Square Enix should really address dungeon loot drops...

[SnowVix]

Sorry, I should have specified ARR as prior to content added after its second-to-last major patch, rather than just "ARR". Foolish me. Even then, as you've just pointed out, they were separated in exactly 4 instances/tiers, and not the remaining 38, nor any crafted gear prior to the final tier.

Either way, I have to wonder what's so damn much stealthier about the purple chest-wrap or navy sleeveless tunic as compared to the brown chest-wrap or tan sleeveless tunic as to warrant the bloat in grind and inventory space for a piece used by the exact same role as categorized in content (merely Melee DPS) and with the exact same defensive value.

No, you still missed the point. The reason that Striking gear prior to 2.4 is equippable by Ninjas and provides both STR & DEX is that Ninja did not exist when the gear was released, and making a whole new set of gear for all of those sets for Ninja would have been a complete waste of development time. When 2.4 released, and with it Rogue & Ninja, Ninja got its own set as it was a melee (and thus couldn't use the ranged gear which had different stat priorities and defensive values at the time), but was dexterity-based for damage, and thus couldn't just use the standard melee DPS gear.

[Shurrikhan]

No, you still missed the point. The reason that Striking gear prior to 2.4 is equippable by Ninjas and provides both STR & DEX is that Ninja did not exist when the gear was released, and making a whole new set of gear for all of those sets for Ninja would have been a complete waste of development time. When 2.4 released, and with it Rogue & Ninja, Ninja got its own set as it was a melee (and thus couldn't use the ranged gear which had different stat priorities and defensive values at the time), but was dexterity-based for damage, and thus couldn't just use the standard melee DPS gear.

I'm aware. I was there when the job was added. I am not arguing that they should have made separate items for NIN at the time. I am arguing that was no reason for Scouting to be consistently its own one-job armor class from 2.4 onward when it is aesthetically identical to Striking in a majority of sets.

Making it at all times its own set, regardless of any aesthetic features in question, is mere gear grind and inventory bloat for their own sake. Imagine, for instance, if RDM was forced to farm out its own "of Spellfencing" set for every step in ilvl... but it was still the exact same robes, merely redyed, 80% of the time, for the exact same content-categorized "Magical Ranged DPS" role.

If the difference in aesthetic actually exists, then by all means make the separate item. But if we're offering no more than a redye, then the only "contribution" is to player hours played (grinded for the additional, needlessly separate items) and retainer fees once the glamour dresser is maxed out.

(Would I say the same for the any, say, Gubal Library robes that share both the same skin and defense value? Yes. Definitely. Share the stats across them. It's not like that other stats can be of any use anyways.)