Nah. Gear is uniform becuase non-hardcore people don't have the time or energy to theorycraft the BEST solution or experiment with theoretical playstyles. the game comes down to the way it is due to player's own skill. If they can hack it yay - you get the best stuff. If you can't, well then keep at it with your schedule till you can or come back later when you're op 2 expansions down the line to get the shiny things or E/RP or whatever it is that other people do in the game. No need to make things overly complex. Keep that kind of stuff to single player RPGS.