My apprehention I think is entirely down to the fact that there is no way I would avoid getting this item; I'd slot it in neatly before lichbane. I had written a post comparing the codex cost to this, and how much more you essentially get, but then I thought about how much the new soul stealer costs for hardly anything, vs what the old stealer cost for lots. Without knowing what the intentions are behind the designs of items, I can hardly comment as to whether this is going against a toning down, or in line with the bonuses given each stage of completing a combination item; especially as this one does not build into anything else.