Is this where it begins?

[Aethon]

In defense of the dev team, there really isn't much room for drastically more awesome equipment. Look at a lot of the AF3+3 pieces, voidwatch, or legion gear. some of that can really get a job a bit op. Everything has to be a marginal upgrade or sidegrade.
As to situational pieces. people have used situational gear for years, it's just becoming prevalent and common instead of only for hardcore players. there have always been TP sets, WS sets, and what have you. SE if just taking a more official part in bringing them to the front.
I would love to have some new super-awesome-must have gear... but i don't honestly think it'll happen... or really that it should.

[Dazusu]

As to situational pieces. people have used situational gear for years, it's just becoming prevalent and common instead of only for hardcore players.

What? That's backwards. Situational gear was prevalent and common at level 75, for both casual and hardcore players alike. With the advent of Abyssea, players stopped bothering with situational gear - and most still don't.

That's not my point though. Almost every piece of gear in Salvage II is plain useless and sub-par to Legion/Nyzul gear. "new content" shouldn't have gear that's a few classes below existing gear, else the new content isn't worth doing. I give you Limbus II and how active that event is(n't).

The idea in an MMO is to keep moving forward and progressing, sidegrading isn't progressing. At this point, they might as well add HNMs back with a 0.1% drop rate and let us chase them for another 5 years rather than reinvent the wheel with subpar sidegrades.