Agreed, I liked PoE 1 but i also preferred Deadfire. I don't think the main story was that weak, I liked that it didn't funnel you into one clear "good" ending. Really bummed when I discovered that it had moderate sales figures, I can not figure why. This game should've been at DOS2 level of commercial success, it truly deserves it.
My only regret was that there was no Endless Paths in Deadfire.