesn't seem to have as much elemental/ailment resistance as the first game, and in the first game even low level gear when fully upgraded could have good resistance. So you could trade of armor for resistance or switch out your clothing depending on what you were going to fight.
It really looks like this game took one step forward and 2 steps back, it feels like Dragons Dogma 0.85 instead of Dragons Dogma 2. There less of so many things in this game its not even funny.
-less gear slots, less player choice is never a good thing
-less quantity and variety of items to loot, things like the tiered health potions are gone entirely, as well as many consumables. less useful items like stones and skulls are gone.
-no throwing items, no flasks, very few poison/oil jars to throw at enemies
-no notice boards so you have to talk to people to get quests, as a result there arent anywhere near as many quests, even simple kill/collect zyx would be welcome just for the money and exp
-Fewer big monsters, and new big monsters like the medusa and the headless horseman might as well be unique 1 time bosses
- chests don't respawn, making backtracking less worthwhile(I miss rerunning old dungeons)
-A lack of long sprawling dungeons, theres plenty of little caves, but I have yet to come across any dungeons like the water temple, mountain cave, or abandoned mine
-very few destroyable barrels and crates, destroying them yields less items, and there are very few items just laying about in the world, I don't think these items respawn either
-very few destroyable things in the environment, this combined with the above statement makes finding camps and abandoned buildings less rewarding both in monetary gain and fun ungabunga me smash
-storage has a limit of 1000 unique items, and you can't store more than 99 of any item, a weird decision to make that punishes players that hold on to loot instead of selling it
- upgrading gear doesn't feel as impactful as the first game (that might just be me)
-The reduction of usable skills from 6 to 4 is felt by most classes, even if some of the must have skills have been made into core skills
-The lack of variety in small monsters is really felt with how common they are on the roads
-It feels like alot of the little things that made to first game so fun are missing in this one
tl;dr if you haven't played to first game then do it, and don't pick up this one until they release a bitterblack isle style expansion.
