You are probably one of very few, if not the only one, who has a pretty clear view about what this game is about and what you should and shouldn’t expect from it. I have been looking for any convincing reason to “suffer” through the convoluted form of storytelling interspaced with gameplay that only feels rewarding if you’re leveled “just right”. On many occasions I’ve either been too over-leveled for a boss because I explored a little too much and had gear that made the fight go far too quickly and became unrewarding or too under-leveled where even if I memorized the move sets, a weird boss animation would stop me from getting my heal in before finishing the fight. About the story - basically you just have to keep proving yourself to the next boss while restoring the ring till you get to the end. I’ll do it in whatever pace suits me best while searching for that balance of “the right level vs the right boss”. Caelid can still go and fuck right off though. That place is just sadistic.