POE2 Pros & Cons from a Grim Dawn Player

I tried POE 1 a few times in the past but could never get into it. I do have several hundred hours of ARPG experience though from Grim Dawn. Currently at Act 1 Cruel. Here is my feedback:

Pros

1. Great combat skills and visuals. You really get a nice visceral feel when you're slaughtering monsters and seeing all the effects go off.
2. Music and SFX well done. Everything meshes together nicely and adds to the emersion.
3. Monsters and Bosses. Tons of different enemies to fight across the map.
4. The Witch. Really fun to play and they got the whole sulking in the shadows while your army of undead minions fight for you vibe down.


Cons.

1. Passive Tree. Seems rather boring and generic despite the huge number of choices. I enjoyed the choice decisions of GD's constellation system a lot more even though it was much smaller.
2. Loot. Even early on it's really grindy to get even one loot upgrade. That doesn't bode well for endgame where things typically slow down a lot.
3. Crafting. Way too long to attempt to make gear. I say attempt because it's RNG. You spend 5+ hours to get a single orb and most likely you will get bad RNG anyway.
4. Shields. I really don't like having a blocking mechanic in a game like this. Shields should be about default tankiness plus having abilities to protect yourself and debuff mobs.


Neutral.

1. Gems. They seem to add some diversity to your skills but not really that much after spending some time with it. Maybe they'll add more interesting or building-changing ones.
2. Bosses. Engaging boss fights and I enjoy the challenge. However it feels really too slow to get a kill. Also the gameplay window is too zoomed in so you can't see the one-shot boss mechanics sometimes.
3. Maps. I really like the super huge maps, adds to the adventuring aspect of the game. I'm not looking for a boss fight simulator. However, there must be a better way to get around the map after you've cleared areas. Also having the entire map respawn after 1 death is way too harsh.
4. The Story. Not too bad but nothing particular novel here either. Act 1 feels a lot like GD's Act 1 as well. Hanging-Forest-Caves-Town-Underground Layer(glowing red instead of green magic).