Definitely agree that I rarely pulled out my weapons for this one though - seemed like almost just every few hours when there might be 1 easy mob to kill, or for a dungeon/trial.

I personally enjoyed the story though, a lot of build up to some revelations about Krile and the reflections and some epic reveal moments like with steroid-infused Zoraal Ja or digivolved Sphene xD, and I liked doing this while exploring the new areas and getting a sort of relaxed, levitous experience. I liked being one of the group rather than protagonist again. Lots of potential plot points opened up too.
I did think the cowboy area was kinda... force in to buffer though. That was a drain to get through but maybe only cus I don't like the aesthetic - it was a nice change of pace after the rite of succession build up.
I'm happy overall.