Does 2.0 start out easier than older version or do I have a bad patch?

I played BNW back in November of 2013 (Ver. 1.3.1) and loved it. I just started 2.0 and was surprised that Whelk went down in 4 Tek Laser blasts before it even had the chance to pull it's head into the shell (All menus, text and everything else looks right).

I loaded up 1.3.1, just because I didn't remember that being the case. Whelk put up a bit more of a fight, same with the captain in the "Defend Terra in the Caves" battle.

Is it intended to ramp up more slowly in 2.0 or is something wrong with my ROM or patch jobs (I used unheadered default patch on Final Fantasy III (USA) (Rev 1)

Thanks!

There was no need to have Whelk be an extended fight, especially given that the reason for his existence (ATB) is no longer a thing in Brave New World.

That is understandable. Thanks for the confirmation and glad to hear mine is working as intended.  Thanks again for the mod. I loved it so much when I played it before and I have converted a number of people to it since then.

Overall bosses have less Max HP into 2.0 so they die faster compare to previous version, but they should last long enough to see about everything their fight has to offer.