Reading the forums over time has made me see the way forward for this game. I know that you are working towards this already but surely there is a more efficient way. It is important that brand new ftp players have a completely identical game experience as beta players. With this in mind, perhaps the following changes could come in the next mod to hurry the homogenisation process.
1: Make all gear identical, but with different names. This would prevent the problem of people farming for stuff because they have time, and then having the stuff which new players do not have. The names will add plenty of flavor. You could have Bracers of Noob, Bracers of Amazing, Bracers of Betterthanyou. This way everyone could link their equipment and impose what they are like upon one another without the hideousness of the game experience being different for anyone.
2: Make all classes identical but with different names. Again I appreciate your work in this direction, but more can be done. Why not just make a "hurt mob" button and a "crowd control mob" button, and a "do healing stuff" button. Then the game can select which action to take, and the damage/duration/healing stuff etc can just be determined by level. Then you could have a class icon for flavor/role play, but it wouldn't affect anything else. New and old players could play together in harmony. Lfms would fill faster.
3: Implement a "DO SOMETHING" button. This will cause your character to do the most appropriate action under the circumstances. Great for encouraging new players, and veterans will like it too as they can enjoy their pizza and still do the generic non specialist interchangeable job that the engine considers relevant for them when they click it.
I understand entirely that I am just being impatient and that you have these plans laid out already, but to my mind the sooner the better.
Thanks.
*ducks*