Dawntrail's relic's second step very much feels like an "Oh shit! Everyone despises Forked Tower! We better make a substitute fast!" moment. I don't do roulettes anymore so it was more annoying than anything.
The demi-atma step was grueling, but only because the verdigris wouldn't drop in OC and I had to go outside (at least overworld fates give you bicolors as an extra). A simple trader would've worked wonders here (3 of a piece for one of another or something) and it's a shame that such an easy fix was forgotten about entirely.

As for relics in general, I've done one ARR and one HW. I do prefer when we have multiple avenues to grind 'light', and I also enjoyed the books step since it made me go out into the overworld and learn about mob placements.

The best for a relic is simply to offer multiple ways to grind for what you need. That satisfies many different types of players.