it feels pointless to grind gear that gives you no advantage against your opponents.

And with the current gear grind being almost completely random and offering very little in the way of player control, it just compounds the feeling of pointlessness and strips any incentive to engage with the system at all. Like what's the point of loot boxes? So I can get a piece of gear that doesn't do anything? Get a Mark of Honor that doesn't do anything, besides let me buy a token to reroll for a piece of gear that doesn't do anything? The system is comically short sighted.

And I get it right? The masses have spoken. We don't have the time to invest in long term growth for our characters, and so fuck the people who do. That's all well and good I guess. But don't waste my fucking time with the "illusion" of growth.