A suggestion to keep normal raids relevant for longer:

[Valence]

this could work as well, as long as the savage tier is better in every way compared to the normal mode's gear drops i think it would be a good trade off. hell they could just remove the materia slots from the normal raid gear version entirely and just make that a savage exclusive thing too.

Normal mode loot just needs to be below savage in item level. Coincidentally that's what tomestone gear is at patch release it's 10 ilvl below savage, and only becomes on par with its augmented version the next major patch.
Normal mode loot would really benefit to compete with normal tomestone gear really. Currently non existent weapons included.

As another stated: you have relics. You also have EX weapons. Let's also not forget the crafted (770) and augmented crafted that will be 780 (similar to non-augmented tome gear ilvl) when they release a bit later.

- Relics don't follow the same pattern of tiers and release, and generally their new step happen during gameplay lulls, namely in the middle or at the end of patches.
- Ex weapons are by very definition not casual weapons.
- Crafted doesn't compete with tome gear.

Savage players don't have it much better mind you, since the only thing they add at the side of tomestones is savage loot. But that's already twice more options.