The worst aspect of PoE2 is the frequent and long loading screens.
they're even worse in #1 methinks
The problem is more how frequent they are, especially when you get to Neketaka. Every little area has its own loading screen and I didn't notice a difference between how long big and small areas load. Going into the brothel in the dock district was a nightmare. All the sub-areas in Neketaka are small and basically empty, like for example the hidden hideout of the pirates, the only thing you do there is talk to the dwarf captain, so you quickly finish that area and move on. Loading screens bombard you from everywhere and the overabundance of fetch quests makes it worse. It's a combination of long loading times on non-SSDs, fetch quests that only tell you to talk to people, small areas, and every area needing to be loaded separately. That was the main reason I stopped my all-DLC run and decided I won't play it again before I get an SSD. I honestly didn't feel like this in PoE1, yes they were quite long, but somehow not so frequent maybe, I don't know.