Past commissions examples:

I feel like this would help a lot both with number of players engaging with hourglass, and reducing the number of players running away the entire time trying to get you to quit. It would also make loosing far less frustrating, especially after long fights.

I'd say as a rough bench mark, after a 10-15 min fight (not running away, actually fighting), the loosing player should get around half the XP of the winning player (assuming no streak bonuses in play).
In other words, the reward for playing should be roughly the same as the "bonus" for winning.

Also, a revamp to hourglass xp gains. More rewards for actions taken (cannon shots landed, buckets bailed, players killed...), and less focus on wins and streaks which are pretty unobtainable for newer players, driving them away.

New solo-friendly voyages making use of an enchanted compass (as in the Legendary Searches and Vaults). Love the mechanic, but not the voyages it's attached to.