wonder freely also poses a bad gameplay experience sometimes. sence the game is based around lvls u can easily outlvl some areas just cause "you went somewhere else first".
i cleared formelo/fort draco zone before i head down to mertis, wich in turn felt unchalenging.
also Sss-Thss (or whats his name) was really underwhelming cause i cleared other areas before seaking him, so i outlvl that area by far.
this is one aspect i prefer on A6 over A1, every fight is going to be a "chalenge".
edit: maybe this is the result of "doing sidequests first, then main quests" mentality from previews games.