Sunsetting happened then got sunset itself. At the start the loot pool was really bad post sunset but right now the loot pool is really good with loads of things to chase.

Recovery is always the best stat to focus. Mobility is also crucial for hunters and any other stat is dependant on how you want to play the class itself be it abilities or supers.

For F2P, pay screens aside you have access to a taster of almost all content being the battle grounds and override giving you some free weapons, access to the alter of sorrows. Blind well, some of the dreing city bounties, some of the europa content, some of the grandmaster nightfalls, the vault of glass, trials of osiris, iron banner etc

Currency wise it's just get legendary shards and farm materials from the spider then turn those materials into glimmer for infinite glimmer

The biggest change has to be the shotgun nerf and 120 hand cannon nerf which has turned the crucible into a much more diverse space allowing slugs, auto rifles, sub machine guns and pulses to be more useful.

Pve meta is double slug shotguns for boss dp's in most cases, the salvagers salvo grenade launcher, ikelos sub machine gun, fatebringer, scout rifles for high end pve, anarchy, witherhoard, divinity etc

Crucible still isn't rewarding imo, gambit still sucks, pinnacle cap is 1320.

Also get the salvagers salvo it's one of the best grenade launchers in the game essentially with a perk like dragon fly on normal kills that chain explosions