Replaying content is fine, the problem is that a lot of the things you need to do for certain essences don’t make compelling content on repeat play-throughs - that’s obviously just my opinion, but honestly, I don’t find that much novelty in doing a few WQs a day for a couple of weeks.
The rep-based ones, especially, feel more like simply waiting until you can have them. It’s not hard, just time-consuming, and boring. I’d much rather significant power gains weren’t locked behind rep grinds and similar content.
I don’t hate rep grinds, but I do hate them being a part of my progression. It’s the same reason I hated attunements, and I’m very glad they’re gone.