[i][u][b]DISCLAIMER[/b][/u][/i]
By no means is D2 an acceptable launch. But it's better than D1 launch. Players such as Datto, Modern Tryhard, Cruelty, Slayerage didn't even have a full set of NM gear by the time HM VOG came out, and they are considered the best teams on the planet, with their clans claiming almost every single World First (NM and HM combined) in the franchise' history.
D2 is much harder than D1. Even if somewhat artificially inflated. It needs a lot of work. But if you take D1 launch with no expansions and compare it to D2 with no expansions, D2 is better every time. - - That doesn't excuse it. But stop lying to yourselves.
Ess
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I started playing during TDB so I wouldn't really know what Vanilla D1 launch was like, but I remember reading posts saying that people would delete their characters and start anew just to get a chance to redo VOG because the RNG was horrendous apparently.