Grieving exotics

So, now we have insignia. Now we can stat swap other ascended....

Cool.

I heard (but have yet to check) that the funerary weapons and armor vendor disappeared. Is this true?

Secondly, are there recipes for exotics?

If so, why lock them behind loads of achievements at the vendor?

If not, why lock exotic behind achievement walls you can simply skip with stat swapping?

Basically.... I play casually, don't have the time patience or resources to fully ascend all 15 of my characters. So I make exotics, and play in the "good enough" sweet spot. Then if I love a toon, I ascend it slowly over time.

If I cannot do this with grieving (and I can't be the only dude who operates in this way) then why would I invest time in a full set of ascended, to later swap to grieving.... Especially when I could just make vipers in the first place and have done.

I know I sound salty here... But I want someone to come along and be like "no dude, it's like this:...." to which I can reply "oh, sick thank you, now I can make my grieving hollosmith, sick! Thanks for destroying my frustration!"

Any takers?

I agree exotics with HoT/PoF stats should be more easy to acquire, and much cheaper to craft. Ascended is fine as it is, but I don't appreciate the fact that we can buy any exotic core stat set right out of the TP, but getting an expansion stat set... Might as well go straight for ascended.

Unless you want giver's ascended. Because.... Oversight?