It may take awhile before we see any changes, but the new devs/owners seem eager to work on the NPE.
I’ve watched some new players stream and they expressed the same frustrations you are bringing up.
I think when an experienced player starts a new character to test out the NPE, it’s not the same thing that fresh new player experiences (or someone from EA). If I were to start a new character, I could have almost anything I need & a fully-functioning base built in an hour. I know what 3rd party tools to use, what steps to skip, where to go, where things are, what’s needed, how to make quick coin, etc. New players don’t have any of this knowledge.