Pinnacle weapons in D2 are some of the best grinds in the game. They're pretty extensive, but you end up with a weapon with it's own, individualized perk. Given the skill and amount of time it takes to get the weapon, it should stand above others. That's it's whole purpose. Put the time in, get a weapon worth your time.
Granted, I'm sure the ritual weapons will get the job done when it comes to mowing people down in their respective modes, but the hype surrounding new perks on these guns makes it something to actually have pride in. And having the skill to utilize that perk is what makes them such monsters in the game.
Ritual weapons don't hold a candle up to pinnacle weapons, and the fact that they're gonna disappear is a disappointment.
But having certain weapons be the top meta for both pve and pvp, and top tier skill to obtain them means that many players will never have those weapons.
And don't get me wrong, I prefer weapons requiring time investment to obtain them. And even some skill. But having Recluse tied to a high glory rank, prior to the glory floors being added with Shadowkeep, made getting it a huge pain point for many players.
If it was only top tier in pvp, I would see no issue, but it became a must have for top tier pve play as well. And many in this community hate pvp, so that created a lot of overall frustration, I feel.
The change/elimination of pinnacle to ritual, is just a good example of how Bungie does actually listen to player feedback. They heard the player's frustrations and made changes accordingly, imo.
And since, we haven't actually played using the new system, I think we should try and be patient, and at least see what the overall community reaction is to the new system, prior to passing judgment.