I don't agree with everything you said, but this pretty much sums up my feelings:

 the moment to moment gameplay alternates on a dime between fun and frustrating making it hard to discern whether I like it or not.

I was desperately looking forward to this game and preordered it the moment I had the chance, because I loved 'Odyssey' and expected this to be more of the same. I don't dislike this game, but for every new thing I find and am delighted with, something happens to ruin my fun and I end up turning the game off after half an hour. I keep coming back, though, because I know that those new, fun, moments do exist and are just waiting to be discovered.

Movement has been a constant pain and combat - which I rarely enjoy in games but loved in Odyssey - is just 'meh'. Like you say, it's fun against mooks and unfun against everything else.

I'm not angry I preordered the game, I'm just let down. I wanted 'Odyssey but better' and I got 'Origins and some extra'.

I disagree, I like the new level system, it reminds me a lot of 'Path of Exile'. You 'power up' much more quickly in this game than you did Odyssey, so you're getting tiny bonuses more often intead of waiting until end game to pile those little things on because there's nothing else left (as they did with the last two games). Plotting the direction of your character and planning how to achieve the benefits you want, while revealing hidden options, is part of the gameplay. It makes leveling a little more engaging than it was in Odyssey.

Ah, darn, I was hoping this was about a new mechanic that allowed your Eivor to flash people to distract them in battle. Nothing ruins the swing of your sword like a naked barbarian.

Okay, I think I found the right place for this.

So, what's up with the hypersensitive censorship in the forum?

I was typing the word s.e.x in a conversation and even that was censored. I get wanting to flag off curse words but that is not a curse word.

Really, what we need, and what most modern forums have, is an option to allow adult language in your settings.

@vvrathh Honsetly, I feel like the most disturbing part of this is that you're so hung up on your fears of 'wokeness' that you've been paying special attention to the gender of those beheaded. There's a point at which you become the parody and the problem - take a step back and breath.

@shaiwan43 Well, either your daughter is very good and learned by watching you, or she has a lot better hand-eye coordination than a middle-aged gamer. Probably both.

I tend to agree. While killing civilians is not my thing, I think you should have the right to do so if you want. In 'Odyssey' the townsfolk would gang up and attack you, then Mercs would be called, so there was a price to playing like that but you could still do it if you wanted. I think that's an important distinction. Let the game 'punish' the player with in-world consequences but don't take away their choice to have those consequences befall them.

Again, before I get attacked, I would not play this way - I just believe in giving players options.

Yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of the new system.

It's too clunky, they broke dodge so even a quick dodge disengages you from the flow of combat, now, and parries only work sometimes with shields and less frequently with weapons. That is, of course, assuming you're not fighting one of the many characters with unblockable attacks and unbelievable threat ranges. All the while, fighting the sluggish movement system and the constant loss of stamina that makes boss fights way harder than they need to be.

Not to mention, the inability to craft arrows now means that if you're in a fight, out of stamina and too low on health (or fighitng one of those unblockable blokes) to get into melee, you have no choice but to flee or die once your arrows are gone.

@bitebug2003 Sure, I understand censoring curse words, but s.e.x is not a curse word, nor is it offensive by nature.

@shaiwan43 If it weren't for the weight system that slows you to a crawl, I'd happily wear the heavier armor. They could have applied some other negative to it that kept combat fun.

I don't like combat in games as a general rule, I'm not particularly good at it, I've arthritis in my hands and other health issues that get in the way. Most of the time, combat is something I endure to get on with the story. I did, however, love the combat in 'Odyssey' so much that I'd go out of my way to engage in it, even when not necessary. I had hoped the combat in this game would be similarly enjoyable but instead it's returned to something I just have to endure.

Casual difficulties are supposed to be designed for people like me. I don't care how difficult they make the game in the higher difficulties, just give us a 'loser' difficulty setting for the people who aren't up for a hard fight.

@belcechus Yeah, movement and combat isn't the only way in which this game backslid from Odyssey.

It gives you a hit point buff.

@xx-artorias-xx Your opinion sucks, get a better opinion.

Just as odd that they'd censor the C-T word [censored] (which I'm assuming they just censored) when I think it's only an offensive term in the US. Rather American-centric for a European company.

@jcar4327 I ran into that one as well, and had intended to mention it, total crap <--- c.rap.

Also, unless it's totally automated, it'd be really strange for them to punish you for bypassing censorship in the Feedback forum, when discussing censorship.

@valtyrnine See, I found Odyssey to be easy and fluid. Level differences were an obstacle early in the game but you quickly learned your safe range and I could routinely fight groups of 4-6 people a level or two above me by 30th level (1/3 through the game).

@shaiwan43 If it weren't for the weight system that slows you to a crawl, I'd happily wear the heavier armor. They could have applied some other negative to it that kept combat fun.

I don't like combat in games as a general rule, I'm not particularly good at it, I've arthritis in my hands and other health issues that get in the way. Most of the time, combat is something I endure to get on with the story. I did, however, love the combat in 'Odyssey' so much that I'd go out of my way to engage in it, even when not necessary. I had hoped the combat in this game would be similarly enjoyable but instead it's returned to something I just have to endure.

Casual difficulties are supposed to be designed for people like me. I don't care how difficult they make the game in the higher difficulties, just give us a 'loser' difficulty setting for the people who aren't up for a hard fight.

@valtyrnine No one is saying that combat is impossible, or can't be learned, what they are saying is that *on casual* it is too difficult for a casual player. Not everyone has the time to spend perfecting a combat system they don't like.

@shaiwan43 Well, either your daughter is very good and learned by watching you, or she has a lot better hand-eye coordination than a middle-aged gamer. Probably both.

Yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of the new system.

It's too clunky, they broke dodge so even a quick dodge disengages you from the flow of combat, now, and parries only work sometimes with shields and less frequently with weapons. That is, of course, assuming you're not fighting one of the many characters with unblockable attacks and unbelievable threat ranges. All the while, fighting the sluggish movement system and the constant loss of stamina that makes boss fights way harder than they need to be.

Not to mention, the inability to craft arrows now means that if you're in a fight, out of stamina and too low on health (or fighitng one of those unblockable blokes) to get into melee, you have no choice but to flee or die once your arrows are gone.