None of what they’re doing matters if the mat and level grind is the same. It sucks having to log-in everyday to make minimal progress. If I want to grind out stuff for 7 hours in one day because my motivation is high, let me. Previous iterations would have me play for an hour or two a day, get one worthwhile piece, and then come back the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And it’s a slog to even get back into relevant-to-end-game gear.

As for the given mats and exotics, are they worthwhile items? It’s pointless if it’s an exotic that’ll get vaulted or sharded immediately. The problem has never been a lack of interest, it’s the extremely high barrier for entry coupled with forcibly prolonged grind. I don’t really see anything in that article saying that those issues are resolved, just that they’re going to throw an exotic or two and some mats your direction and hope that you were close enough to make due.

The recap missions are a cool and worthwhile concept though, and that is absolutely a good addition, rather than making people play through a 3-4 hour long time waster campaign that yields nothing but narrative.