I DM’d 5E avidly for ten years. I had fun and loved the stories we told. But over time, the system wore me down. Most monsters stay flat and predictable. The action economy leans hard toward the party, and even major villains feel like speedbumps unless reworked from the ground up.
Outside of combat class features often short-circuit social and exploration challenges. I spent more time trying to make the game more interesting than actually enjoying it. The fact that an entire cottage industry of DM advice books, blogs, and workarounds emerged - including my own posts and tips - says a lot. Eventually, I realized 5E isn’t a game for the DM. YMMV.
My session tonight was a disaster---for me. 5e characters are just too tough. I've been running enough to say it with confidence. Monsters mostly suck. PCs have tons of tricks with Reactions and other stuff that monsters don't have.