turbid swallow
Track the last time a player completed a session in Storm Dive or Voyage
After a configurable inactivity threshold, apply a scaling loot multiplier to what they successfully extract.
The multiplier applies post-extract, after loot split. Only the returning player sees the bonus — crewmates don't inherit it, and anyone who kills you planetside can't take it either. It expires after one extract or however many the devs set.
The scaling is tunable. Longer away, bigger multiplier — up to a cap so someone returning after months doesn't just immediately catch up to daily players. All the meaningful variables (threshold, curve, duration, cap) stay in dev hands.
Losing the match, or dropping your connection would likely count as one of your extracts with this multiplier.
Making this track and affect the player's whole account, and not a specific character would reduce possibilities of abuse.
Why this might be a good idea
The casual vs. hardcore gap in extraction PvP isn't really a skill problem, it's a compounding resource problem. Active players snowball. This doesn't touch active players at all — it just softens the re-entry ramp for returning ones. Wipes still sting. The stakes are still there. Casual players just have a path back in that doesn't require grinding through weeks of disadvantage.
This mechanic exists in other live service games and works because players who don't need it never notice it, and players who do need it actually feel it.
This is a bad idea
"This rewards people for not playing." It doesn't — the multiplier caps out, it applies to extracts (meaning you have to actually play and survive to benefit), and it decays as you re-engage. It rewards returning, not absence.
I don't have a good answer to how this might affect the current strategy of funneling all resources to a specific player in your crew....
I welcome your suggestions/arguments/comments 🫳 
flat pumice
swift mulch
wet basin