A lot of my previous is 'received knowledge' from many years of manufacturer training, including several years from LR at Gaydon, there is a hell of a lot of information that is 'commercially sensitive' and not in the D&O documents in the workshop manual - things like the transfer box maps as a case in point. A lot of that stuff is developed by people well above my pay grade so you just have to accept it 'as-is'
but, I do see examples of it in almost daily workshop life, for example, the most likely CV joint or wheel bearing to fail is the NSF - it's on the shortest propshaft and the shortest driveshaft so will have the highest torque applied (all things being equal), it's not the torque equality once established, it's the application of torque and the mechanical resistance to it, sometimes (as in variable locking differentials) an artificial resistance forcing the torque to places it doesn't want to go. Remember that differentials are in essence, lazy, and will allow all the mechanical effort to escape via the route of least resistance (hence the one wheel drive 4x4 you allude to) which is why the integration of ABS systems and variable slip differentials into a managed four wheel drive system is critical to on & off road seamless performance - although no-one has yet been able to counter the scenario of all wheels rotating on wet grass with no forward progress, as far as TR systems are concerned, everything is fine so no intervention required...
Chassis ears are essentially clamp-on / strap-on microphones either wired or Bluetooth connected that you can place at various locations to isolate NVH causal assemblies or parts. They range from ~£50 eBay / Amazon kits to many thousands for manufacturer-mandated equipment
Basic ones -
Amazon product
Picoscope and Rotkee have various sensors available and Sykes Pickavant do a reasonably well regarded wireless kit, after that, you're into specialist transducer and software territory. Mercedes have a 'library' of chassis noises and claim to be able to isolate the customer complaint from a 10 second audio clip sent to them by a dealer (using a very expensive and precisely fitted microphone cluster) - currently only available for >2020 AMG models but the tech is interesting - to me, at least.
ETA - forgot to say, TC is there to regain traction by locking / limiting wheel slip, differential locking is used to keep forward momentum - if a small amount of wheel slip is detected, then it's better to tolerate but adjust the differential slip limits than invoke braking on one or more wheels, it's better for acceleration and better for customer perception. Imagine if you're hoofing along loose gravel and there's two choices - stop wheel slip by braking and reduce throttle response or accept controlled wheel slip but limit it's effect by controlling power distribution, which is better for progress?
Both my L319's were specced with a locking rear differential, in all cases, I (or other drivers) could prolong progress on challenging terrain and maintain driver control before TC kicked in, in most cases, it meant less distance to winch to driveable ground!