I tend to not stick to a fixed (i.e 45degrees) light source, but move the light source around to produce the visual marker I’m aiming for. The number of light sources depends on your object’s shape. Round or cylindrical objects often benefit from additional lighting to define their form. Consider using a backlight and rim lighting to achieve this. For objects that cast heavy shadows, try using an opposing light source that doesn’t cast its own shadow. This helps brighten up the dark edges and maintain readability in your pixel art.
As for the render pass - assets are exported as PNG with transparency, and no alias so it renders jagged edges. I use the default editor view so it’s easier to iterate and re-render