Too many posts out there that float my way to quote them all...

But i call them AF and AF2 out of habit from FFXI...

A +1 version, in my book, is the same item just upgraded (Like you upgrade your relic weapon. You loose the normal one and get the +1)

AF2 (and every other new number) has nothing to do with the lower tier in terms of how you obtain them. (And who says we won't be able to upgrade AF2 to AF2+1 or the next tier AF3 to AF3+1... no one knows...)

If it's an entirely new design and not just a color swap with additional details, i will probably call it relic gear and start the count all over.