The issue with loot is all over the forms. Some think you should buy the best gear with marks, others think you should have to earn the best gear from raids and devs want the loot to be rare enough to keep the game from being boring. So why not add another mark that drops only from the raid bosses that can be exchanged for that raids drops. That way the bosses will either drop the loot or the gear exchange mark for said piece of gear. Elite raids would drop a different elite mark. This would at least mean you would still have to run the raids for the best gear and if you didn't get lucky on getting a gear drop, you at least get a mark that will be traded in when you get enough of them. This wouldn't kill the grind but at least make it worth the reset since your still getting closer to that next piece of gear. Just another idea to throw out there.
This is intended. They already said you don't need the raid gear for completing the content, you can even buy the style from the rare vendor. They want you to buy replays if you want the best gear, as Mepps said "be jealous". Sad but true.
You don't need the raid gear to complete the content, on this I agree, however when you run an Elite Thrones and all you get is 98 items, there is a problem. It's gotten me to the point of not wanting to do Elite anymore. Why waste my time in there when I can just complete the normal one. I don't replay much so I've done Thrones 4 times, and out of those 12 drops, I had one 100 item, all the rest were 98.
In my opinion, the system works fine as is. Vendor gear is there to give you the stats to get on with new content at the (roughly) required CR/Stats. You're fully set to play with the vendor gear that comes with the content. Anything else imo is just a bonus. Bragging rights if you will. Those extra stats that say hey look I worked hard in this raid and it paid off.
