For all this talk about the Battle Pass being a chore, I think players have forgotten something that 343 have been very adamant about in their blogs. Battle Passes do not expire, and Battle Passes can be acquired at any point after they release.
Everyone is so stuck in a materialistic mindset that they “need” everything they don’t have. “It is available, and I don’t have it or need it, but I want it. Now.”
Even if cosmetics were available for free before, the alternatives for transitioning to a free-to-play model are player segregation via selling map packs and game modes, or selling power. And if there were free cosmetic unlocks for achievements or time spent, paid cosmetics would most likely always look better and more desirable than unlockable cosmetics.
I agree that progression sucks, but not because they give so few rewards for the time we put in. Progression sucks because Challenges are forcing people to play in a way that undermines team play and objective play. “Why go for kills when I have to stop an enemy killing spree?” “Why should I defend the flag or rescue a teammate when I get XP for killing the enemy carrier?” “Why should I pick up the Power Seeds when I need to get three kills with Fusion Coils?”
There are more pressing issues with the beta than the Battle Pass, especially with regards to the menu User Interface design, Custom Games options, rank distribution clarity, and the lack of a Match Composer, but all this progression and Battle Pass talk is drowning everything else out, and I just contributed to it.