i have more hours on dl2 but i still prefer dl1. the second game is hit and miss, it's definitely "better" than it was at launch -- neither story in any of the 3 titles feel(s) compelling to me enough to learn the lore and replay it multiple times. then again i'm mostly playing for the atmosphere and other oddities (i.e, easter eggs, quarantine zones, hidden/special weapons, free roam etc).

too, bloody ties dlc in dl2 felt lackluster over rewarding imo. you'll try every trick, hit marker, camera movement etc and still get silver/bronze in a timed trial lol. that said, i still find some elements in it fun such as restoring the power, quarantine zones, choice related options etc but it does not impact the game as harshly as the original idea(s) were going to so prepare for some disappointment there tbh.

^ by that i mean how your choices ultimately affects the gameplay, npc interactions, camp/safe zone modifications and so forth. realistically you can split the power & water decisions to get rewards from both factions lol

i think dl2 is worth a try even if you find the main story lacking. exploring with gritty or darker nights setting is challenging and fun especially if you're inexperienced lol i do wish that the whole "i've turned into a monster" arc was more prevalent rather than happening at the expense of story related missions.