Weapon upgrades and character upgrades too.. I think it will make the game more catching and interesting at the same time.
Gearbox is going through a very tumultuous time - even worse than Activision right now so Borderlands 3 is not looking like a possibility.
They should not try to change this game to much, and let's hope that Borderlands 3 will turn out to be well-paced, funny, witty, and free of microtransaction headaches as well.