Well, there will be min reqs regardless... but it used to be that you had to have a certain level of resist... or a certain amount of hps for a fight- those kinds of things. When fights rely on more tailored requirements, not a flat Ilevel, then you have more flexibility- out of necessity.
However, I tend to agree that Ilevel kind of messes things up. However, when you have a large variety of stats, such as resists, additional effects of various kinds- Ilevel becomes fuzzier... because it isn't a 1:1 stat comparison. Sure, you still have the people that require Ilevel X gear for fights- but if you could have that X level and still not meet the hp or resist threshold, then you have to look beyond iLevel to fight specifics.
