They aren't worth much with no bounty and there are virtually zero loot drops. The cave was fun because it was something to do and it was rewarding. Raids and strikes and events are fun, but sometimes you just want to run around and kill stuff.
I would like to see 25 rep for a patrol, a few marks, and some drops. I don't want better gear than raiders and heavy pvpers, but I want to feel like there's something easy and fun to do between the core events.
Cheers
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I would take more variety over more rep. Though it would likely need both for me to bother doing them regularly.