Ok, initial impressions.
First Thought: I think Pathfinder continues to have a large impression on D&D and vice versa. It's easy to see some interesting ideas lifted from PF2e (much like how PF2e lifted from 4e/5e) without doing the same exact thing. The generalized spell lists are good example of this. Perhaps the greatest thing that happened to D&D was this parallel evolution of the D&D kernel...
It feels weird not to have half-elves or half-orcs, but I figured this was going to happen (see PF2e note above).
I love how lifespan and height averages are given as racial traits. Wish they were there for the Multiverse Races...
I HATE the Lineages of Gnomes and Elves. HATE. As of Spelljammer, we have seven types of elves (high, wood, drow, shadar-kai, eladrin, sea, and astral). Four of them are separate races with semi-unique mechanics, and three are options of a generic "elf" race that is only differentiated by the spells and cantrips they gain. Ugly, bad, No! Make High elf, Wood elf, and (especially) drow unique separate races like sea, eladrin, shadar-kai and astral elves are. Give wood elves and high elves something more interesting than bonus spells. And for the Love of Corellon, don't give High Elves Misty Step when we already have THREE other teleporting elves! Bad, Lazy, No!
Gnomes are just the same: sub-races without using that word. Either make both gnomes separate "races" like the deep gnome OR blend them into one race equal parts tinker and forest fey.
Dragonborn were fine in Fizban. This feels like a step back, but I haven't run the math to see if and how badly...
Looks like Thieves Cant is becoming a language and not just a class ribbon. Good.
Overall, I like the background changes. I like the updates to the first level feats. Some of the default choices feel weird, but they're just suggestions for the indecisive. I kinda want to backport Artisan, Pilgrim and Cultist into the current paradigm (seems easy enough to do).
I'm not sure how I like the crit-rules. I'm likewise ambivalent about the nat 20/1 on saves/skills, but they don't kill the game. I also like inspiration being more accessible because most of the time, I forget to award it and my PCs forget to use it.
Eldritch Blast not on the Arcane List means its either 1.) Not in the game (unlikely) 2.) Warlock exlcusive and not cherry-pickable or 3.) no longer a spell but a class feature. My money's on 2.
Interesting changes so far, but aside from the elf (and to lesser extent gnome) changes, I like where things are going...
