Why is Crafting still in the game?

[Nekodar]

Ok I agree but something needs to change as it stands, you pay more tomes to craft on par items I propose either:-

Make the crafts require less mats and keep gear the same
OR
keep the cost the same and make the gear stronger

I'm not asking for bis, but if I'm spending my tomes on materials for a risky craft I want it to be worthwhile

There are people out there that can 100% HQ the 2 Star recipes without having to rely on luck... Risky only if you're not one of those.
And those crafted i70 items are better than darklight, at least when HQ, and definitely when they've been melded, so it does make sense for them to cost more.