Quote Originally Posted by linayar View Post
A counterpoint: The relic gear is basically the lowest item level for that level, and while it's a good starting point for current max level, jobs at previous max level should just move on from that, especially with how easy it is to get poetics.
As you say, it's not gear to be used for the long term, but it does create that starting point "minimum expected gear level" as you reach the final dungeon and trial for the expansion.

It's also entirely viable for someone to now pick up one of those expansion classes as their main job and not have access to poetics at that point. If someone picks up gunbreaker or dancer at Lv60 and plays it exclusively as they make their way through Stormblood, they're not going to have access to the Lv70 poetics vendor at the point where they're ready to tackle the Ala Mhigo dungeon and fight Shinryu. Players of other classes are automatically gifted a set of level-appropriate gear at that point, so why should they miss out?

It's essentially the approach they went with for the Heavensward jobs at Lv50, although they didn't get exclusive gear, but they did get a coffer of gear at an equivalent item level to what the ARR jobs receive for completing their job quest.

You also can't gear up entirely with poetics straight away, even if you arrived at endgame with a full pocket, so relic gear plugs the gaps while you save up.

Also, to push the logic that "it's easy to get poetics anyway" to its extreme conclusion, then why give starter gear either? Just give them the weapon and let the player figure out their own gear... but of course they don't do that. The starter gear is equal parts convenience so you can get straight into content without sidetracking for gear, miminum recommended level ready to face that section of the MSQ, and job-appropriate glamour.

Providing a relic-equivalent set at the point where other jobs receive relics just seems like keeping everyone treated equally. Even a free set of crafted or early tome gear would be better than nothing - but as I said, it's also an opportunity to give new glamour, especially for classes that don't fit their role's usual gear asethetic and would suit a design from a role they can't normally access, like RDM and GNB both suiting physical DPS gear.