Yes the drop tables have been changed but this applies to a lot of areas.
For example, I was AOEing on sub in FoG yesterday and weapon pieces are dropping at a decent rate for a lvl 78 hunting zone but no armor pieces dropped.
Hellfire is still dropping both though.
So don't assume that these pieces will become harder to get. I suspect the opposite will be true. However, I hope they have increased the drop rate on Synthesis Cokes or Ori Ore because that stuff is pretty hard to come by.
maybe a incentive for trades between players? 'cause I've seen a lot of these stuffs dropping in low hunting grounds.
This implies that something else dropped which players would want and be willing to trade for. But in L2 there are two types of areas. Areas where mobs drop thread that no one wants and areas where mobs drop important crafting equipment that everyone wants. If you are hunting in the former area you will never be able to trade with the person in the latter area because no one wants your thread.
^ idk in which server you are playing, but in the few logins I did last days (I'm not being a intense player these days), I already could see some private stores to buy/sell these itens. maybe some ppl just dont care about the logic and go on enjoying it (the game).
With "Bg Days" they have changed some craft recipes for example a dynasty armor piece needs almost 6k armor pieces (I find that an insane amount for an S grade but w/e), and you can get pieces by hunting even on lower areas like Ruins of Despair, ToI.