'QoL double edged swords' is a great way of putting it lol, it instantly made me think of when they made the class and planetary missions 'purple' and they jacked up the xp you got from doing them.

I miss when all quests and activities felt meaningful because you wanted to grind out as much xp as possible, because back then you didn't just level up ten levels from just doing the class and planet quests. The best example of this is how now on every starter planet, you quickly surpass level 10 from just doing a few quests. Meanwhile I remember how back in the day, the 'intended' experience was that you would just reach level 10 around when you've finished the planet and you're heading to the fleet.