Greetings from a new player!

Hey guys I downloaded Epic roughly 4 days ago and I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I am already level 42 and I’ve found that my progress has proceeded my power level. In other words I feel that my characters are behind on their gear and besides spending real money, I’m not sure how to acquire proper gear. I am interested in opening the friendship gates to which I haven’t opened a single one. None of my friends are interested in this game so I was curious if anyone here would mind helping me?