Though there are undoubtedly a billion QoL features in RoS… my current playthrough of the original D3 has me hooked all over again (playing it on 360 since that store just went away and I figured, why not). So many fun and challenging aspects of it were just removed from the expansion. Entire itemization system rebuilt. Post-campaign content. Seasons. The list goes on.
For me, the jank of original D3 still holds some value. Fewer options and a lot fewer bloat. You go through campaign over and over sort of like in D2, but there is a lot more content and variation unlike in the former. Overall the adventure system in RoS is better though and would have been cool if some of it was actually included into the base D3 from the beginning.
Also, its challenging in a way that RoS and later Diablos just are no longer. You have to manage the number of healing potion. You may have to kite enemies. Build and gear dependency is crucial on higher difficulties and even quite a bit on lower ones when you hit bosses. There was an intention of that auction house nonsense from the start, so drop rates are all over the place. You feel over the moon when getting a rare item, let alone a legendary. In RoS, you get Leoric’s crown off a random undead in the first area ho hum
Anyway, thought to throw this into the void. Despite the flaws, I’m enjoying the pre-RoS D3 a lot more.