I have been pretty much exclusively flying helis and have only level 2 armor and basic guns unlocked, but when I drop in on the ground I don't feel like it's crazy unfair or anything, not seeing the massive balance issue.

I usually go money positive with lvl 2 armor and basic lvl 1 gun+ammo just dropping near my teammates and participating in fights. People made it sound like the basic guns are firing BB pellets and lvl 4 armor makes people unkillable gods. I do feel like I lose fights more often against people with better gear, but like, what are we expecting? If I spent 20k on my kit I'd hope it makes me stand a better chance than a guy dropping in with a budget loadout.