They won't release crafted gear early. The i450 released at the same time as Eden's Gate Savage. Not only would it make savage easier, it would kill the market for the new gear. With crafting and gathering being made as accessible and easy as ever, why spend several million buying the new gear when you have a week to make it yourself?

It would make it more fair, but differences in hardware, ping and mod use make a level playing field an impossibility.