Is FF14's tome system and endgame horribly flawed?

[Starbirth]

This is called gear distribution. They need to have a system to reward good gears to players that do not raid/don't do hard content.

Yes it should. And that's why we have caps. You can choose: spend time or do the hardest content. The rewards will be the same, the routes, different.

If one takes a route through a grass field; gets rewarded with mountain climbing gear and then decides to climb a mountain then what do you think the outcome will be?