Hard for me to explain why I find Zenos and Lyse badly written w/o going deep into spoiler territory. But I would say it’s the vibes I get from them. A good villian or even hero needs to have a purpose for what they do as well as make the player invested in wanting to fight them or play with them.

Zenos is just one dimensional to me. Varis had way more meaning behind what he did and his choices, while Zenos is the bored bully at school. That is the vibe I get.