Altdorf siege and a healer gear rant

Saturday morning we sieged Altdorf after pushing zones for several hours. After getting into Altdorf, however, we were unsuccessful in pushing to stage two. It appears the best defense from a city siege is no defense at all.
Of course there was the usual complaining on the forums about the broken city mechanic. Who can blame them? It seems in every patch, whether it be with inventory issues, Lost Vale or not seeing objectives on the map, something is broken.
What is more frustrating to me, however, is the impact gear has on the game. Gear matters far more than most people realize.