Personally I liked how in XI I could, hunt nms, run dyna, salavage, einherjar, nyzul, etc all the while earning items directly toward or to sell or trade for items for my relic/mythic weapons. And get multiple pieces a time for multiple jobs.

Finally getting a piece of gear to drop and winning the lot was crazy exciting and you would proudly wear it around. Sure gear swaps were a pain but that was due to a bad macro system and miniscule item bag. Remember the days of only being able to carry 30 items total? Gear and other drops? And it was worth spending 1-2m gil on a crafted ring or body piece.

The best part of it, was that I knew all my hard work and time spent wasn't going to be all for naught 2 months down the line.

Even if they want to keep going vertical, it is waaaaay to fast.