Upgrade cores suck
This game needs some from of progression so they added the core system and it’s boring and not very engaging. It’s a ok system for passive upgrades/abilities. Just simple percentage boosts that some players might not even feel on their weapon and it limits variety.
Weapons should not be locked on specific cores. If I want to use a crit core let me use it on any weapon. They aren’t so game breaking or complicated where it wouldn’t be overwhelming on the player like old moco while bringing more variety into weapon builds.
Another way to spice it up is to also add cores that actually affect the gameplay that isn’t just stat boosts. Maybe a core that gives the area healing that R&B mixtape used to give which can increase the healing amount when upgrading it. Or maybe the pet core when fully upgraded can give the chance to spawn chickens on impact of your weapons.
Supercell had it solved already. They should for example treat new weapon releases like brawlers from brawl stars. Give them a unique kit which you can upgrade and have little bit of variety, universal gears and a choice of star powers that aren’t overpowered but makes a difference but with the flair of moco with specific passives abilities being upgraded with cores and no p2w power level progression.
The current core system is just barebones and unengaging. I introduced my friends to the game and they forget to add cores to their weapons until I mentioned it when running rifts.
The method of obtaining cores is solid, but maybe run events that boosts odds of specific core types? Or specific bosses or rifts drops specific cores? A easy rift giving a guaranteed semi charged core while a hard rift giving an overcharged one on first time completion whould make rifts way more rewarding. It’s day 1 and too early to say on how hard it is to get cores you shouldn’t be able to max out your weapon in a single day, maybe it is balanced for all I know and we just need to wait and play the game.