So why are the crafter relics.. bad.

[DixieBellOCE]

For Expert Crafting it's extremely strong to have that bonus. While you can brute force it for Ishgard Restoration, you can't if you want things like the Otter Fountains. Hence sidegrade.

And let's be honest, under most circumstances the difference in stats won't be that noticeable except in extreme high-end crafting. At worst you take an extra step. Again, you're making a scene for nothing.

So the only reason for the relic to exist is to make it slightly better to make otter fountains and to do later relic steps.

Yeah thats not a good design for a current tier relic.