Nights86

I think a system that could work is to give grimoires item progression and item flavors, and a mix of open slots PoE1 style and fixed slots PoE2 style. For example the most basic grimoire would have 2 open slots at each level. The mega awesome grimoire found at the end of some hard dungeon would have 5 open slots of each level. Some fire grimoire found in a volcano would have 2 slots + 2 fixed fire spells at each level. You write the spells you know from level up into the open slots. You can use the fixed spells too. But you cannot cast anything that isn't in your equipped grimoire. And to not make leveling up pointless or multiclassing always better, grimoire fixed spells that you also learned on level up are cast at higher power level, or some other kind of "proficiency" bonus. That way if you decide to be a fire mage, finding the fire grimoire is actually an upgrade, and learning fire spells on level up wasn't a waste.

Even if the patches fix all the lack of difficulty issues, if nothing is done to somehow make resting meaningful it will all be in vain. There is absolutely no point to having injuries, per rest items, per rest empowers, if you can rest after every single fight. The lack of incentive to avoid injuries, the lack of reward for doing so ruins a lot of other systems too. Why play better, why use grenades, why use traps, why use items, why use clever tactics, why avoid nuking your own tanks even, if you can just press the magic reset button, for free, every time, as long as 1 person is left standing at the end? Should I cast withdraw to save my mage or just press rest after? I won already, whatever, it doesn't matter. I refuse to believe the existence of per rest mechanics is purely a legacy thing and not an expression of a desire to have SOME meaningful strategy-based gameplay. Heck, we have to manage ship resources - even if they are abundant. Please, expand those systems to the point where they are meaningful.