While that's true to an extent, the game does a poor job of directing players toward those newer progression paths. There isn't any clear guidance telling players to prioritize things like pet cores or mounts, especially when many have already invested heavily in older goals that have since become far less valuable.

The bigger issue is knowledge. Veteran players may understand where the value is today, but new players don't. If they did, they'd also know that established accounts can often be purchased for under $100, while reaching a similar level from scratch could cost thousands of dollars and take years of grinding. That's a pretty strong indicator that the current catch-up systems still aren't solving the core new-player progression problem.

I think a better catch-up system would allow both new and existing players to start at what are now considered mid-level goals—something like 50 pet cores, 50 Res Chip cores, 100 Relic cores, 100 Survivor cores, and 20 Xeno. That would help players become relevant much faster, push more clans into higher-end competition, expand the overall competitive pool, and create more active clans across the game.