Should Alexander hard drop highest item level gear?

[Eidolon]

I pose a question in return. If you don't need the gear from Savage to down Savage, would you be interested in it? Why?

I pose a counter:

You get the gear that lets you faceroll it (Storymode/Tome) to make the content of Storymode/Tome easier.
You get the gear from Savage, to make it easier to get more gear from it. This is a logical progression, and it's exactly why the arguement of "Why are you interested in this gear if you can do it already?!" It's all about that optimization of our classes and being rewarded for performing.