I think this is blowing this specific statement out of proportion, even now on XIV, and in every game ever, the endgame centers around gear, when you can't level any more, it's the gear that pushes you past that stat cap, what they're saying isn't so much a change in the system as it is a general explaination of every game ever, the higher your level, the more the gear matters, doesn't matter if we're talking about FFXIV and gear, WoW and purples (or whatever the hell color they use for endgame gear) be it Need for speed and tier 4 mods, or Armored Core and Extensions, gear will alaways mean a world of difference after you hit the wall, this is not going to change no matter how much you protest it because this is the way it has always been.