New crafting class!?

[Niwashi]

crafted gear is purposely lower ilv than end-game, to make end-game stuff, desirable.

There's plenty of ways to do that other than to deliberately keep all crafting useless.

They could make end-game raid equivalent gear that's craftable but untradeable, so crafters can gear themselves in the best the game has to offer, but anyone else has to raid for equivalents.

They could make the BiS items for a few slots only available by raiding (with crafting providing a close second-place), and at the same time have the BiS items for other slots only available by crafting (with raiding providing a close second-place). Along with these include a grinding path (Relics) that gives the BiS gear for another slot (with both raiding and crafting taking a more distant second place). That's a pattern that keeps everything relevant and important, (while also allowing people to limit themselves to only a favorite portion of the game if they're willing to use lower-tier gear).

Instead SE has decided to take the approach that they'll pretend to offer a variety of things in the game, but in fact, raiding is the only one of them that actually counts.

[Ashkendor]

There isn't enough content in the game for it. We have barely anything to do besides 2 zones or raid, 2 zones which never change and are not dynamic.

That doesn't even make sense. I say go raid. You say "but our only content is 2 dungeons and a raid!"

Even if that was the truth, my response would still be: if you want the best gear, then go raid.

[randysquirrel]

I don't much like the OP's idea, but some of the replies have been interesting.

A crafter that could make materia, and convert hidden slots to guaranteed, could be interesting.

Also maybe change one materia into a different type. Being able to pick exactly what materia you were changing too might be a bit too OP, so it could be at random (tho same level of material obv, not changing a IV into a II or anything), with a small chance that it levels up? Anything to put a stop to that Mutamix nonsense