5e vs 5.5e? Is there anyone who prefers the newer ruleset?

My Vengeance Pally with a flail, shield, and interceptor does a serious number on enemy damage output.

Quote from Character77006 >>

If you came in after 5.5 existed, and do not know 5.0, then yes. 

5.5  it is a better system hands down.

 I came in with 1e.  And I still think 5.5e is a refinement of 5e.

With the player handbook I personally like the 5.5 5e or 2024 version better than the 2014. It makes feats a core element of the game instead of an optional rule that could be denied to players by the GM. Crafting received some love which was needed; don't get me wrong, the crafting is still crap but is now in a better place. Classes are more balanced and there feels to be fewer dead levels. Even my Paladin and Warlock players prefer the shifts made to better balance the game. Paladins burst damage in 2014 was on a different level, and the crazy things you could do with the Warlock were game breaking. On the GM front I like more ironed out rules and less fiat, which is greatly touched on. As a forever GM the less work I have to do to prep a session on mechanics is more, I can put into building better stories.

The DM guide is leaps and bounds better than the 2014 version other than the rules for monster creation. It adds a ton of new game mechanics as well has helping newer DMs find their way, which is always a big plus. The Monster Manuel is the weakest of the three 2024 books; As its layout is garbage and here the 2014 version shines ahead of the 2024. The balance of the 2024 Monster Manual is superior but, by the gods is the layout horrible, I realize I am repeating myself, but that is how bad I view the 2024 version.

Overall, this edition of D&D, be it the 2014 or 2024 version is not my game of choice, and I really only play it for my group of friends every few campaigns or so we play. The major lack of content for this edition has been lackluster; in 10+ years they have released what 10 source books? This is not including adventures or setting guides, but raw gameplay focused books. Yes, there is the DMguild for content, but a major number of those works are not well balanced and don't abide by a quality standard and I personally find it a copout that WotC/Hasbro pawned off content creation like they did. The rules are to light for me personally and the depth of character customization is a pale comparison to the juggernaut D&D once was. The upside to this tradeoff however is the accessibility it has given to new and younger players, as it's easy to understand and quick up to play. Overall, I give the 2014 version a 5.5 out of 10, and the 2024 a 7 out of 10.