>>721116240
Exploration is good, but it kinda tapers off once you reach Inazuma(Japan) and Sumeru(India), mainly because a lot of the more interesting stuff you run into ends up being locked behind story.
The first two regions Mondstadt and Liyue were fucking great to explore. They also have their fair share of story-locked areas, but despite that there's still plenty to see.
Maybe it's just my rose-tinted glasses from playing it back when it released.
>>721117547
The original feels more complete mainly because it has an actual expansion included (Bitterblack Isle). The combat in both games is pretty different, with 2's combat feeling a lot more weight and clumsy in a good way, while the original's is much faster and arcadey with some really fun skills and busted vocations such as mystick knight and assassin.
Story I would say is better, but you can still definitely feel that it's been cut down in several places. Writing and cutscenes are way more memorable and the characters are a lot more likeable.
Exploration is a bit mixed. Some areas will feel rife with enemies like Battahl, and then there are other areas such as large plains with basically nothing but passive animals. Adventuring around is honestly very peaceful at times, and one of the aspects that the original demolishes DD2 at is the soundtrack.
https://youtu.be/LrgUoeFWNtY?si=ldRdKgt_ycLQuk4Q