The core problem here is that gear acquisition is too sporadic and slow. People are not getting the dopamine hit they are used to from gear progression in the past.
Epics are cheap now. You get flooded with vendor trash epics, yet getting an actual upgrade is rare. That an item is purple is effectively meaningless to me. This seems like big problem for a game that relies on people being motivated to get rewards.
I think when the Dinar nerf was announced the dam broke and the pent up frustration started gushing. Fair/unfair, more people don’t like being gate kept than there are people who can do the intended content to get the gear.
Is gatekeeping FAIR? yes. But is it a winning strategy for the game? I don’t think so. This is a fantasy game, not a real life simulator
Were you kicked in the head by a horse as a kid? their 2/8M main is clearly visible