I'm a very hardcore player and I want to see this happen. But I also want them to make sure that drop rates of elite gear does not increase as a result of this. They can make sure of this by adjusting drop rates. They also need to monitor these changes very carefully in the first couple of days after the update, and if too much elite gear is dropping they need to adjust the drop rate downwards.

The end result of this should NOT be that casual players have an easier chance to get good gear. The result of this should be that average "middle class" players spend more time farming and enjoying the game, instead of just standing around in towns doing nothing and/or begging. But it still should not be easy to acquire the best gear. Otherwise, as was posted above, the game will no longer present a challenge to the hardcore players.