Yes, only hero matters for the most part. The mid ranges can be fun, but I always found there was usually an inequity in power level in builds in those ranges, where by hero most things have levelled out between characters so that you can hold your own, even if you'll never win, in a majority of fights.

But then, you char dies and you have to grind it all out again just to get back to that point where you have a bit more freedom to enjoy CF.
I usually assumed 100 hours investment in a char to get to that point.
Just one of the many reasons I stopped playing CF. Investing that time to get to a point where I found the game more enjoyable did not seem worthwhile, when the end game was no longer as fun as it once was.

The article does raise an interesting point though. It's more about bringing back old players than trying to bring in new ones for them.
I think that is honestly CF's best and only real chance to continue on for a long time.
To attract the former players who have nostalgia for the game, not try and lure in new ones who will almost certainly not stay given the learning curve and just brutal nature of CF as a whole.