My partner got it for me a week or two ago because it was on sale for $3 and it’s been a lot of fun so far. Reading about it kind of put me off from it because I thought the class/skill progression would be more similar to Path of Exile, but it’s not. Basically at level 1 and level 10 you get to pick a class, but each class has its own set skill tree. For some reason the description I’d initially read made me think there’d be more granular customization of skills instead, which I wouldn’t really like (because if I’m just mixing/matching whatever I want, it’s hard for me to feel like my character is whatever class they’re supposed to be? idk)
I would say it’s actually A LOT more fun than path of exile and that the only thing POE does better is allow WASD + Mouse movement but maybe that’s just a testament to how much I really, really hate POE’s class/skill progression (OH BOY, I LEVELED UP. TIME TO PUT MY >>>ONE<<< SKILL POINT INTO: 0.2% HEALTH REGEN PER SECOND!! WOW)
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily worth buying at full price but it’s 10000% worth it if you like Diablo esque ARPGs and it goes on $3 sale again
I couldn’t ever get into POE1, but POE2 is great.
The passive tree has a lot of the mundane nodes as you mention, but there are some that completely change your class (or even brick it). Each class has 2-3 ascension classes that bring uniqueness too.
The skill/gem system are also no longer tied to gear (which I absolutely hated).
As someone who grew up playing thousands of hours of D2:LOD, PoE2 is a worthy alternative.
To be fair, your comment on the passive and ascensions applies in the exact same way to PoE1
The skill system no being tied to equipment was a great change (although allowing only one of a kind of support gem feels pretty bad, even if it’s the way they balance the new skill system)