I don't even see how it creates a "huge barrier of entry" at all. It's not like people who start playing with the expansion are going to start at level 50! They will still have to start from level 1 and go through all the original content. Working through relic is just part of that. There are other powerful weapons you can use while working on your relic. What's wrong with having relic as a side project? You don't HAVE to have relic. It's for people who want to put extra effort in. Yes, I think letting people skip the original stages would cheapen it. Make it a bit faster, sure, like they are doing now. But the whole POINT of relic is that it's time consuming and involves extra effort, thus you are rewarded with something "legendary". If you only care about catching up stats-wise, there are plenty of other weapons.