I mean you wouldn't really be able to do any content with these friends had they not completed the 2.0 story either way. So there has always been a wall between new players and endgame. It's like complaining you can't do garuda with your friends because they aren't level 44 yet and have to go thru the story to unlock garuda. HW is really not any different. It's a story centric rpg. It's pretty par for the course.