The more I hear critiques of this game the more I wonder where the idea that this is an open-world game in the vein of the SR games or something like Assassins creed came from. Was it marketed like that? Is it just association from the SR games even though this isn’t a SR game? My guess is because it doesn’t look like an ARPG, that distinctive Diablo isometric viewpoint and mouse clicky gameplay, people just can’t imagine it being one. I was just listening to a podcast where they were complaining about having to go back to the ark so often to do things like change out characters or pick up new missions and I’m thinking “Yeah exactly that’s part of the gameplay, no one complains about going back to the hub in D3’s adventure mode to craft or upgrade or pick up new bounties”.
I don’t think this game is going to get the credit it deserves for what it’s doing here which is essentially putting variety of powers and playstyles that ARPGs excel at into a package that looks like an open-world game.