The game is not balanced and thats actually a good design choice.

The only game theory rules that makes everything clicks :

Rock paper cissors. But we need more of it.

The whole game is based on that idea.
Teams can rush, turtle or tech.
Each one of them counter another.
Helicopter, mortar, AA.
Kinda similar isnt it?

« what you mean more of it »

If you play enough you will find that the more you unlock, the less reason you have to play anything except the high tier. This is wrong.

If I have the thermal, I need a drawback.
Not just a very cheap and OP item.
Battery? Price? You name it.

Same goes for all the choices you need to make in the game when picking a loadout.

Lower tier should be relevant and NOT LEVEL GATED.

We dont care if thermal beats non ghilli suit 100% of the time. The issue is, i need to play 20 hours to unlock that suit.
In the meantime I will get killed in loop and loose money.

« What about the economy »

People playing more should have more money.

Death should punish your wallet with something close as a beginner that needs to make choices on loadout.
The only way to do both at the same time without making anyone unhappy is this :

ROCK PAPER CISSORS.

The issue with the level gated content is precisely this :

« Can we take that hill ? »
« I am getting spotted 100% of my time alive by thermal i will buy it in only 20 hours man sorry. »

« I cant counter t3-t4 armor with AP rounds I need to level up man. « 
« By the way he has this rifle that is basically a sniper in term of range but it kills you twice faster than an AK/gallil.
It is called FAL man wait. »
« Oh. »
« He did 1 tap you my friend. »

We need to offer the option to buy something to counter, but to make the purchase meaningfull.
Less meaningfull for rich players.
But still.

PRICE AND DISPONIBILITY.

I want to counter you but it will cost me so much to unlock that specific tool if i am not very advanced into the game.

Should I unlock it knowing i then cant anymore until….

The pricing of everything is way too low.
The HZ reward is way too low.
You see where i go?

Death(money) punish works like this.
The more you play the less you care about money because it becomes too easy.
Sell high tier in boxes at spawn.
Economy is all about time, movement.
And the actual movement at that time?
Huge risk of collapse.

TLDR : vertical progression based, higher prices, less freedom for the rich that keeps getting richer. It is not a market simulator and draining money elsewhere with skins ?
It doesnt fix the true issue for long.