It's not the event or the rewards. It's the shitty activities that you have selected to tie to the event. Nobody wants to run salt mines or the coil. Tie that -blam!- to control and onslaught and you'll see way more people playing. These other activities suck. And you start with one res? really? Yeah let me fall off of a cliff and spectate in an activity with zero champions where I can't earn another respawn. What are you doing Bungie?