I think the first game did a better job of making the player feel like they were starting at 0, and working upwards from there, which is my preferred RPG progression.

In 2 I sort of felt like I was already a badass from the start. Might have just been my perception, but I remember in 1 finding the harpies scary and challenging when you're escorting the ophidian head on the cart to the capital. In 2, you run into a bunch of harpies right after the first camp, and they were just like nothing.