Relics are nothing short of glamor. And as patches progress (and expansions), they get easier and easier to obtain over the year(s). Why not just make them level 1 fully flashy glamor with a quest instead of making them a long winded grind that doesn't really do anything in the long run? They went from being worth their salt when ARR released (for like 5 minutes) to practically useless when endgame became available (at least till glamor became a thing). This way devs can work on other things (and not really have to worry about the combat stats). We all just want the shiny toy and its glow. Nobody cares about it being an actual product (when tome weapons become available after 7 weeks passed, or you finish the final raid of that series)