Parties, player trading and consensual duels make other people considerably more useful.
A little company
Multiplayer parties are in. Grouping up gives the adventure a social shape beyond two people happening to stand near the same angry creature.
Different classes have different jobs, and a party is where those differences start to matter. Somebody keeps the pressure on. Somebody watches the space. Somebody discovers that their healing responsibilities have multiplied.
Make the exchange
Player trading uses server-held escrow. The exchange needs a dependable owner while both players make their decisions. A trade window is a bad place for one side of the deal to vanish.
It gives gathered materials and crafted equipment another destination. Keep what you need, offer what you do not, and see whether somebody else had a more productive morning.
Settle it properly
Consensual, non-lethal duels let players test themselves without turning an ordinary disagreement into a death penalty. Both sides opt into the fight.
No grand tournament system is being promised in this update. Just the useful foundations: group together, trade together, and occasionally find out whose build survives a friendly argument.