First off, this is a combat centric game where you're an adventurer. You start as an adventuring class. You can't even do crafting or gathering at all til lvl 10. Pretty sure it, alone with the armoury system, is also locked behind an MSQ.

Let's look at the lore reasons:
Up until now, absolutely no one that isn't already Ishgardian has been permitted into Ishgard for any reason. Even the merchants that do trade do so at the gates only.
They do not like you. They do not want to like you. This was established as far back as the very first MSQs that take place in Coerthas.
However, the story quest changes that. You seriously pull their fat out of the fire during the MSQ, so you, Alphinaud, Cid, and Tataru alone are permitted entry into Ishgard at the behest of one of its nobles.
These nobles, including the nice one, wouldn't care if you're the world's best digger or weaver, they do not want you in their country. This is what isolationism is. Even if you invented a potion that could kill dragons, they'd STILL do all their business with you in Coerthas.

In short, crafting and gathering are and always will be SECONDARY to your accomplishments as a DoW/M, and it's been like that since the day you started the game. If you don't like that, then maybe this isn't the game for you.

Quote Originally Posted by Illya View Post
They uhm tried to make it possible to complete the story as a DoL/DoH in FFXIV 1.0. It was an unmitigated disaster.
Hoo boy was this true. Did you know this is one of the reasons you can technically clobber things with a fishing pole or weaver's needle?