I hear your complaints and they're all valid. Heck, it's what I never did zombie runs. It's restrictive and makes multiplayer a pain unless everyone knows exactly what they're doing and communicates.
I'm single player it's much more tedious than without it but it's also much more visibly powerful as you have full control.
Also, Act 1 really isnt the best place for it probably
That all said, i wouldn't really recommend multiplayer with it unless good planning and communication with knowledgeable players was going on. I haven't used it myself but I also haven't seen anything make it look appealing either. Then again i thought the same in D:OS but was proven wrong with mid-late game builds.
Also, without everyone using rain + blood your gonna have many issues
it's kinda necessary
I wouldn't say two hours is a comprehensive opinion but certainly an informed one. lol you can feel free to stop torturing yourself over it I'd say and let loose with your feedback. Maybe the earth skill should give more poison and add it to all earth offensive skills? More crafted skills that add poison?
