Exalted: 1e vs 2e?

[Grod_The_Giant]

Setting actual mechanics, which edition is more worth looking at for inspiration and setting background? I've heard a lot about 2e's flaws in the writing, but nothing really about 1e...

And as a follow-up, if I do wind up looking at 1e, are there any points I should watch out for that have changed over the decades?

Which edition has the most classic and definitive versions of the various major non-Solar Exalts?

[Mechalich]

Setting actual mechanics, which edition is more worth looking at for inspiration and setting background? I've heard a lot about 2e's flaws in the writing, but nothing really about 1e...

And as a follow-up, if I do wind up looking at 1e, are there any points I should watch out for that have changed over the decades?

Which edition has the most classic and definitive versions of the various major non-Solar Exalts?

In terms of inspiration and background there's not that much difference. 2e is much, much more detailed in terms of setting material than 1e. In particular the Compass of Terrestrial Directions and Compass of Celestial Directions series are the big assembly of setting material. That this involves 10 different books reveals over massively oversized the Exalted setting really is. The treatment of the Exalts is fairly similar. 2e includes Infernals and 1e doesn't. There are differences in the treatment of the Abyssals between editions (they are less interesting in 2e, generally). 2e is somewhat more sympathetic to the dragon-blooded, maybe. Both Lunars books are on-fire compilations of awful, but in different ways. 2e, via Scroll of Heroes, has significantly more detail on the non-Exalted but still superior to ordinary mortals groups like God-blooded.

[Lord Raziere]

2e is more detailed yes.

However, I have heard from the devs themselves years ago, that 1e is preferred over 2e in terms of fluff for a definitive Exalted.

Why? well its not that 1e is flawless mind you. it screwed up Lunars and so did 2e. for Lunars, 3e is the definitive version for example. deathlords weren't really good (TBH the definitive version of deathlords might be whatever 3e decides as well, as 2e overpowered deathlords is the Elder problem on steroids and thus most Exalted fans don't like them) of course the Elder problem was been around since 1e which is where those elder Exalts are around and if they are too powerful they can just come over to your sandcastle and kick it over and screw up everything you've done easily when this is supposed to be YOUR story and time to shine not these old fossils.

1e is preferred because its the setting as Grabowski, the original creator imagined it: focused on human affairs and the politics and conflicts between the Exalted, taking place mostly in Creation and combining the high flashy magical stuff of the Exalted with a gritty and down to earth setting where the average peasant toils ceaselessly for their god and Exalt overlords while praying that they get good weather to a weather god that might be extorting them for more prayer. fair folk, spirits in general and such are just sideshows to the conflicts between humans. artifacts are meant to be rare, mystical and magical in ways evocative of non-DnD fantasy but not magitech, where a daiklave is like a priceless painting: there is only one of it, its a incomparably beautiful work of art and while there are other paintings they aren't quite the same thing. the less detail is actually preferred because 1e has a sense of vastness and mystery that allows people to fill in blanks and come up with their own nation because the nations that 1e introduced and (2e retreaded) are just supposed to be examples of the cultures you can find Creation, not major powers within their region necessarily. apart of the intention of Creation is that there are blanks and places where you cut put your own minor nation in for various reasons so that you and the ST can come up with your own thing and not always be playing in canonical nations, the Hundred Kingdoms is a good example of this, being essentially a constant warring states/balkans-like place where you can make any nation you want exist then unexist.

also in particular, 1e does Ebon Dragon more right, because Ebon Dragon is not supposed to be snidely whiplash, but a mysterious yin force with a marriage obsession and is in love with your doom. and that Yozis and their big cosmic stuff are not supposed to be emphasized or allowed to get out, because it makes everything irrelevant. they are just there to be cool weird demon hell you visit for mystical demon stuff, and now for Infernals to come from/be buddy-buddy with while the Yozis live vicariously through them like a has-been parent encouraging their child to do the things they would do in their place. also 1e allows for games that can take in IC years, where you gradually build up an empire over decades and make long term social changes that 2e doesn't allow because of its thousand dooms thing trying to destroy your empire before it really gets going, which is important for castes like Twilight and Eclipse who thrive the most under such long-term empire building/politic circumstances.

Dragon-Blooded, is harder to say whats definitive, because they're kind of hard to screw up for the most part, but what they aren't is starter villains. What they are, are Exalts. they are just as important and threatening as any other Exalt, just in a different way. they may be individually weaker than a Solar but that doesn't mean they are mooks or disposable minions. they are heroes, but 1e probably has a better depiction of them than 2e.

Sidereals and Abyssals, their 1e version is probably their definitive versions yes, because 2e Sidereals just had their charmset copy-pasted from 1e without properly mechanically fixing them, while Abyssals 2e really overemphasized the inevitable doom part, when Abyssals are supposed to be still villainous just not.....active agents of a plot to destroy all of Creation right now. the whole destroy Creation thing, thats more of a....."distant someday" kind of thing y'know? they got time, so they might as well enjoy the moments they have being villainous semi-undead hedonists and conquering warlords and whatnot before they inevitably HAVE to end all things, which might thousands of years or millions of years from now, who knows? their villainy is like, not 100% completion ASAP but rather a slow decay where the Abyssal contributes a bit of by making their own awesome shadowland where they rule as an undead king and convincing people that become a ghost is awesome because your ghosts have cool parties while their descendants serve their every need like good grandwhatevers. its still bad, its not just immediate doom bad.

Alchemicals....probably the only Exalt that I'd say their 2e version is more definitive, because they weren't playable in 1e, they were just antagonists of the Locust Crusade. however their aesthetics are intended be less just a single color per magical material and more baroque, aztec-like and full of little details. which is not to say they can't be like greek statues without paint thats valid too, but the intention is for them to be objects of worship in the shape of a man and thus not necessarily have to be utilitarian or ascetic in design at all.

Infernals is a weird case because 2e is the ONLY version we currently have thats officially out (they simply didn't exist in 1e), but also isn't going be the definitive version of them, because their 3e and Essence versions are going to be major reworks to them to be less Yozi-like. like the version in Essence preview which is the most we know completely changes the caste names and their caste markings from their 2e versions, and all the castes have been reworked to be explicitly anti-authoritarian in their views and goals and their charmset won't be the weird yozi trees we see in 2e, but rather more skill-based like with Solars. so if your searching for definitive version of them in 1e and 2e, your currently out of luck.

I think thats all the issues I can remember from having a LOT of conversations with the devs and dedicated fanbase about this, if there is any remaining questions or things your confused by, just ask.

[Mechalich]

One thing about Exalted, as a setting, in both editions (and in 3e too, actually), is that Creation is always presented as it appears after an extremely long absence by the most powerful Exalt types. The Solars have been gone for thousands of years, the Abyssals and Infernals are brand new creations, the Lunars have been exiled to the fringes of the setting (also many of them are in some fashion insane), and the Sidereals are limited by a decision to pretend they don't actually exist. Even the Dragon-Blooded are weaker than they potentially could be do to the impact of the Cotagion and a series of deliberate choices made by the Empress to restrict development in favor of control. Exalted is very much a 'the magic comes back' setting, with the minor variation that the magic in question is your PCs. So if you're looking to Exalted for inspiration it's worth recognizing that the setting, as presented, is mostly the setting as built by the Dragon-Blooded outside of some horrific areas controlled by otherworldly monsters such as the Deathlords and various totally crazed Lunar Elders. The setting is not designed to, and not capable of, surviving contact with a full party of Solar-level PCs.