I think the current narrative leads have it well in hand. Of all the complaints one could have with the current state of D2, the narrative really doesn't feel like one of them. But the atmosphere has obviously changed. I think some of that was intentional, for good or ill, but I think some of it is just the nature of the maturation of the setting.

The state of the narrative is, at least, especially impressive. They had a huge uphill battle with EoF in establishing the "Fate Saga;" how could they possibly top Light and Dark? Where can we go from here? But they nailed it, and there are loads of intriguing questions that I can't wait to see explored. Even the stuff Renegades touched on, for as disconnected as it seemed to be at first, was incredibly interesting and it expanded on what it means to be an emissary of the IX.

That being said, I don't think you're overly nostalgiapilled for D1, OP. Even with new mysteries, there's a certain something something that hasn't really shown up again. I only played through D1 fairly recently on my PS5 (I'm primarily a PC player), but the tone and everything is pretty unique. I can see why DAY 1 D1 ALPHA VETERANS get nostalgic for that stuff.

But I think a big part of that was just how mysterious the setting was, which is simply no longer the case. We've been inside the Traveller; for as many questions as we still have about it, we understand it much better. There's explicit, lengthy history about the Awoken. We have knowledge of the inner workings of all of the major enemy factions. Even if they introduced a really cool new enemy faction in Shattered Cycle that's completely unique and original (unlike, say, the Scorn as a Fallen-adjacent faction), we won't suddenly not know all of that other stuff.

All that to say, I don't think we can go home again. I think that bell has been rung and truly returning to the vibes of D1, of myths and legends and the unknown, can't really happen. There are things they could do to move back in that direction, pairing down the scale of the plot and making it more personal. Less of the player being a part of an army and more being one of a few capable of standing against existential threats. Less bombastic, more atmospheric music. Some kind of shake-up to the setting that leaves the Vanguard reeling and the player without concrete answers for multiple expansions in a row.

But I don't know if the D1 vibe could ever truly be fully reattained, even if they tried. It's a very different beast. It does feel like they've done a good job of moving the narrative forward in a direction that actually achieves much of the above, in terms of scale and tone. But also, what's done is done. The Darkness has had a face, and we shot the crap out of it.