At this point, would not bother me. IMO do like MOP and make the elite sets just a recolor. (same with weaponry) then all the seasons rewards are there for anyone who wants it, and the recolor / slightly different look is rating req unlock.
I think this would actually kill off a lot of the cheating because then power upgrades wouldn’t be gated behind rating and as such not something RMT can sell anymore, as a result less cheating overall and hopefully more honest play.