How did anyone think this era system was a good idea?

The title says it all, this is the worst update in a LONG time - and it was supposed to be a celebration... I'll be F2P until this is solved.

There is literally nothing good about locking the events to the "era" characters. Galactic Challenges was fun and rewarding to many different types of builds... this era challenge? No, just no. 

You are trying to fix something that was somewhat enjoyed by the community and turning the game into an even greater grind. Sort it out CG. For real.