I’ve been getting a really nice spread of puzzles lately - using the hard setting. They are at the rating level I’m looking for and a good mix of various skill checks. It’s been a real struggle to maintain my puzzle rating. I hope they don’t change too much. lol
Regarding the original question, I would consider getting a stiff penalty on failing a low rated puzzle to be a proper action.
The new puzzle system is awful and a betrayal of the users. They announced it as a corrective to rating inflation, but it’s pouring gasoline on the fire. Rating and rank now are meaningless, they just tell you how much time you’ve spent doing puzzles, solving easy +5s.
There are still some changes due.