In DKS, I was level 7 or 8 by the time I reached Talana, and there wasn't a spike in difficulty. That spike has been moved up to level 10-11. 3+ level 11 enemies are a real challenge that I must be careful around. I tried entering the Temple of Doom at level 12, and the level 10 enemies in there seriously kicked my ass, and the groups of other Black Ring are really, really dangerous. But the difference in difficulty spikes was that I had a lot more breathing room, more places to level, more levels.
I agree.
Unlike in Ego Draconis, when you meet lower level enemies you can no longer breathe safely and waltz in with impunity (well, unless you use one of those uber weapons... which is probably why they were introduced in the first place). But I'm playing as a pure mage and I find that even enemies 5 levels below can still be dangerous. Meaning, you need to actively dodge magic missiles and arrows a lot.
Personally I've found breaking an entry into the Dragon Tower pretty challenging, unlike in ED.
I must say that the Fortresses are way, way better than in ED, with a nice new art design as well here and there.
