Yep, somewhere between the 2. Plays more like Diablo, but more depth (while staying below the insanity of POE, thanks to a more defined itemization system). If you bounced off the other two, then GD may not be right for you. The base game goes on sale enough that it might be worth the a few bucks to wait.

Grinding is optional, you can get the drop within 1/2 kills of a boss. If you want the perfect item, them you’ll have to farm.

Level gap is nonexistent since the game does a good job of leveling the enemies, especially at higher difficulties. I’d say the game is 90% chill and kill enemies, and 10% cheek clenching when you actually get to a hard fight. Hardcore mode is optional, so death is more an obstacle than a consequence.

People joke the “real game” is using GrimTools to build out a character in advance. You could spend a couple hours on specs.