Add tiered battles, CCP. Standard / Militia, Advanced, Prototype. Nothing above those tiers can be used, but receive a greater reward for using lower tiered gear? Someone else will tell me if its a good idea or not, I'm sure. Everyone's so opinionated about everything else.

How about we make it like EVE missions: levels and standings.

In EVE, there are level 1-5 missions. Level 1's are easily accomplished by a starter frigate. Level 2's might be better done in a destroyer. Level 3's would take a cruiser or battlecruiser, level 4's take a battleship, and level 5's take a group of players.

You need to have standings worked up to do higher level missions. If you want to run level 2 missions for the Caldari Navy, you need to have run a bunch of level 1 missions for them first. A player who has a battleship and frequents level 4 missions could do a level 1 mission, but why the hell would they? Level 4 missions pay like 20 million ISK when you take salvage and a bonus and whatnot into account. Level 1 missions pay like 75 thousand ISK. A brand new player could not do a level 4, though, because they haven't grinded up the standings for it.

How do we apply this to DUST?
Make level 1-5 battles where level 1's pay like 100,000 ISK, and level 4-5's pay like 10 million (proto gear would have to rise in price steeply to accomplish this).

Now, track their reputation. This isn't a rep with any specific faction, but more of how renowned they are. This system allows us to maintain our mercenary status and allow us to fight for any faction.

Gain 1 point for losses and 2 for wins. When a player hits 50 points, they can do level 2's. Now keep it going up like that.

Alternate: Gain 2 points to the faction you fight for if you win and 1 point to all other factions, and 1 point to the faction you played for if you lose (but none to the others). This would promote fighting for one faction over others, but still allow you to contend in other battles.

Lastly, make it based upon the standings of the squad leader. This way, a new player could join their squad leader in a level 3 for more money, but they'd probably be eaten alive.

This won't keep level 5's from joining level 1's and pubstomping, but they won't make jack for money in level 1's. It will, however, keep level 1's from joining games that are absolutely full of souped up proto players.