Divinity: Original Sin II - One Million Copies sold

You're probably one of the few with that opinion.

Itemization that never progressed beyond an update to dmg/hp? MMOs have greater complexity than this.
Of course MMORPGs have to have a different system which also normally needs to be strongly balanced. Also in DOS2 you can also have multiple attributes, skills and even skill-actions on the items. I found the item system in DOS2 vastly superior to the one of Mass Effect 1 for example (which imho had one of the most boring systems ever as it was purely about exchanging +1 with +2) and also superior to Dragon Age 1, which was also very rudimentary.

Exponential scaling that forces you to always be on the hunt for new [RANDOMIZED] gear despite maybe getting an upgrade just 30-60 minutes prior? That gets tiresome quick.
And it's completely incorrect.
You will do totally fine for the most part if you just run around with stuff which is five levels below you. But that only gives you half the armor? Yeah...but the thing is, that the games gives you a very big wiggle room. Actually much more than the previous one. If you fight decently you will be able to beat the encounter anyways.
I can understand that some people get the impression that they should update everything every level because the values are incresing so strongly. But that's being blended by stats. You don't necessarily need them.

How about the pacing of the game: there's four acts and yet half the game takes place in a second chapter(that plods along forever).
I think they actually did a great balance of linearity and open world. It's not like you are revisiting old locations on this chapter over and over (besides of the city), instead you are visiting different locations every time. I think it's nice to have one bigger chapter in the middle of the game.
But you can also see that at this point the scaling starts to crumble. If you are forced into new locations in very small steps/zones, it's easier to balance than if you are in an open world where you can decide yourself where to go and where is no scaling of monsters (meaning the monsters in DOS2 don't actually level with you). If you move to the wrong locations at the start of chapter 2 like the cemetery you will be completely stomped by the strong opponents. If you leave an area out and return to it at the end of the chapter, they die like flies. This is then fixed by advancing to the next continent. I think they just maxed out the timeframe they can let the player stay in the same area without the balancing breaking apart.
Imho it's working much better than the first part which was basically a linear game due to level and monster design. The level differences to monsters made it extremely hard in DOS1 to progress in an area which is not meant for you yet, only leaving a narrow path. In DOS2 you hardly need to look at any monster levels. With some tactics you are able to beat pretty much everything (which you can reach organically) except if you take the wrong turn right at the start when entering chapter 2.

The much-vaunted environment effects, while being well balanced in the first game, are completely over the top in the second installment as well: practically every fight ends in a giant sea of cursed fire. That isn't tactically challenging but rather simply annoying, predictable, and rarely dangerous.
While the effects on the floor have some effect, and are quite important in the first quarter of the game, I have to agree that most of it becomes not-so-important after that. You will still don't want to stand in the fire necessarily, but it's not critical either. However stacking effects (chill->freece, shocked->stunned) and using the environment for advantage (range and superior damage) still give the combat very good dynamics and tactical options.

Combined altogether, I couldn't finish the game fast enough; it was an arduously tedious experience.

I mean, kudos to Larian for getting all this attention. But holding this up as some object of near perfection is disingenuous. There are many RPGs with a more cohesive design that don't beat the player over the head with such ill-planned tedium.

Well, I disagree and don't think that there are many Single RPGs which do it better.
 
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D:OS2 is the best traditional CRPG in ages, in my opinion.

The system isn't perfect - but it's absolutely fantastic, overall. I haven't had this much fun planning and building my character in a long time - and every single combat is just a pleasure to fight.

The scaling issue is pretty minor in the overall scheme of things - and focusing on that alone will make you miss out on one hell of a game.

To each his own, though.

I do agree they went over the top with the environmental effects - but I think they add to many fights that would otherwise be entirely predictable.
 
D:OS2 is the best traditional CRPG in ages, in my opinion.

The system isn't perfect - but it's absolutely fantastic, overall. I haven't had this much fun planning and building my character in a long time - and every single combat is just a pleasure to fight.

The scaling issue is pretty minor in the overall scheme of things - and focusing on that alone will make you miss out on one hell of a game.

To each his own, though.

I do agree they went over the top with the environmental effects - but I think they add to many fights that would otherwise be entirely predictable.

I agree completely. I modded the scaling down because it increased immersion for me and my enjoyment of the game, but I still found vanilla great.
 
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