the "relic" and "anima" and whatever 4.0 version of it should not be powerful

[RaijinSupreme]

There really isn't much point to putting up with endgame content unless you enjoy the company of others. The progression is the same, everyone becomes the same or similar in the end. You play to progress the power of your character, everything boils down to this. Why bother with exponential effort for something that becomes easier later?

Well, I'm more of a minority of raiders. I enjoy the content and mainly do it for the company of the team I'm in. Also, I know with every raid tier I get more competent beyond just simply gear, lots of intangible skill improvements. But my perspective is far from common.

Seems you already know the answer to your own question.