I'm probably going to be a minority here, but I think the relic weapons were at their best in terms of effort to reward when they weren't tied to any specific content. I also feel as though if a content needs to have a completely unrelated and separate piece of content to make it feel more worthwhile that then that content cannot stand on its own and should either be scrapped or looked into WHY it requires it to feel complete.

The relic weapon system in both ARR and HW didn't have Eureka or Bozja gatekeeping it and I much prefer that to remain true going into Dawntrail. Admittedly, yes, you had to unlock certain things in order to progress either in ARR and HW but it was less intensive than an exploration zone where you'd unlock a dungeon, a trial or a normal raid here or there. The most annoying steps of it were just farming things like light, which you could do in anything but some were better at reducing the grind so you'd have incentive to unlock that content. But the big thing here is, You Didn't Have To.

By the time of Stormblood, relic weapons were directly tied to exploration content. And while Bozja would let you progress steps outside of it, that didn't change the fact that you were locked into Bozja directly with it. If you wanted the relic, you were forced to unlock and participate in Bozja. If you wanted to upgrade your relic, youre forced to progress Bozja. No amount of "you can progress steps" outside of Bozja changed that to upgrade it you HAD to do Bozja. And if exploration content isn't your jam, but you like relic weapons, you're thoroughly screwed in these scenarios which are directly counter to what relics were introduced as and progressed to in ARR and HW.

I have absolutely no problems what-so-ever if you can progress your relic in an exploration zone. That, I feel, is thematic with the relic system as it was originally. What I don't want is it to be tied to the exploration content. Period. I want the two to be separate, but be given the choice to progress my relic while engaging in the exploration content.

As much as I've heard complaints about the current system I've been very happy with it compared to both Stormblood and Shadowbringers versions, even though I've engaged with and completed both Eureka and Bozja. Everything you do in the game at max level gives you tomes. Which means I get to engage in progressing my relic however I please. I'm not forced to lock myself into a zone that cuts me off from the rest of the game in what might not be something I enjoy doing to grind something unrelated to it.

While I do agree that 1500 tomes per step is the easiest grind it's ever been and absolutely doesn't engage in the crafting or gathering aspects of the game (though Eureka and Bozja didn't either), I think it's a better alternative. Ideally, the relic should be its own thing and have its steps progressed in a way you choose that engages with all general aspects of the game itself that, in short, requires some continual effort on your part. But, I do have another requirement with it:

If the relic is supposed to be a "powerful weapon players can grind for instead of running Savage" like it was originally pitched as back in ARR, it shouldn't be easy or quick to grind for but ALSO shouldn't be weaker than even tome weapons, like it currently is for the first 4 patch cycles of an expansion. The effort should match the intended reward, otherwise until the end of the expansion, tome weapons are both an easier and shorter grind with a better reward for your efforts.