Why is ALL gear the SAME

This is pretty simple, and I don't really expect it to change, but I'm trying to understand why all gear of a certain level is exactly the same.

I love searching for loot... But it makes absolutely zero difference what I wear to my performance. Dungeon loot, crafted loot, NQ, materia, no materia... Absolutely no difference to my ability to get through content.

It is starting to feel pointless to worry about what I'm wearing or what my weapon is, which is making me lose all interest in getting loot.

And if there is no reason to chase loot... What the heck is the point of this game????

The whole point is that while there are subtle differences, a piece of gear that is the exact same item level as another piece of gear is arguably the same in terms of performance. For example, the gear from ST is item level 100, and in comparison it is very similar to the gear you can obtain through tomes of Soldiery with the exception of both looks and acquisition. The point of this is that you need to play challenging content like the latest Binding Coil of Bahamut in order to obtain gear of higher value and strength than what is the norm.

Also, you have to consider that if you're finding that what you're wearing doesn't matter in 4-man and 8-man content, then that means you're essentially being carried by your group. The need for every member to be geared and skilled becomes less and less dire as content ages and as players out-gear themselves for content.

Your profile on the Armory shows that you have everything except for the fisher profession maxed, and while professions are all good and well in terms of gear acquisition, they are hardly the way to get most of the best pieces for your character in the game.

I think it's mostly that they wanted mass appeal for this game. As such they wanted equipment to be fairly simple and easy to understand. They didn't want players pondering which piece of equipment is better than any other. As such, just knowing the level (or item level) and what role the piece is designed for is enough to gauge it's relative value. I personally think they went to far in this approach and as a result have some of the blandest itemization of any game that I've played. Hopefully they rectify this sooner or later, but for the time being this is how things are.

If you think all loot are the same you are either blind or cannot count.

Different gears have different stats. Some are better suited then others. Some are better suited for certain play styles.

And some are just awesome for glamour.