I started gearing up recently and basically did it solely with the DF. Perhaps being a healer helps, but I never got any grief for being undergeared. Then again I didn't completely ignore my gear (First WP run I did was with non HQ prerelic, AF, HQ 49 jewelry/belt), stated it was my first time, nobody had any problems. In the 20-25 WP runs I did over the weekend I only failed one run and only once someone left the party, which was me when our DPS were just completely undergeared. One was an ARCANIST, nuff said and the other was your fresh "weeh 50, time for dungeons nao" kind. That's just not gonna work and I'm not gonna try and pull someone through who hasn't even gotten their job yet.

I don't know whether it's because I'm a healer (then again, weren't tank the elitist bastards that quit parties? :P) or Europeans simply don't mind as much, but I barely had any trouble with the DF. As for people looking for full DL/Relic parties etc, who cares. They spend lots of time getting that gear and it's their right to find others with the same gear to run a dungeon they already did way too often twice as fast as with a DF party. As for DF elitism, I haven't encountered it yet to be honest.