Cataclysm and Cataclysm 2 are okay damage-wise. Only with Cataclysm 3 it becomes frustrating. And like said, this has been reduced, leading to a larger middle block. Other than that, every difficulty is artificial. Other than that you are free to provide awesome ideas how to create difficulty without damage scaling in this thread:
But the fun thing is, people tell all the time what is not good and how they would do it better. However, if you ask this community a question you are often faced with a deafening silence.
FS doesn’t demand anything from you. If you don’t have the time or don’t like playing the Weaves, then just don’t blame them. You are not losing anything with the exception of some primitive frames. Weaves have always been about challenge for those seeking it. Also, if you reduced your matchmaking to one premade group then yes you will have a problem. However, if you are looking for public games too (currently unavailable, will be fixed) you can close gaps in your progress without your group having to replay. Having played a higher Weave is helpful in that as it lets you access all missing numbers inbetween.