I got it the second week after it was released and I'm pretty much almost done with the main campaign. While I appreciate the vast experience and openness of D.C., it felt like a chore of hitting up crates and random loot items. Co-op with randos is a nice experience but I mostly solo'd for the majority of it.
I made the most of it by playing on weekends and grinding out control points and random encounters before tackling missions. Brush up on Division 2 Reddit for tips, Google things about division 2. Heck, I still haven't found some of the hidden stuff they stash around the map.
In my opinion, just send out for help or toggle your group setting to open for randoms, if you want to explore with someone. Just be wary that they'll hop from one mission to another without actually examining certain objects. Depending on what system you have, PS4 here, I'll help out if needed on weekends, though I actually hit lvl. 30 two weekends ago and I'm currently putting around avoiding the last mission.