I know we are all at least a little upset with the character lock. But one solution I’ve found is going into horde Custom games and finding a game with an open spot where my character (in this case Kat) is not taken. It’s been working out so far. Not had a problem with quitters because the match already started. I basically chose my map based on all the lobbies to pick from AND I haven’t really had any problems.
I would consider all of the frustrated people out there to try this method because you can easily back out of lobby before you join the actual game in case you’re character is taken. Just refresh and pick the match that best suited you for a better horde experience :)