All I need YouTube, specifically, for is to access new posts on my subscription list and to give my content creators likes and views. But I have to be logged in for that, and so far, the blocks seem to be limited to logged in viewers. So right now I'm just not logging in, lol. And if YouTube won't let me give my preferred content creators likes and views by trapping them behind a login/adwall, I can still use my subscription list with Freetube (which is awesome on PC) or one of the other front ends.

You can easily get all your YouTube data via something called Google Takeout; do that and you have a list of all your subscriptions, history, lists, etc and you won't lose access to it just because you're logged out, or no longer using the YT front end for your viewing needs.

Also, when I get a bit of time to make the switch, I am going to start using a different account for Youtube. One I don't give a shit if they shut down. There is a free import/export tool in the Chrome web store called "Subscriptions Importer For YouTube" that lets you import 50 subscriptions at a time (more if you pay for premium), but honestly I'd do it manually just to insulate myself from having the entire account banned for ad evasion, which is a possibility depending on just how badly they want to force ads/free up drive space.

So try watching on a different browser without logging in, and see what happens. You should be able to get in just fine. And logging in on your main browser will still enable you to get your YouTube data, which you can then use however you like. It's a pain in the ass, sure, but right now it might be either that or ads, until a more stable situation is reached.