I think that they're saving most of the big changes they've been talking about for the next packet. This seems like a minor, hold-us-over-until-then packet. Which is fine; it's better than nothing. Anyway, here's a few thoughts I have about the new packet:
Likes:
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of not having negative hit points. It was an unnecessary complication.
The gnome is actually pretty cool. I like how the rock gnomes can make mechanical "toys." It's not a terribly useful ability, but it's flavorful and fun.
I love the new cleric cantrip, Thaumaturgy. Very cool.
Most of the attack cantrips use attack rolls now instead of saving throws. Thank you, WotC, for listening.
I'm glad that they changed cure/inflict wounds to use a standard action instead of a swift action. Those spells were horribly overpowered as swift actions.
They brought back a lot of the cool necromancy spells.
The HP-threshold spell mechanic is all but gone now. The only spells I noticed that still have it are feeblemind, polymorph and the power word spells (and in a weird way, sleep). I can live with that, but I'll be even happier if they get rid of it entirely.
Dislikes:
I hate the new critical hit rules.
Humans STILL are getting +1 to every stat. I never made a huge fuss about this before because I figured it was just a placeholder. Now it seems like they're actually sticking with this terrible idea.
I don't like the half-orc getting +2 str. It also lacks interesting features in general.
I don't like sacred flame. Can we have radiant lance back, please? Or why not let us have both spells?
The worst broken spells remain broken (particularly cloudkill, earthquake, polymorph, stinking cloud, and wish).
Why on earth are healing spells conjuration and power word spells enchantment? These should be necromancy. It's a minor nitpick, I know. But this has been bothering me since 3e.
I'm glad that they have the animate dead spell, but I don't like the implementation. The minions you can create are pathetically weak and only last a day. On the other hand, There's no limit to how many minions one can animate, so players can literally have like 20 zombies following them, each with their own actions and rolls. Yikes. There goes the action economy! And the spell still goes out of its way to tell you how "evil" and "badwrongfun" it is. *sigh* So animating a minion from a dead monster's corpse is evil and taboo and terrible, but casting irresistible dance on someone and making them dance for 10 days straight, torturing them until they die from exhaustion, there's nothing wrong with that! Seriously?