But I hate the flavor of immobile "spirits" that grant random bonuses for being near them. So very gamist.
My issue is specifically having WAY too grand fluff for some very basic crunch.
It was similar to the Spirit Barbarian. For all the talk about spirits at the end of the day it's just "aura granting disadvantage" (or somesuch).
Calling that spirits is WAY overblown and cheapens out the entire concept of actual spirit animals or ancestor spirits.
If you're gonna add fluff about spirits
you need to give the spirits agency. Spirits aren't tools like hammers and screwdrivers that mechanically do just what you expect of them every single time.
Spirits are things you revere and ask for help. Meaning they need to be able to deny that help, or what's the point of asking them in the first place.
Spirits to me need a modicum of freedom of action, where perhaps the DM is allowed to inject a little personality to them.
Compare familiars. Unlike hirelings, familiars and spirits aren't independent. Sure I let the players control them as automatons, but I still like to play up their existence as an independent critters when this doesn't hose the players. I mean, I'm no dick DM that have familiars sabotage the plans of their masters, but I want the player to have a sense of the familiar being its own thing.
Calling a mechanical aura or zone a "spirit" completely kills off everything regarding atmosphere and roleplying potential I associate with the concept of ancestor spirits and spirit animals.