New World's crafting is great because I had no choice but to use it
Right now I'm playing a lot of MMO Final Fantasy XIV and I've not crafted a single thing, not one itty bitty ring or tattered leather belt. And I don't plan on it either, until at least I've reached the retirement endgame where people ditch fighting and become carpenters who sit in city centres and saw wood for hours on end.
My point being - it never feels essential, you know? Which is why I liked New World's take on crafting, which grips you firmly by the shoulders and shakes the complacency out of you. Here, there's no getting away with it. Either you craft, or you don't progress at all.