Everyone says that there's a reason for the progression system, but what is it? To punish us with boredom?
The argument that it prevents people from biting off more than they can chew is ridiculous, in my opinion. Nothing is stopping a level 1 from entering a level 5 or 6 quest in one of the Houses except for 20gp. So why shouldn't they be able to open a quest that's TWO LEVELS higher than what they "supposedly" can handle?
I realize the reason for this is to prevent people from levelling to quickly... doh.. that worked well... perhaps quests should be made more level-appropriate (read that as MORE DIFFICULT) so a level 1-2 cannot just breeze through quests that are intended for level 4 with little difficulty even when soloing?
Also, experience needs to be revisited as well. There are so many quests that give such disproportionate experience relative to their difficulty and length that makes it so odious to run them even once, let alone three times.
The death penalty may also be examined. It doesn't seem right that the experience gained from a quest almost always more than negates the death penalty if you die once (if not twice). Shouldn't death mean something? I'm not out there looking for perma-death or anything like that, but I get more upset at the 20% experience loss when I die in a quest and have to recall and re-enter(usually at lower levels) than I am at the death penalty. That just doesn't make sense to me.
There is nothing wrong with being able to do a quest immediately at elite level. Take the risk if you dare, just like I take the risk when I move my solo newbie toon from Waterworks directly in quests like Delara's.
I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. The only excuse that seems to resonate in opposition to this notion is the "I had to grind through normal/medium and hard so everyone should"... well, I have had to run them all as well, and that's the reason I think it should be changed.