i usually lurk rather than post so i'll keep this short.
2E NEEDS TO GO BACK IN THE OVEN FOR A BIT
it feels restrictive and in parts absolutely confusing. why? take for instance the concept of "signature skills" what if i want to play a monk blacksmith who sees perfection in steel? the best that character can ever be is an "expert" lauded for a short time but never truly the best of his craft. seeing the problem yet? in a game where the player is supposed to be able to craft his or her own story you've placed an arbitrary limiter on not only their physical modifiers but on how that story can be told. another good example would be this new system of ancestries and background, right out of the gate half elves and half orcs have been reduced to being feats rather than completely distinct races. who thought of this? "let's just bury these 2 guys right in the back rather than putting them in the races page" which brings me to my next gripe, THERE ARE TOO MANY DAMNED FEATS seriously, you get ancestory feats, class feats, skill feats, general feats. i get that customization was a concern but seriously, this is just a tiny bit ridiculous. i've got more to gripe about but for now i'll leave this here
