The comparison to the diablo 3 launch is I think one to note. Random affixes and % are great, but the delta has to be relatively controlled for each piece of gear.
Diablo helped this problem with the 'minor' and 'major' affixes, so you we're never trading a damage increase for pickup range by way of example.
Not sure if that exact system would be right for Anthem, but maybe just a little determination in the loot roll would be enough. So if a roll comes for say, LMGs, all further weapon related rolls will be locked to that. Or if the algorithm settles on a "qol" stat like harvest or pickup range, the other stats are guaranteed to be in crunchy categories (damage, recharge, etc)
My 2 cents into the pile. (I spend wayyy too much time playing designer while afk)