It is, just you will need at least a year to be able to make any sort of impact on the WoE scene. GR's are not necessary but definitely awesome to have against guilds and what not but ReVe proved in the past its always skill with good gears that makes a guild good.
But honestly who wants to wait a year to make an impact on WoE? Because there isn't a certainty your server will be around a year later, there is a reason why 99/70 midrates are becoming more popular to be on.
I still propose heRO change droprates to 5x to match the exp rate of 5x. Or heck I actually agreed with Krim changing rates to 10x or we can meet halfway at 7x. Slightly higher rates will attract people to come to heRO more along with increasing items entering the market and allowing it to be easier to get said items to newer players who need it most.