I have been on the new Rootdown for a few months now, ridden a bunch of different zones and to be honest...I don't feel a ton of difference between it and my Banshee Prime...yes, of course, there is no squish in the rear end...but I am riding the same lines I was on my fully and don't miss it.
Maybe if I lived in an area with a ton of shuttling or fall line trails it would be different, but on the island, we mainly earn our turns and the trails are very undulating. This is where I think the HT shines...those quick grunt climbs we have all over here...you just stand and smash and then come over the top with more speed than I felt I had on my fully. Most of our downhills have uphills over here...so it works out great...lol.
I am finding that I am having to change my riding style up a bit on steep rocky chunk....on my fully I would just lean back and let the rear wheel suck it up, but I have crashed twice now, because I think the HT bucks me forward on my bike and I have blown my hands off the bars. It's just a bit of a learning curve to teach me to ride properly...drop the heels and centre myself on the bike better in the steeps instead of just plowing through like I was before.
I am really enjoying this bike and have been surprised at how much faster I am on it...on most trails around here.