We don't need them anymore.

[Shipp]

The fact that you dismiss cosmetics just because they carry no in game stats shows how disconnected you are from the player base at large. Ff14's cosmetic system is the basis for almost every reward in the game ranging from casual content like island sanctuary to hardcore content like ultimate weapons. Players enjoy collecting cosmetics and it is the motivation for many people to even attempt new/harder content.
Just because there are timed exclusives in real life does not mean that people need to deal with that as well in a game they pay to play for enjoyment. Gacha games heavily rely on the predatory FOMO model because they are free to play and want to make as much money as they can at the expense of their players. Many people use Ff14 as a form of escapism from the cruelty of the real world and do not need to be punished for not playing the game at a specific point in time for the game to make profit like gacha games do. The devs moved away from the timed feast rewards for a reason and are listening to the needs of the majority of their players. You may not like this but it is just the reality that Ff14 wants to present itself as welcoming to as many people as possible and limited feast rewards have the opposite effect.

If the player base at large is whining they should be entitled to have rewards from a time they didn't play, then yeah, I am disconnected to the player base. I play this game to fight bosses and have fun with friends. You know, actually play the game. Not whine on forums how I wasn't around for an exclusive limited-time only reward and how dare SE not go back on their word to appease me!

Let's be real honest here. Nobody is being punished for not playing at a certain time. Legacy players were -rewarded- with a reduced sub, a unique chocobo, a tattoo on their legacy characters, and their name in the credits for sticking with the game and paying during a time that the game was in a poor state. You didn't do that. You don't get the goods just because it has been 12+ years.

No, I think it is you who is disconnected from what people look for in an MMO. It's primary appeal to potential players isn't, "How well can I play dress up." It's to play in a shared world with other people and get stronger to take on bosses. That is the main appeal of MMOs. Glamor and stuff is a great addition, but the genre survived and thrived long before WoW ever started the trend with transmogs, and having a whopping one entire set locked out to you from a time when you refused to play the game for whatever reason will not hurt you. Afterall, as people like you love to claim, "They're just pixels."