Anima... its not fun anymore

[Vexander]

To be fair, the anima/relic weapons are glamour sticks and nothing else. You don't work on a relic to get the BiS weapon for your job, you do it for the appearance and, perhaps, the story. Its meant to be a grind because you have other options to get weapons on an equal strength to the current step, much faster no less. Having an anima/relic weapon isn't a requirement, its purely for those who want to pursue it.

That said, endless grinds are a pretty tiresome mechanic to gate it behind. I don't mind some grinding, and I'm grateful there is little RNG involved in the weapon, but I wouldn't be opposed if, say, you have to visit the stones of the Twelve around Eorzea to seek their blessing to empower your weapon either. Maybe face a solo-boss tuned to the weapon's iLvl as a kind of challenge by said deity. Or imagine facing primals solo for the same purpose. I feel like there are a lot of options to make these weapons -feel- more legendary in the course of the journey of their creation, than we have currently seen. The entire story of the anima is to make it stronger so the budding life can grow within it and such. I can accept we're essentially treating it like an infant and giving it a steady diet of selective aether baby-food. I just hope what we have in Stormblood will be more about creating a legendary weapon, and -performing- legendary feats in the process. I'd like for NPCs to have little gossip texts like, 'Is that the blade Masamune?! Forged by the Blacksmith Gerolt and the Swordmaster <insert Doman name here>? The blade which struck down the terror Susano?!"

I don't think they'll ever be free of grinds, but I do feel like the grinds need to be simpler while the epic moments need to increase.