If they need more complexity, amplifiers you run over along the way could affect the rewards from the reward nodes...

I actually really love the 'scrabble' modifiers on the Nexus - the "Memories placed on this spot can be run 3 extra times" stuff. I'm disappointed they're not used in a more central way, since I think deciding how to exploit those tiles is a type of decision making that integrates really smoothly into PoE gameplay - sure there's theoretically super optimal ways to exploit them, but it's also not very punishing to go "Eh, I guess I should place + tiles on slow decay ones. Fuck the rest of it".

I'd personally be much happier with the league if they killed tile management with fire and refocused on "If you place this tile on the red glowy spot it enables beyond, BUT if you place it on the blue glowy spot it enables Harbinger, AND chaining 3 league-specific modifiers together triggers a boss encouter associated with that league on the next tile you enter".

Not that it has to be a pseudo-legacy league, there's tons of stuff they could do with it. I'd just have a lot more fun with a system that was less "Micromanage for an hour to get extra essences" and more "Want to fight a ton of bosses for fun? Do [X] with your tiles. Want to grind out div card? Do [Y]. Want to....".