It's funny that the people who don't think gear matters are mostly mages and jobs that have a high demand to them.
most melee can appreciate the top end gear because it benifits the party, and the number of invites that they get.
I recently picked ranger up, and i could have easily half assed it to 70.
Not level my nin to 37, use nq bows and xbows that have no r acc or r att bonuses, use silver arrows all the way to 70, and no one would have said anything to my face about it, because i'm a ranger, and would probably still out dd any other melee in the pt.
RDMs WHMs BLMs PLDs can do the same thing and consistently get invites. But you sure as hell would complain about a pld who cant hold hate to your ls, or wonder why the fights are so much harder when the rdm's buffs get resisted, or a blms MB gets resisted. it's not skill that makes a MB max out, its gear.
its not skill that makes my dark keep up, or surpass thf's drg's and other melee's (not rng or sam

) its my gear.
I'm not as abrasive as vang when i dismiss someone from my party, but i get my point accross, you can not join my party that is going to pull 5k an hour even with your shitty gear, when i can replace your ass with someone who is well(not pimped, just well equiped) and can get 6k an hour.
this is especially true when i party my ranger, because i'm going to shoot just as many arrows an hour wether we are doing 2k an hour or 6k an hour.
if you dont have the decensy to stop your level whoring for a week to pick up erase, a sniper ring, an astral ring, a life belt, or whatever there is to be bought, then why even play this game.
if your sports team decided they werent going to get the best players, but instead a bunch of ok guys, would you want to go watch them?
if your favorite designer decided they werent going to use the quality materials they use, instead use a bunch of crap would you still buy their product?
i dont think anyone would, so why would you expect to walk into a party with a group of people who work hard to get the appropriate(if not best gear) for thier level with your steamed scale male at lvl 40 on your ranger instead of noct gear?
go farm, this game isnt all about making gil, its not all about leveling to 75, its not all about doing missions and quests, its a culmination of them all, and knowing how to do each of them will make the game more enjoyable.
imagine an LS were one of the main subjects wasnt about how broke everyone was. the ls i left,i had helped everyone make money, for the most part they are all doing well. they all didnt take the same path i took, but i helped them find something that was good for them, and now the core of them are doing real well for themselves.
It is not hard to make money in this game, it just takes a little work and determination.
one of the lvl 40ish whm's in my ls would log on, go to tahrongi canyon and farm his little taru butt off, ele's and seeds, and whatever else there is there, and he had gotten to about 400k last time i talked to him.
when he was tired of farming, he would do some tele taxi, he is hustling his way to 500k for erase, and that is something that is admirable.
being lvl 60 without erase is not admirable its lazy.
being sixty without snipers is lazy.
being 60 without using all ninjitsu available to you is lazy.
take some time out make some money, then you can party with me. 75 won't be as fun with a bunch of broke ass, cant make a mil unless whatever nm drops and you get a cut, people running around wondering why they get their ass handed to them when doing hnm's when others do it with less.