To answer straight to ur question, yes, you'll probably have to make APS character if u want to farm ur gears alone. Although, there are a lot of players that can help u make ur gears. Also, my main character is a veno and I farmed my demonic (better version of lv140 gear) alone, cause it is farmable by attending events and doing dailies. Therefore, I just skipped farming any gear and I farmed demonic gear with starter gear which is also an option 4 u.