It is me I am back again, I've sunk another 12 hours or so into the new build of the game. It's in a few words: a mixed bag. There are some really great things to it, there are some rather bad parts to the changes. So I'll get that all out of the way, I will say that the game is still fun though it doesn't feel as good as it did before the changes but we'll get into that.
The good
The way removing level up bonuses and just making them bonuses from increasing stats is great. I wish this had been around from the start, it really makes me want to mix stats, though will really doesn't get enough in any sense of the word I wish will added something else even if it was just minor bonuses to other stats, though admittedly will always provided very little. The bonus to will was that you didn't need to be close to the combat. The fact that I can dip into dex to get my speed above 10 or 20 is really nice, it means that I'm not stuck with a build that either hard invests in speed or actively wants 1 speed, though that's still a thing. I do kind of wish that still gave a small hp bonus maybe half the points you get from purely investing in hp (or further increase the bonus you get from just investing in hp because stats are still always going to be worth more). I love how all of the classes and races provide more (including speed and health which again means you'll more easily be able to reach a speed over 10 if you want that.
The bad
Block is better but it's still not great, I did successfully build a block armor build thanks to the bonuses you get from wearing hand armor and using shields though I might suggest that giving the block % a bonus from inflexibility might be useful as well even if it's just a small additive one. Block still struggles because some things add one kind of block and others add other kinds, though the elimination of the defense stat is generally good and I applaud doing so. The
The ugly
The simplification of the damage system is...rough. Where as the elimination of level up bonuses makes me want to spread out my stat points the elimination of stat scaling on weapons and powers has done the opposite, it has also notably killed will or builds that use will. Powers don't scale very well and are for the most part to expensive to invest in them as much as you like, you can no longer really afford to spread out your powers as much as you could and are more rewarded for grabbing 2-3 powers and investing only in them. Even more so a pure martial build is the most powerful option you can choose. The mubarizum build is almost untouched except that it has a worse dodge and speed making it so it doesn't get as far into the void, the strength build struggles for damage end game because str doesn't really add much for damage, and will builds are dead. Summon builds are slogs because you can't support your own summons with damage and if something is heavily resistant to what you do you can sit there for minutes waiting for your summons to chip them down. The kinesis powers are terrible for damage without heavy power point investments and if you kill everything on your way to the obelisk you will end up with 23 glory or 28 power points to spread around and you need to make sure you're investing in your heavy damage dealers because putting points in a power is where the damage comes from, not stats. The only stat that makes any amount of difference for damage really is dex and even then at most you're probably going to see a 1.5x increase in what you do. While the changes may make things simpler, I think it is to the detriment of other mechanics.
The mixed
I don't know where else to put this because it's neither ugly nor all bad nor all good. The new level up system is a bit of everything. It definitely has problems but it also fixes some problems. Getting a build off the ground is much easier and you aren't as incentivized to kill everything in the room, but the increase of required experience points to level means that while the early game is easier because you level up faster at first, the late game is much more demanding and can turn into a slog, compounding with the other problems. With how damage scaling now works I almost think that the old experience scaling can still work with how starved every build is for power points now that powers are the main source of damage.
The overall
The game is still fun though I think it could get frustrating. The change to how stats works makes some powers and a lot of weapons not worth taking or using. The builds that were strong are all weaker, some far more than others. Other than the old mubarizum build (invest everything into dex, focus and vitality. Look for the ash sword, the shifting green shield, and or the dualist's claw depending on what damage you want to focus on: slash, bludgeon, or pierce. Look for the pants that make each of those better respectively). The builds I've listed thus far are mostly irrelevant (which I would expect when the game grows and changes). So far as I can tell martial is the most powerful power tree. Str builds are tanks, Dex builds are damage, and will builds don't currently work. I'll post more after I've played more if I have more to say, still enjoying the game even if some of it frustrates me and looking forward to what comes next.