State of the game in 2025

Hi Survivors!

Right before SotS came out, I've decided to pull back and wait for first reviews before purchasing said expansion pack (aka DLC), due to Gearbox's bad reputation. I remember the dumpster fire they caused, impacting not only the DLC but the base game itself with the pre-launch update. Tying the game speed to FPS on PC was something I could not accept and I pulled out from playing the game until it's fixed. I haven't really touched the game since then.

It is now 2025 and I've realized how much I miss it. It used to be one of my favorite games ever, which I've spent hundreds of hours on, and I'd love to return to it and possibly 100% it (I was close to doing so before the DLC came out).

Is the game playable again now? I remember that many people had to downpatch it to play it without the major changes Gearbox introduced. Is that still the case? Is the DLC worth buying now, or is it still unbalanced? What's the state of the game in 2025?

Thank you!