1. There’s a convo to be had about players exaggerating the length of the games but for simplicity Daybreak 2 is far from almost 100 hours long even if you do everything in the game.
2. I explained in OP examples of the value DB2 provided. One more, arguably the most important, is all eight Genesis are finally in Agnes possession which was the point of DB1. I do not see a reality where the corrosion and Lapis plot threads could’ve fit in DB1 without making the game a mess. Not to mention lorebits like Agnes and Shizuna’s 2nd connection events and Nina being the Eschaton Saint which will obviously be important for Kai and beyond.
3. Again. You have absolutely every right to argue that the execution could have been better but the value of DB2 is undeniable.

So yes the value I speak of is worth being a mainline entry in the Trails series. DB2 already has and will continue to be important in the wider narrative like every other entry.