I’ll add my support to the trait-dissenters here.
This post is pretty on par with my thoughts as well.
I was at level 26 before the patch, having bought the game about a week or so ago. After the patch I rushed myself up to 30, each level before that feeling incredibly pointless. Then I got rewarded with my 1 point and 1 trait. Before I had 3 trait effects and almost a forth. What is the point of the individual levels if there is no noticeable effect except for level tiers?