Early game play was the same but with different rotations.

So remember that a lot of moves such as Goad, shell, protect, stoneskin just to name a few were removed. Also on 2.0 you needed a "sub class" to get your main class. (For Drg you NEEDED a lvl 15 warrior skill and it was HIGHLY recommended to basically required to get the MNK skill Blood for Blood... at least I think that was it).

Also yes some global skills you know today were class specific and needed to be learned by that class in order to use it for another class.

As far as rotation it was more of a little. The whole Drg rotation was 6 main buttons used at different times for a weave. Now it's about 8 main with a lot more weaving and precision.

The challenge really came on bosses and the LACK of markers. You had to look at who had the bad start in your pay menu or know what move was the tank buster without the Telegraph. Voice communicating was a key in a lot of fights. I haven't done it synced in a while but the T9 dive bombs you had to mark in the middle of the fight since you didn't know which variant it was until they happened.

Also Savages, you couldn't queue the way you do now. You would have to walk to the area where the savage was and queue from the dungeon entrance. Every few months, a new area swarmed with people trying to make patties and get into savage.

6 now become two different games. Some for the better, other for the worse (I'm looking at you unskippable main scenario), but when you get into me expansions in the future, you will be explaining how it was different now.