I don't like that crafting has taken a back seat, but really simply because repair exists, it will always end up taking the back seat in the long run anyway. There really is no point in putting so much thought into trying to make the crafting of weapons and tools better. You can put so much effort in coming up with the perfectly balanced way to make sure the crafting matches with looting, buying, and/or receiving with quest rewards, but to what end? Just to feel that fleeting moment of awe a few times per game? I just think that if crafting in general is getting dull, either focus should be placed on improving crafting for things other than tools and weapons, or perhaps crafting provides some features that looting, buying, and/or reward receiving cannot provide... such as enhanced stats on those weapons and tools.
Really, between repair and the other ways of obtaining what you need, why bother even being able to craft weapons and tools at all? It would be more interesting to learn how craft tons of different mods that cannot be obtained any other way... mods that relate to the type of character you want to build and to the type of combat you enjoy... mods that can alter how you use those weapons and tools. Make those mods craftable using a combination of rare items that you must find in the wild and in specific biomes, rare items you find in specific POIs, rare items you can buy, and rare items you can receive as rewards. This not only keeps crafting alive and relevant, it keeps exploration, trade, questing relevant long into late game.