Yes they're kinda pointless and will probably be removed in 6.0 unless designers backtrack on what is effectively a bad design and go back to how things were. Many are hoping but chances are slim. This follows everything else they've done with class design, be it ressource uptime, stance dancing, crafting etc.. They've taken some of the core aspects of classes and have made them easier/braindead, all in an effort to not give too big an advantage to higher skilled players and reduce the skill gap. Makes their life easier when calibrating content, means people aren't as pressured to perform better, but makes the gameplay more boring with growing experience.
There's a limit to how much you can do this of course so they may add a bit of complexity for some roles (healers come to mind as being in a pretty bad place right now)