So, while we seem to have a creative moment here, i may throw this around as well. This is not exactly a proposal nor request for a change or revamp, just an open discussion to the community and its eggheads.
Call it an intellectual game and lets think the idea through.

With that said, keep in mind that the question "Why?" is not subject of this thread here. I wanna find out the pros and cons about that idea. Everything is purely hypothetical.

So?
What if the current item requirements are no hard set Can-Or-Cannot-Use requirements, but soft requirements regulating the efficiency in usage of said item? And what would change, what would improve or worsen?
Meeting the requirements would grant you 100% efficient use of the item and its set capabilities, undercutting the requirements with only 70% = 70% item efficiency e.g. Of course, a ceiling is required for exceeding the requirements, so much is obvious. (Exact ceiling value is subject to balancing discussion and shouldn't matter for now, lets assume we cap it at 120%)
Meeting 120% or more of the skill requirements would then result in 120% efficient use.

Currently all stats are a minimal requirements, but some skills also grant some bonus for exceeding the requirements. The more of that skills the better when using that item. That wouldn't be the case anymore. I'm not sure if a ceiling exists for those skills, and im not even sure if there are clear informations WHICH skills are and which not... over the past couple of years i always found contradicting statements.

What would that mean? Well i'd imagine that it means a more possibilities and flexibility without loosing too much of the specialization we have. Yes it would mean that basically everyone could use, or try to use, every item, regardless of the profession or level. Classes wouldn't anymore determine what items you can use but only how efficient. But i don't see this as a problem but a possibility for sandboxing.
Also main character attributes would become equal to sub-skills in importance.

What would be required to be changed?
Some mechanics in the game would indeed require changes, AoE weapons come to my mind. On a 0/2 Tank with a Creed the reticle would probably take like 5 minutes to close, but a Doombeamer?
Also every item would require a set of values for 100% item quality (All Perfect) as base values for the system to properly work. Current values could be used for the start and would require longterm tweaking.
Probable overhaul of how damage and other values of weapons and alike are calculated.

What remains?
What wouldn't change is the influence of the crafted items and their values. The quality of an item determines the level of base stats at 100%, the requirements and how close you come to them determine how close you are to fully using that potential. All Artifact weapons would still be better then All Perfect weapons.

Benefits?
Items would be less limited to classes since almost any item has a core requirement regarding a main attribute that mainly designates it for one or two classes. Breaking that up i see as beneficial to the game. Combat vehicles I see becoming more attractive since their access becomes easier for all classes. In general i see the possibility to grant all classes a broader access to items across the board without weakening the importance and potential of classes in their respective field.

Downsides?
Probably bloats the calculations since more values are active and need to be evaluated. Lets ignore the possibility of making balancing even more complicated for now.


Ok, flame is on, what totally obvious things and bugs did i miss?