v5-v15 should be very PUGable even these days.
V5 yes, v15 not really from what my experience.
Unless the PUG is actually having LSmate/friends with high Odyssey progression sitting on DD slots, not real PUG with 5 members from PUG community. And I'll explain why:
so it's not that impossible to measure up to "elite" players even if v20 is out of reach
You completely missed players social behavior with the above statement though. But first let's figure out exactly where does DD sit with pre-ody BiS, pre-ody average gear, and r20 5/5.
Checking my cor spreadsheet, in attack uncapped situations, a Nyame 5/5 SB cor against mobs with 1k defense and 40% attack boost from chaos roller, manually added naeg bonus cuz I don't think it's properly implemented:
I am getting
43400 WS avg using Nyame r25 5/5.
If I use pre-ody BiS including Lake+3 body, Megh +2 hands, Lanun +3 feet and 2 pieces of wsd +10% DM augment herc:
I am getting
35098 WS avg using pre Ody BiS gears.
That's about 19% WS avg difference.
If you don't have wsd +10% DM augment, only something avg, like STR +8 wsd +4% attack +10 pieces x2:
I am getting
34044 WS avg. Aka close to 21% behind.
What about Nyame r20 5/5?
I am getting
40721 aka 6% behind.
Here is the thing: although Nyame r20 5/5 guys seems relatively close to r25 5/5 guys, if you are pugging a v15 run fat chance is that you will NOT get someone with r20 5/5 saying that they want to join your pt. Because they don't need any RP from bumba as their Nyame is capped until they get v20 clears.
So 99% of the time, from PUG you'll get someone that's 19% behind
minimum. And that is IF they even have pre-Odyssey BiS aka at least 2 pieces of wsd +10% DM augment and omen/dyna D/ambu WSD gears.
More than half the time, you'll get someone that's even further behind without dm aug nor even omen/dyna D wsd JSE done. Because at this point doing omen/dyna D for older wsd pieces seems like a waste of time since Nyame replaces them. So many people frequently skip these too.
So yes, very frequently, a bumba v15 PUG with members purely from PUG community usually won't do enough DPS, even for v15. I almost always have to drag someone from LS with Odyssey progression to help and ensure a win if I PUG v15-v19 runs. Or else the chance of not doing enough dmg before fetter is very high if all 5 members are from PUG community without a group.
I mean I got that SE wanted players to climb the Odyssey progression ladder using pre-ody BiS gears or close. Realistically players will simply skip the progression ladder by playing support for their group/LS in v15/v20 runs until their DD is done with Nyame. Leaving everyone else without a LS having less choices in PUG.
And that's not start with utterly noticable difference in C run pt. Segment gain in PUG generally avg 5k-9k, a pt with high Odyssey progression members starts at 12k minimum, some pt with aggressive pulls even hit close 15k it seems. Even if all these pt uses mostly the same setup and strategy. And that means DD with an Odyssey group aren't going to join PUG for less segment gain.
So yes, I think the way Odyssey progression works separates community. PUG generally has worse performance in MMO, but the difference between a PUG ambu VD pt in 2018-2019 wasn't as huge as Odyssey pt now from my experience PUGing many things for years.