I realize that yes, but even with old supers you can literally just spam it and it'll die shortly after a few minutes

I apologize for changing the subject somewhat but, back in year one shotties fusions rocket launchers etc. were all in the heavy slot so that did also artificially crank up the difficulty imo. You can also chalk this up to my lack of skill during year one but the boss fight did last a little bit longer during that time, i do agree with you that it is incredibly easy now.