Built-in autosave feature (for the TE version).

The main problem here is that the notorious level of efficiency, sufficient for a normal game in the SoD sandbox, is insufficient for a normal game in the TE sandbox, simply because the "heroic potential" of the players there is slightly higher (on average). Hence the feeling that it is difficult to learn how to play TE.

I would make an amendment!
It's not that the players have higher potential, but the game version implies a more aggressive style, and accordingly, the difference in the level of play or the presence of minor errors in geometric progression affects further development and the result...
Moreover, if you compare the reports and achievements of TE and SoD, it seems that the level of play is higher for TE players.
But this is all misleading... you forget to take into account the features and nuances of the game, which are known less in the TE sandbox than in the SoD sandbox.
Having a loan bank, scrolls in gold, monster experience, and other differences between TE and SoD, taking all the best and developing in general should, of course, be faster and stronger.