There really is no chance for a new player to catch up, if they joined just now. Sure they could catch up to the current DLC if they had the Annual Pass but what about the 24 seasonal weapons from the Witch Queen? The whole concept of this crafting system was flawed from the start, way too complicated for what it turned out to be. If they are going to keep this system, they should at least have a single weekly quest like they do for Xur's Exotic Cypher.