The number of skills in the game feels very limited.

I wanted to play something spell-based, but having such restricted options felt boring. It’s like the game is literally telling me: “If you want fire, play this. If you want cold, play that.”...

The skill choices in the game feel like an illusion. They’re oversimplified, as if each element just got one main skill, 2-3 utility and a couple of interactions slapped onto it. Honestly, it’s really boring.

The same applies to attack-based skills too, but the situation is far worse with spells. Fire spells in particular feel like a complete joke.

Seconded.

Everything is painfully oversimplified and rigid compared to PoE1. The fact herald skills are now purely melee, and some persistent skills are even restricted to specific weapons types is just dumb.

It wouldn't be so bad if some spell skills weren't being limited to specific wands and staves. With melee weapons it makes sense, those are just what those weapons do, but for spells it's silly and restrictive for the sake of being restrictive. It's the antithesis of fun.

E.g you can't use the most powerful lightning skill in the game unless you want to use a stave.

Very much agreed. I really hope they look into making skills usable by more than just one weapon type, that would open up it somewhat, but then again the skill tree is also symptomatic of this design choice.

Unfinished game is lacking in content, what a surprise.