The people who are saying it hasn't changed either have not been playing long or very lucky.
Since the last update it's become increasingly difficult the last 2 to 3 nodes are very hard. And final node is all gear 12 with most with Zeta's, how the hell can you compete with that without spending hundreds of dollars? There is no way a F2P player can already have a full team all gear 12. I have played this game since launch and I love it, but I have noticed players quitting as they can't keep up with the whales. It should be based off each players lists that way all can have a decent chance of completing it. It doesn't affect me I just throw more teams at it, I just feel for the players that haven't got deep benches.