Well, and this is just my personal opinion but, other games use the same system and is actually a clever way to differentiate veteran players from the newcomers. If it's a cosmetic thing that is... It's a good reward for being supporting the game for longer. D1 was this way, and when I finally jumped into it during year 2, did not mind veteran players, who have been playing the game longer, having cosmetic stuff I couldn't get. I don't really agree with your statement "...drive away new players..." just because during the time I've played D1 there was always new people coming to the game (unless a hella lot of people keep on starting new chars, lol)... regardless, I don't really think lockedout cosmetic items can sway new players away from any game.