Character shard drop rates

I've been playing the game on and off since its inception, so I understand it's a long haul game. However, there is very little chance this game will still exist in 5 years let alone 10 years. Simply reaching 7 stars isn't even the slowest part, upgrading gear is. My point is more that there should be a more consistent and direct way to unlock characters(even with money) otherwise most events are off limits. Basically, ea is shooting themselves in the foot with this model. Make characters more available and people are more likely to spend money to upgrade gear and speed up the process.