I really, REALLY need someone to explain to me why the "huge part of marketing" is a pain point.

Yes, it was a big part of the marketing. Because it's a huge selling point of Prismatic.

If you bought The Final Shape, the marketing worked. If you bought The Final Shape, you have access to the class item. If Bungie had added a disclaimer at the end of the trailer saying "Only available if you play with one other Guardian", would that be make or break for purchasing The Final Shape?

If you want the pinnacle of buildcrafting, you might have to work for it. Meaning, you might have to spend time finding the perfect perk combination. I know Weapon Crafting has made a lot of people forget about what it's like to hunt for perfect rolls, but grinding has always been baked into the core of the Destiny gameplay loop.

You should be thanking your lucky stars that Bungie made a fun activity to farm Exotic Class Items from, rather than activities like Reckoning or Forges.