So I played MotBW about a year ago and decided to give the game another shot. I've noticed some things that I either remember incorrectly, OR they've changed in a patch, OR they've changed since Genesis, and I don't know what's what.

Campaign difficulty - I remember before picking a difficulty, but then difficulty setting on individual maps ramped up gradually over the campaign. The map difficulty scaled at a rate and up to a cap, both depending on the campaign difficulty setting. MotBW, in its current form, seems to let you change the difficulty before each map if you choose. What's going on, and is there a consequence for fiddling around with it at your leisure? I used to play on Beginner, and I had an easy time early, and it got harder. Now I'm playing on the next difficulty up, and it didn't start out that hard, and it doesn't seem to be getting harder yet. I'm probably better at the game now, though.

Karma in the Astral - The last time I played, I went with a Good playthrough, and Oinor warmed up after a few shards. This time around, Oinor is still Indifferent to MTaur the Gentle several shards into the game. So either I botched a very important early conversation option, or Astral karma is bugged. The only forum thread I saw online was from 2013, so idk if this is still a problem, or if I just need to wait a few more shards still.

DLC - There isn't much of a comprehensive source about the Allied Forces DLC. If I'm reading it correctly, then you still unlock alliances the same way as in vanilla MotBW, but when you do so, you unlock more buildings that grant access to more troops when constructed. Is there more going on, or is that literally the entire contents of the DLC? I always found alliances a bit tricky and problematic... obsolete by the time you can fulfill them (you want me to kill 6 slugs, but they're mostly on land that you guys own, but you won't let me onto your land to kill them for you? ok......). Unless there's a dedicated strategy for each that only works on certain kinds of maps... or maybe the DLC units make it a better deal... Any experienced opinions on this? (idk if difficulty level rebalances the effectiveness of alliances vs conquest, for example.)

This is the first time I play this game and usually decide what my gut tells me.

Like on the current shard, that tree-hugger girl offered peace and I needed time to build up... deal. The other enemy is still unknown. So far I had to kill all other forces on the shards every time.

Oinor does apologise and declares war without taking breath, that guy is weird.

To the difficulty levels, why would you want any other than Beginners?
The absolute only difference between Beginner and Experienced is the income, hero experience gain, the neutral provinces' defenders hitpoints and corruption.

No increased enemy AI
No stronger enemies (except for the neutral units)

You only punish yourself with a higher difficulty, but not challenge. If you then say "OK, I need to beat everything with a wooden stick because I have no gold or gems!" and only fight Goblins all the time, leaving most of the game unexplored?

I like how they did it on the Skirmish maps, where you can make life as easy to the AI as for yourself. Same income and same everything for the AI, this is pretty hard!

The one lets play I am watching on expert... it is hmm, he has literal only basic units, he builds nothing up, he doesn't improve the provinces, he doesn't increase the tech tree much. The AI's hero died on a quest somewhere and cannot afford to buy a new one or resurrect him, therefore the defences are very weak. Build the bare essentials and rush through the provinces before the money runs out (what is not a bad tactic, but misses half the game of exploration).

I play more like: Expand a little (like two tiles around my stronghold), build these lands up as my base and develop structures, while exploring and building up my hero. Of course you need to defend against the AI and make sure you have a good economy.
Once the fighting really starts, you take everything from the AI and kill every single of its heroes. Before you start the siege and the last enemy is surrounded, you might go around and explore a little more... because after that you have to leave.

This title for example has difficulty levels for the economy and battle part separate:
http://www.gog.com/game/last_federation_the
Going to check it out ;)

Expert is more rewarding because you need to utilize different spells and tactics to succeed. For example, you can't just kill enemy archers with one arrow at the start.
Strategic level is also different, you shouldn't waste time exploring with your highest hero, always raid or conquer something, that way your hero gets good quickly and brings in alot more income. If you have this perfected, the AI will be of no concern anymore, it will just be a pushover.

I play Beginner exclusive at the moment and there the neutral defenders are pushovers, but once you meet other heroes it becomes really interesting.

Yesterday I met that Commander of hers with my high level mage and damn, she had like 4-5 levelled executioners that you do not onehit with a ~30-40 dmg lighting or inferno, plus sorcerers and other stuff (11 or 12 enemies). I started with an army of ~12 well trained zombies and after the fight I had ~3 and was complete out of stamina, despite fireballs, rain of stones and raising new zombies every now and then. The enemy was raising zombies as well...

My fighter has a Phoenix pet. It gets killed, even by neutral defenders, every now and then, but resurrects itself ;) (this makes it ~79 hitpoints twice)