The writer is right about stats and echos.

They're next to useless in the face of pattern memorization.

In XI you could tell who is a great player in a group but in XIV there is no such thing. You either follow the pattern or you don't. In extremes the great players cannot compensate for the mis-steps of the less experienced. Skill in this game is binary. You either follow the steps or you fail.

Now that I think about it; why am I working so hard for gear to begin with?
The animus is not THAT much stronger than easier-to-get gear and in the end it's not going to matter that much especially for a warrior.