Posting my CS2 thoughts after beating the Intermission.
The gameplay is a huge improvement over CS1. Everything seems more balanced. I don't know, I feel like I have more reason to use different crafts and arts now. While in CS1 you could just get through almost every fight with the same few crafts. I also appreciate little extra things like new icons on the map, the fishing spots, the pop ups when your notebook is updated.
And the npc tour around Ymir is less pace-breaking than the npc tour around Trista. And even though it's basically the same thing in the end, I think it's more fun the Old Schoolhouse is spread out across different shrines instead of a single building.
And speaking of pacing, the structure just makes more sense. I explore the land, fight some Alliance tough guys, I survive and now I get to rest at the hot springs. Instead of here's Rean telling you what's going on in Erebonia, but wait, gotta do meaningless free day now, and don't get anything exciting until like the end of the first Field Study day.
That said CS1 has all the merit for making me care about these characters thanks to their development in those free days. But CS2 is getting the merit of making me like the villains, especially Duvalie and Vita. Cayenne is a joke though.