We have hard mode… Where is easy mode?

^also, we already have other modes....we know how it affects the game already: minimally

Another big part of it is just feeling like you're making your own progression.

As the game currently stands, the most efficient way to farm things is to farm a bunch of thing at the same time. If you ever wanted to target farm one thing the best way to get it is to trade. Maybe they want us to trade. But I think it would be more rewarding if the loot came form ourselves.

For example, if you want to farm one kind of essence, say essences of scorn, you need to farm all essences. And you'd be wasting your maps if you only used them for essences, no, you'll throw in some other content (say expedition) to add value to them. Maybe even invest into harvest. And so, for farming 1 type of currency, you're instead farming 3-4 league mechanics each with a variety of currencies in the hope that you can trade away everything you don't want to get the thing you do want.

In the easy mode SSF with 5-10x currency, it would be much easier to farm up something specific that you need, and feel rewarded for your time, and feel empowered to use them yourself.

This is especially important in a game where knowledge so clearly separates those who play a lot from the casual. In almost every situation it's better for a casual player to trade away all currencies for items because a more experienced player will put the currencies to better use - knowing crafting methods inside out.

In the easier SSF environment, there won't be that pressure anymore to sell your currencies to people who will use them better. You'll be more incentivized to try your own things, make your own mistakes, and learn from them.

I could imagine easy mode as a void league that also serves as testing league for GGG. GGG could for example buff some underused skills and let the whole easy mode void league test it for 3 months. Nobody would cry if they undo things they test since all characters get deleted after the league anyway.
They could even test things like "AN mods on every rare".

"They could even test things like "AN mods on every rare"."

How...how...could you?! Thats double heresy! ^^

+1 to the OP - I actually have two friends whom I'd only convince to play if that happens!

Though, knowing Chris, tough chance. :)

I somehow have a feeling that after many threads/posts for an easier mode in the past and even still up to this day (since as far as I recall this is not an only thread of this kind), GGG has decided to make Ruthless mode instead to make you think that the usual mode is now easy mode :D

They killed two stones with one bird, typical GGG.