I don't understand why you wouldn't want a LFG tool. Its not like you have to use it if there was one. Spamming gen chat over and over when you could be exploring the world is not chating or making friends.
I have put a few people on ignore that spam in Gen chat LFG, so if anything it is limiting possible friends from the player base in my case.
I play a lot on non peak HRs as-well and trying to find a group then is near impossible, but why should we care about the player base on those hr's, amirite?