Personally I really want them to go back to the old system. I've been trying to enjoy savage without a group (due to unpredictable schedules) but even after so many weeks, I'm still rolling against 8 people because everybody still rolls Need because they'll use the gear on their second/third job.

After 6 clears of E1S and 5 clears of E2S, I've rolled on 38 items and obtained 1. All my gear upgrades have had to come from tomes alone.