Please no more levels.

[Evergrey]

Alternate leveling has been used in other games as well, in conjunction with standard leveling.

EQ implemented the Alternate Advancement system to avoid the issue of level bloat. In the AA system you accumulated XP after reaching the level cap and you could distribute points to make small adjustments to your character (Very similar to the Diablo 3 system, if you've played that, with paragon points, only much more complicated.)

The AA system, as it applied in EQ, encouraged people to keep playing, even for marginal gains (that did in fact add up after a while) some even rewarded unique mounts. It kept people invested in the game and the development of their character.

Quick Edit: Thinking back on it now, EQ also had a skill leveling system tied into the standard leveling as well. If you used a sword and nothing else for 10 levels, you'd only level your one-hand slash skill (or 2hs as the case may be) and if you found a mace you really wanted to use, you needed to level that up as well or it wouldnt be as effective as a 1hs. These skills were capped per level, so every level you might be able to train another 5 points in the skill. It applied to everything from offensive weapon use, parrying, riposte, swim speed, you name it.

I just dont think today's player base could handle that kind of complexity though, and it seems the devs would agree. They keep it simple, easy, and it all seems pointless.

If done correctly, the player shouldnt feel that way. They should feel that leveling means something. Devs just need to do a better job of implementing that.

ESO uses a similar system.
After you reach max level you instead collect experience in a "Champion Points System".
When you "level up" you get a point to allocate to a multitude of nodes that boosts your characters performance in different ways, like combat, resource managements, crafting, gathering, and so on.
And how they handle gear, since no one gains any more levels and the "Item level" stays the same is that they have a multitude of Gear Sets with bonuses.
More and more sets of gear is added with updates and expansions so people have things to collect when running new dungeons and raids.
Ofc, sets and bonuses always ends up in Meta builds and I'm fairly certain that there are those in FFXIV that would fight tooth and nail to not let FFXIV end up in such a way.

[Chasingstars]

And how they handle gear, since no one gains any more levels and the "Item level" stays the same is that they have a multitude of Gear Sets with bonuses.

Wonder if they are experimenting with something similar. As the splendorous tools have unique effects beyond just stats.