Yeah, I dunno what you're talking about, OP. AK is cake in AF as long as you know the mechanics. Garuda HM is all about the party doing each of their jobs. As long as that happens, it's very simple.

You do not need to be in full iLvl 55 gear before doing AK, and you do not need to be in full DL before doing Garuda HM. Those two places are all about getting good players — not good gear.