I’m not a big fan of arena, but putting in 10 games of 5s for 3 weeks to get 1600+ rating isn’t too bad. Then you are only missing head, shoulder, and weapon.
TBH I would love for the rating requirement to drop so I could pick up the head and shoulder but I’m not too bent out of shape about it. It’s the best pvp gear in the game–the pvp equivalent of 25man ICC. It’s not gatekept, it’s just not a total freebie. While the population has dropped a lot and it takes longer to form a group, this late in the season you can pump your rating up pretty fast. You might even get on a roll and go for that 2k rating. I suggest 5s or maybe 3s with a good comp and you’d be surprised how far you can go.