I agree with a lot of this- but Artemesia? That stuff’s absolutely everywhere in zone 1! Once you unlock the InnKeeper’s Husband for the food shop, you can buy a bundle for a reasonable price.
-Totally agree on equipment load. Requires pumping equip load stat every level, which (you’ll find out later, if you haven’t already) means that you don’t have the stats to use Tier 2 weapons (even once Tier 3 is dropping…). So, same problem with stat requirements as equip load. Needs a substantial balance.
-I dunno about fall damage - they give us a slow walk for a reason. If you’re sprinting around near cliffs… well, maybe you shouldn’t 
I’ve died a time or two from an ill considered jog, but I think it’s where it should be. I think it builds immersion, and it’s very easy not to fall when you’re walking. Gotta be careful in combat, but that makes sense.
-There is definitely a difference between cloth/leather armor and equipment that requires copper/iron. Drops for sturdy/durable leather mats seem VERY rare, and I’m sure we both need them because of the equip load thing- absolutely no chance I can wear plate at this stage, and I don’t know why so much plate drops in Tier 2.
However, I think this is also because most people will level the Smithy first, making those items (ingots) available en masse- once you level the Garment Girls and the woodcrafter, those upgrade items come easy too (you can buy the mats from the girls and put them on the tanning rack).
^Curious if that explains the issue for you the same way it did for me- still agree fundamentally on the collection issue.
-I think stunlock needs a balance, but not total removal. E.G - if an enemy rushes me and hits me without my shield up, fine, that’s a knock-down if I’m not high-poise. If I block them, it maybe shouldn’t unless they are huge. But I do like that Giant enemies will knock you down- that’s an interesting mechanic to me.
Even if you get knocked down or stunned, I can usually roll out before taking too much punishment. I don’t find myself dying unreasonably on account of this, even towards the end of the EA build.
-Unpopular opinion - I disagree on the durability system: I don’t like it in most games, but that is what we have in lieu of a more severe death penalty in this game, and it’s fairly benign. I would prefer that equipment loses POWER after a certain amount of damage rather than breaking at zero… but that’s just me.
I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I think it fits the world they’ve built.