Balance is always an ongoing struggle in any online game and it gets even more complex when you toss competitive PvP into the mix with a game like Firefall. Gear currently used by players in instanced PvP is often gained through crafting and PvE, but the effects tend to provide a sizable edge against opponents. So Red 5 is looking to balance out the gear edge to make the competition more about skill. In short, Red 5 is collapsing all PvP instanced tiers down to one and creating a balanced set of regulation gear for instanced PvP along with a basic battleframe template to offset powerful synergy combinations (or the lack thereof) that will provide players with the following setup:

• -A unique weapon
• -A unique passive effect
• -3 unique, synergistic abilities
• -And possibly, if time and playtesting warrant it, an Ultimate/Super ability.

The changes put forward by Red 5 are currently only for instanced PvP, so open world PvP will continue to use crafted and dropped gear.

To solve the crafted gear problem, we’re creating “regulation” versions of everything that will automatically be equipped when you enter a PvP instance.  It’s important to note that in the open world, which includes future open world PvP, you will be wearing your unlocked/crafted gear.  We’re strictly talking about instanced PvP when we refer to “regulation” gear.  In the world of Firefall, “Holmgang” is the competitive sport that the battleframes engage in, so it is conceptually fitting that only regulation gear is allowed.  This will be even more pertinent in our upcoming competitive game modes, as both in the game and out of game, they are treated as a sport.

Source: Firefall PvP and Battleframe Blog