Minecraft Eternal 2, more like Minecraft very-short-lived 2 (I tried)

I really, really tried to like this pack. I'd played it in Singleplayer and with my gaggle of friends both, hoping that the experience would be different. I adored the 1st pack so, so very much. When I heard that a second one was being made on a newer version of Minecraft, I was elated. The biggest issues I'd had was the old version and performance, which would both be solved on a newer version. While I knew it wouldn't have Thaumcraft or Astral Sorcery, I was still more than happy to see what would come to pass.

I played the modpack on release. It was rough, but I knew that it was the first pass and that most of my gripes would probably be ironed out. Mobs being too tough, the Tinker's Construct focus being pretty rough, and the mining dimension being pretty bad were all initial issues, but I figured that it would be resolved with enough time.

Let's start with the good of my second playthrough:

The Tinkers focus is great. Custom tools and armour is one of the most thrilling things a pack can include in my opinion. Small problem though - getting extra slots for some of these is grueling. Most of them require killing a boss of some kind. More on that later, but for now we'll say that's a bit of a problem. Upgrades are slow and gear improvements are even slower, but it's satisfying to upgrade you gear after finally getting that new material. That being said, Antimatter from Mekanism being the clearly best material in the modpack for most applications is a very questionable choice.

There's a bit more custom content and it now, notably, has something resembling a shop!

The questbook has been fleshed out significantly!

There's a few more content mods that I like quite a lot. Ice and Fire is always fun when handled properly! (not spawning dragons every few meters)

Now onto the ugly, and I really am sorry:

There are some truly baffling choices in this pack, mod wise. One that I joked about constantly - no megatorch. The Braziers mod was chosen instead, which, historically has not correctly prevented spawns in every pack it's been in. I had a few mobs kill my pets because, shocker to no one, mobs kept spawning despite building the 10 block tall structure. Mind you, the structure has 4 valid building blocks and 2 of them consist of Netherite materials. The ugly Crying Obsidian + Gilded Blackstone pillar that doesn't properly prevent spawns is great! Seriously, this choice alone highlights every other choice made in this pack.

Why do Flux Networks require the endgame of Mekanism? Are they really that overpowered? No no, we can't keep the compacting drawer recipe to uncraft Wool into String, that would be TOO strong! The Cataclysm structure that has 20+ Lodestones that melt down into FULL NETHERITE INGOTS is perfectly fine, though! No balancing issues whatsoever. Why Xaero's and not Journeymap? The highest tier of building wand also needs endgame Mekanism materials? Is Mekanism the only tech mod MCE2 has to show for itself? There are just TONS of small things that make me scratch my head and go "..why?". Part of the magic of MCE1 was that these mods were mostly left untouched. Modifying the recipes like this makes this pack so painfully similar to other packs that just simply do this but better.

The custom mining dimension, The Great Below, is a total sham to me. I do not like this dimension, or the "Dwarven Depths" for one simple reason: No night vision. I have never seen more of an accessibility nightmare. There is however, a solution! The Great Below has its own custom night vision helmet you can wear! Oh, well I have to take my helmet off but otherwise that's great! Small problem: it's terrible. Both forms, unupgraded and upgraded are visually terrible. You are infinitely better off just bringing a bunch of torches. On top of that - there is NO reason to be there any longer than grabbing the basic essentials of Mekanism. The dimension is themed around the Warden and sculk - it also includes a bunch of mobs that one-shot you whether you crouch or not. This entire dimension fell flat for me and the 5 other people who had stepped in there, I am honestly surprised this has stayed the exact same since release.

On top of the above, the Dwarven Depths nearly gives you a seizure. This is the first time I have ever felt the need for a seizure warning on a modpack. There's an even worse part - there was a mod that dims out the night vision installed at some point in the pack, judging by the config files. Whether it was removed because it broke their custom "epic scary mining dimension" or because it outright didn't work, I'm not sure about. Also, you have to hold a Golden Lantern in the Dwarven Depths. If you've made a two-handed weapon, then you better reconsider.

The biggest issue I had with this pack by far, which I personally think it does worse than ANY OTHER PACK, is the difficulty. RLCraft Dregora, Dawncraft, Infernal Origins. All of those packs were easier than MCE2 difficulty wise. My. God. This pack is borderline unplayable with keep inventory, I earnestly do not believe ANYONE can complete the Challenges section of this pack on Hardcore. Ah yes, I think the Fire Zombie should deal more damage to me than the WITHER. Nobody who helps develop has played this pack in its entirety, and it so painfully shows. It's not fun difficulty wise, at all. By the end, I became apathetic to it. I accepted that everything one-shots you, and you are forced to respawn cheese it. I have played tons of modpacks, and I know almost every one of the 600+ mods in MCE2 extensively. This cannot be a skill issue. Wither chest beam? One shot. Dead King? One shot. Netherite Monstrosity? One shot. Everything will one shot you, no matter your armour. This pack EMBODIES the concept of "cosmetic armour". This packs tries to emulate the feeling of Dark Souls with the dodge roll and Cataclysm, when ironically, armour in Dark Souls actually lets you take a few hits.

MCE1 had more than enough content to where it felt no need to change many recipes or add anything that could be considered "fluff". MCE2 requires dragging out itself by requiring an artificial grind and requires all mobs to kill you nigh instantly. The moment you turn off mob griefing and turn on keep inventory, this whole pack falls apart. As MCE1 stands in the top 3 for me, MCE2 stands firmly in the bottom 3. I am so so so SO disappointed with this pack. If you liked even the concept of this pack, I recommend Chocolate Edition instead. Nobody in my group wants to play this pack, and I won't even consider putting this back up from a few years to now.

Also, I lied. If you get lucky and roll a Staff of Surpression from quest rewards, you don't even need the **** Brazier as it blocks mob spawns reliably. What a joke.