It is not very satisfactory to be a crafter in NW, because apparently you have overlooked that there are in fact three archetypes of players; PvPers , PvErs, and Crafters. Most PvPers and PvErs like to craft as well, but some of us are actually Crafters first and foremost.
I am a Crafter, so I enjoy gathering and crafting, but I am absolutely not a PvE player, because I’d rather chew off my mouse hand than run in circles and kill the same mobs over and over in a dungeon night after night. I see a challenge in running into an area with mobs that can kill me when I gather, but not in running a dungeon where the outcome is pretty much given beforehand.
The two main issues why Crafters are irrelevant until they reach level 200 are that 1) when leveling up you can only craft useless crap that cannot compete with faction gear and drops sold at the trade post 2) once you do max out a crafting tier and can craft something that is competitive with faction gear, then it has an equip level 8-9 levels above the same tier faction gear, so nobody want to waste money on crap they can equip for one or two levels before they can buy the next tier faction gear with 50-75 higher gs.
What is lacking in this game is the satisfaction of crafting, something that is actually useable and that you can be proud of. I know that Engineering is a lot more profitable, than my chosen professions, but it is not a question of making gold. The crafting system in itself is actually really good, it just need some balancing.
It should still be an accomplishment to become a high level crafter, so I am not talking about making it easier or faster to level up, but if you buff the minimum gs with 15-20 and lower the excessive equip level requirements to the same level as required for same tier of faction gear, then you can make crafting relevant without any big structural changes.
I am level 47, almost exclusively from gathering and crafting (very few town projects, and I have not done the Depths quest yet). Except for my tools and rapier, I have crafted all my gear. As a stubborn crafter, I insist on wearing ‘homemade’; my armor gs is insufficient for even thinking about PvP and I am quite squishy compared to the mobs I fight, but I rarely run out of repair kits from all the crap I have to salvage. In 3 levels, I will start crafting one tier higher crap gear, but at least it will be the final tier, so at some point I will start catching up and can craft ‘level appropriate’ gear!
Since I have chosen to play New World in a way it is clearly not designed to be played, I will have to hold off trying PvP. I do need a break from crafting tier after tier of useless gear once in a while anyway, so then I can scratch my PvP itch in Rogue Company.
TL;DR
Crafting in NW is largely irrelevant below level 200. If minimum gs is increased with 15-20 and the equip level requirements are reduced to match faction gear of same tier, then crafted gear can be a viable alternative and crafting can be made relevant without extensive changes.****