Unfriendly game mechanics

Example: can't get a new character in Conquest.

Which events, specifically, are you referring to? 

Firstly, the new Mace. With the exception of Starkiller, who was a special case, every other prerequisite legendary toon has needed other toons about their rise to who they are now. JKCK needs Merrin, Cal, Cere and Saw. GI needs the Inquisitors. Jar Jar needs the Gungans. But now Master Mace needs CX-2, someone who he never interacted with. Appo was 501st. He's probably going to need the disguised clone as well, despite being dead before the disguised clones made their appearance.

The upcoming raid, too. At least with the Naboo raid, they were old toons that most people already had. Granted, Appo was present during Order 66, so he and the disguised clone make perfect sense. But CX-2 again? Being an outlier once more. This is what I mean by CG wanting you to spend tons of money.

By the time F2P players get these guys geared up and Reliced, the good rewards have been moved to some new event. The new raid shouldn't require ALL of these new characters. Mace shouldn't need CX-2. Believe me when I say CG are implementing game designs that make it much harder to want to be F2P.

Did I give a suitable example?

Conquest units are definitely a right slog to get. Proving Grounds should award more shards...

I have two issues with this response. 

1. your problem seems to be as much related to lore authenticity as it is to the events and rewards. I don’t see how that is at all relevant. 
   
   
2. I can’t agree with your sweeping statement about how long it will take F2P players to get these new characters. It might take you personally a long time to get them, but there are hundreds if not thousands of F2P players who already have CX-2 at 5* g11 thanks to the Order 66 event. They’ll have him at relic level by July if not before. 
   
   

I don’t think someone in a 200m GP guild should be worrying about the new raid. When new raids launch, CG have created a structure that allows guilds to push for the rewards appropriate to their level, which probably means running an older raid and earning much higher reward boxes for guilds still building their rosters up. 

CG have to make the new raids / events require roster investment, because if they didn’t there’s too large a chunk of their player base could earn the best rewards without using any resources to get them. CG don’t want this, and I don’t think it’s reasonable to think badly of them for wanting the player base to keep collecting and gearing characters / ships. 

This isn’t a new phenomenon either - it’s been like this for the 9 years I’ve been playing. 

Sorry, I don’t think you did. 

Conquest Hard mode rewards roster depth, kit knowledge and to some extent the ability to use crystals earned from other game modes to refresh energy. 

Smaller accounts that have relatively recently become eligible for Conquest Hard mode taking longer to unlock Conquest units is not a F2P / P2P thing. There will be thousands of F2P who are unlocking the new conquest unit after 3 conquests every single time. 

Full disclosure: for a while I was buying the Conquest Pass, but for the previous 2 conquest units I did not buy it at all.