normalize gear should be step 1. If matchmaking is needed after that... Then sure.
Population is too small for matchmaking based on any level of "ELO" or itemlevel...
Given the amount of money many high end PvPers have put into their gear, I think you will find the Devs pretty reluctant to make everyone's gear in PvP the same (ie "normalize" it). You are right that the low population and prevalence of premades make even matches impossible at the moment. If you have a 5 man 4K+ premade in the queue and 5 2K PUGs ... well, no ELO system can come up with a fair match. This is the reason that the population expands greatly during the solo queue events - without the premades it's at least possible to make a more fair match. Adding in item level based queues would probably encourage more people to enter PvP .... if it doesn't, PvP in this game is dead anyhow.
Given the amount of money many high end PvPers have put into their gear, I think you will find the Devs pretty reluctant to make everyone's gear in PvP the same (ie "normalize" it)
Like I said, until people get their heads out of the sands and wake up, PVP will not be balanced due to gear and stat differences. To counter your point, I'd say there are some incremental steps. First, the most important stat: Tenacity should be mostly the same for all players.
Second, you can have punishing diminishing returns which means for example getting 1,000 item level is easy but the maximum (1,800) would need every single boon, mythic artifacts, rank 12 enchantments, mounts, guild buffs etc. I've never seen your guild do a premade (or PVP for that matter) and so it seems like you aren't part of the more hardcore PVP community but hardcore PVP players will pay for that.
Lastly, matchmaking algorithms would make item-level the biggest factor by far. You can lock the items so people can't switch it out once queue pops (any junior developer can do that).
But again, these suggestions depend on whether people take their heads off the sand.
pan17
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If matchmaking is needed after that... Then sure.
Population is too small for matchmaking based on any level of "ELO" or itemlevel...
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Second, you can have punishing diminishing returns which means for example getting 1,000 item level is easy but the maximum (1,800) would need every single boon, mythic artifacts, rank 12 enchantments, mounts, guild buffs etc. I've never seen your guild do a premade (or PVP for that matter) and so it seems like you aren't part of the more hardcore PVP community but hardcore PVP players will pay for that.
Lastly, matchmaking algorithms would make item-level the biggest factor by far. You can lock the items so people can't switch it out once queue pops (any junior developer can do that).
But again, these suggestions depend on whether people take their heads off the sand.