Eves meta level gives about 8+ levels of virtually everything in the game. Perps meta levels are comparable but not very well defined nor balanced and because 8 of those meta levels are constructable it makes 10 of them virtually useless and 4 of them completely.
This is where Perp and Eve differ, you can only build 2 types in eve and everything else is either a loot or bpx drop from npc or npc related activity. The first type is the lowest meta and so comparably useless, it's almost always just as effective to buy one of the lower metas as they are cheap. This gives ratting a real reward at every level as there is a market for almost everything.
Perp currently has
Syntec
T0
T1
T1 proto
T2
T2 proto
T2+
T3-
T3
T3 proto
T4
T4 proto
T4+
Now this means that really you can build the best level of anything in game. The cost of that is so low that it negates the use of much of the lower tiers. If your a cheap *** or looking for specific benefits you can use the t3 and t2 but there is absolutely no use in any of the meta stuff below T4 other than perhaps the t2+ medium aux.
Lack of use equals not only lack of price but lack of motivation to farm them.
So this comes to the point of what to do about it. To start with that let me define the problem as I see it - the current meta levels remove the reward from PVE as you can make the highest tier of virtually everything in the game. This makes them invisible to the point of not being worth having in game.
I would suggest to fix that that t0 and t3- are removed and replaced with three factional tiers above and beyond tier 4 and a new t3+ is added. I would further suggest that all rats stop dropping t2 - 4 completely and their drop rates are very much increased with the meta levels. I would see a tier five red rat dropping t4+ every ten or so kills. Meta level 5 would be every two hundred and only from dark star or equivalent. Meta 6 every four thousand and only from dark star. meta 7 every Eighty thousand and this would be a chance drop from a new rat type using the praetorian models to denote 'boss' rats. Observers would still be dropping niani which would now be T3+ and a heavier equivalent of T4.
I believe doing this would fix a lot of the issues around PVE not just from missions but on beta and gamma too. ANY PVE is dull if the reward isn't right and currently it's far too linear with no real chance to make money from anything but plasma unless your doing star beacons.
Proverbs 23:20-21 warns us, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags."