What is this? What can be made from it?

Additional options were honestly an amazing addition, that with the change that made drops more likely to be for your job made it so easy for new players/low-level/side characters to get a set of equipment that was good for you. And for higher level people, it's very easy to get the good Flames from crafting or from events to get your current equipment really good stats, you don't have to pay anything.

If for some reason the scissor count even affected you (why would someone need to trade a piece of equipment 5 times?), you could probably afford to just make another one...