beta opinions on the preview branch content

[UltraShadow01]

After playing for a bit of time in the preview branch for the hunter's path beta
I have mixed feelings about the changes to the systems in the camp

starting off with what I do really like
the first being; hunter's path:
the new system for rot boss powers feels much more interesting
in that you don't have a binary choice but instead you get to prioritize what is important to you
and the selection of paths that can be upgraded is very interesting
new powers like; good will, time dilation, peak performance, and potent brew, as well as others
are all great options. that it actually feels alright to have nerfed the default
healing value of the healing potion
it also does well to condense some powers. like having more power selections during runs
at first it felt a little weird but in thinking about it, there is no much difference between
that and the reroll powers. except player agency and control over power selections

secondly, more minirots:
this is just always great, having more variations in enemies and bosses
simply adds more replayability value to the game and content to learn

powers exchange:
I'll dive more into that later but I want to put that in this category first
having the option to take a room where you could trade one upgrade you
don't like as much to one you do, or better fits with your build plans
is a great concept and I really like it.

more teffra anomalies locations at once:
more player agency is always great I think
giving us more of a choice where we decide to go for our loot
instead of locking players to the specific node / having to do a throw run to refresh that location

heart shards:
there isn't much to say since it's pretty integral to the hunter's path
but I do want to mention it for being a nice way of categorizing the upgrade progression

which leads on to something I don't particularly like but understand
the NPC gifts:
If I'm understanding the intention correctly the point of the gift system
is to give the player more decision making on how to prioritize their progression
where NPC upgrades are not gated only by just progressing in the game
but they are also dependent on a players choices
which to be clear I think it's a great idea, it's the way the system is presented that I take issue with
the NPCs essentially lock certain aspects behind befriending them.
which doesn't just seem slightly out of place logically it is also weird
as the whole reason the NPCs are in your camp to begin with is to help you
get stronger in order to defeat the rots and restore balance or something
I think either changing it from gifts to something else.
or making a short side quest to help the NPCs help you would be better presentation to players

and now to things I dislike with the previewed content
half (shorter) runs:
For me one of the biggest appeals of rogue likes/lites is the snow ball effect of creating builds
with specific powers in mind, which is why I like the power exchange room, as I mentioned previously
but having half runs flies right in the face of that facet of rogue lites
by limiting the length of a run you limit the powers play can accumulate throughout the run to make themselves stronger
which you might say. we'll don't do the half runs, until you realize that first they are required to unlock further nodes in the chain
but further more they some side missions like teffra anomalies, and NPC quests are bound to specific nodes
which are likely to be half runs since they are more numerable.
it takes away from the player agency I have been prizing previously.
and while I can understand the appeal of allowing players shorter runs for farming or if they don't have as much
free time, I think there's a better way to implement shorter runs without forcing players into them

which also leads me to
removing frenzy levels:
I liked the regular frenzy levels for their gradual upscale in difficulty, allowing parties mixed with
stronger and weaker characters to choose a map based on what they feel like in terms of difficulty
I also don't think this negates having the heart shards quests. as they can still be part of the game
while allowing frenzy levels to serve the purpose they did previously. non repeatable reward of heart shards for upgrades
and the anomalies can remain as a source of farming heart shards repeatedly

finally a very minor nitpick. if an imbued rot isn't implemented default the UI to show the regular rot boss level

so to end I will just throw out my thoughts on how to improve the parts I disliked
I already touched about the gift system. I just think it's not fitting the setting or logic of the game thematically
as for the shorter runs and frenzy I think you can have both with very minor changes
make the individual nodes separate into groups of frenzy levels leading to the final node where you have super frenzy
and instead of having a switch between frenzy and super frenzy. you can add a small length modifier
where players can select to do half runs if they don't have the time or they are just farming lower level materials
which also opens the opportunity for extra length runs. where you might have 2 minirots
and more time to make a build, whilst also have more difficulty ceiling to progress through throughout the run. thanks for your time if you've read all the way through. I do really like this game which is why these changes upset me a little.