It is evident from what you write that you have simply never tried to evolve your pvp equipment only with pvp activities. The only things I got with the pve are some jewels (mushin tower's tokens), and of course the crystals for the upgrade you get with the dailies. Other things you take with pve can be gems to set in weapons and pets, but nothing else. For the rest you can do everything with battleground or zen beans points.
And yes, at the moment with the jewels I am firm at the imperial level.
Sure, if you play a brainless class like FM or BD or des or BM too with 3rd spec or archer. Try it with SF in earth stance, then talk...
This is exactly the difference between your thinking and mine: I think it is right that everyone has access to pvp areas, regardless of their equipment (but with a balance before the start of each round), because I know very well that not everyone has hours and hours and hours every day to invest in gaming, or rather mountains of money to spend (mind you: I'm talking about whales, not premium accounts).
It is paradoxical that on the one hand you complain that there are no people to fill the teams and on the other you would like to even increase the damage cap: as Shekinah pointed out to you, players must be enticed to participate - not hindered - and ALL newbies start with low gear ... if they get nothing from their participation in BG, they simply stop joining it.