How many wipes has WoW had? Any other MMOs? I can't really think of many persistent worlds that do wipes... for a good reason. It's a giant middle finger to the people who spent time getting that equipment.
The real way to fix it is making the benefits from grinding less good. Which has already been done: the level nerf (from 40+ to 30-31 being the usual high) then the weapon heirloom nerf. Now all we need, IMO, is a similar armor loom nerf.
Also let's face it, wipe hurts casual players the most. People who have managed to get their masterwork weapons over half a year++ will get fucked while those with 3945 gens now will soon have 15 looms again, while the casuals will have 0-1.