I actually took my time in the event as well as there was no need to go crazy, but there will always be a disadvantage for new players because they have no standing in the game yet.
I just managed to get a recycler in my 1st event back in xmas 2012, there were no adv event resource loot drops and explorer/scouts only came home with event resources in 1s, 2s & 3s, lol so new players have never had it easier, as for achievements it has only been in this event that its based on level so maybe BB should look at that in future.