We're working hard to release a zone that should fit with your desires quite well (duo-box up to a point). It should provide an intermediate gear step for many/most classes, if you can get to the named mobs. There will also be quests offering tokens allowing people to purchase gear to fill in some of the gaps they may have from other zones/quests.
Keep your eyes peeled on Discord. Release of the zone should be coming this week (with any luck)!