This seems like an unfortunate change really. It just further institutionalizes the leve system. It is going to make high level crafting of no value and seems to me further hurt what little economy there is, since the demand for materials will drop, as a result of the leve's just giving you shards and mats.

Seems like a positive change for people who don't really want to play an MMO where the world is dependent on the players. Seems like another step towards making this a solo game where you can see other people walking around.