Both OS are fine but I’ve found Ventura to be stable and trouble free so I’d stick to it unless you have some software comparability issues.
Features like stage manager and the new preferences are likely here to stay (although stage manager can be disabled), so probably worth just getting used to them unless you plan to go years without updating. Also while I agree the preferences can be hard to locate moved settings at this time, the search in my experience works well so maybe just try using that to find settings.
I haven’t noticed any particular battery concerns. Won’t say there hasn’t been any, but it’d be worth verifying whether those concerns originate from beta builds or the RC, or are they the current version. Also do the people making the claim have any actual before measurements (working in IT, often these sorts of things are unintentionally misrepresented with either inaccurate current stats or prior state recollections that actually don’t reflect reality). Again, some people likely have had legitimate battery issues but just check what’s being claimed and whether it can be supported if that will skew your decision.
