I can totally see where you're coming from, I just think as time goes on, the "hardcore" contingent of this game matters less and less compared to the wide casual market. There will always be a place for spreadsheeters and youtubers and theorycrafters, but I'm guessing they make up an extremely small portion of the overall playerbase.
Casuals don't whale for constellations and 5-star weapons. Casuals don't log in daily to spend their resin so they can build up their character for Abyss. They need that hardcore audience to keep the game going. They're the ones who keep these new characters and items relevant.
And let's be real, the amount of people who care about a character's power level is huge. Most online discourse is about that. From videos to tier lists to build guides and even leaks. So even if not everyone is a fan of Abyss specifically, it has always played a vital role in benchmarking characters' performance.
MHY doesn't really seem to gain anything from minimizing that aspect of the game.
Personally, I prefer difficulty in mechanics, not in stats. That's why I'm curious to see how this new mode goes.
I get your criticisms about stats and such, but I feel like that's a problem with the core game mechanics, rather than Abyss itself. This new mode doesn't really address that, because those mechanics still make up the vast majority of this game.
I also doubt this mode will be more skill-based. MHY is able to control way more parameters for this challenge than Abyss. If anything, it's a more controlled environment for them to shill characters in.
They've slowly but surely introduced good ol' gacha powercreep lately in Fontaine, first with Neuvi, then Navia, and it seems like Arle is a whole new level, at least in my account. It takes VERY little investment to get her to absolutely decimate current content. Seems like another way to cater to casuals that spend, at least to me.
Hard to say if that's for the sake of casuals or to bait folks into spending money. Also, Abyss difficulty just scaled along with those powerspikes, while dedicated players could still use old favorites. That is ideal.
Isn't that what 99% of players do with Abyss right now though? I don't see any difference. Only the most hardcore people will jump into abyss after they've cleared it to improve times/tactics.
I don't do Abyss just to get Primos. I do it because I want to challenge hard content with new characters, teams and builds. I don't (have to) repeat them because I know there's a new one in two weeks. I assume that's how it is for most players who even attempt the Abyss.
Bro, I saw that. It's fucked up. Adding cooldown and reducing duration on Chlorinde fucking KILLS me. I wish they'd just do the balancing in damage numbers, not cooldowns. It's the antithesis of fun.
I really wonder what would possess those devs to make these changes.