I'd say the well received practical application of Eberron in multiple mechanical expressions demonstrates that saying Eberron was merely an expression of 3.5 mechanics is incorrect, even if that was the brief from Corporate.
Definitely would agree with that: but this is not terribly mechanical as such.
I certainly wouldn’t say it was merely an expression of 3e’s mechanics! But it is highly informed by 3e’s mechanics, and that is to its credit.
No, I wouldn’t want another generic fantasy world. Have plenty of that.
Indeed, but I think that’s kind of fitting for 5e. 5e tends to avoid being committal with its design, intentionally leaving itself open to individual interpretation and inviting different groups to make it their own. It would be hard to design a setting around mechanics that themselves actively resist being pinned down. Instead, the 5e setting is more of a framework for bringing different D&D worlds together under one umbrella, much as 5e itself attempted to bring together the most well-regarded design and aesthetic features of each edition together under one umbrella.
Specifically, how magic and item creation worked. Without those original elements, a 5E born Eberron would look different.
