The raid ilvl has only ever remained exclusive for the initial patch cycle. It always opens up after that. The top end folks already have there gear and this is typically where the nerfs and echo begin coming down the pipe so the entire raid eventually gets "welfare mode" during the end of the following patch cycle anyhow to allow for the people who weren't good enough to clear it on the initial run to have a chance to catch up. Although I am unsure if they will be doing echo or nerfs for savage this time around. We will see. But gear wise this game desperately needs some horizontal progression right now so alternative gear sets will add some depth to a currently very stale gearing system.