I think they killed it (in a good way). They got rid of a lot of items that were cluttering the game up, they even did some risky stuff IMO like getting rid of launch pads, which seems like a great call all that mobility was getting crazy. On top of that the new map is fresh and looks great, bright with good colors, fun POIs, but still isn't too big that it is overwhelming. They also re-did many of the weapon balan ce and loot pool almost from scratch, which seems to be for the best. Of course they will fine-tune and probably mess it up again but I like it. I've only played a couple games but it reminds me of the early seasons combined with the new aspects that I do like. Even fishing is pretty cool. Green rocket launchers throws me through a spin..
Also the upgrade is an interesting idea and it seems like rare weapons barely drop now. I got a gold shotgun in my last game and realized I hadn't gotten any golds yet until then. Maybe it's just a honeymoon phase but I actually look forward to loading this game up again