You're absolutely right, but Explorer's gear enables me to kill the mobs I need to kill. I'm a veteran player, so I can't get the support pack, so it's just quest and dropped gear for me, which really doesn't cut it in Auroria. But don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy killing mobs. But not when I'm under geared, then it's just frustrating.
Anyway, in retail AA you get Explorer's Gear and Infusions/Awakening Scrolls as Story Quest rewards. I'm not kidding when I say it's game changing! I've been playing AA (in some form) since 2014, but it was not until the introduction of this gear that I actually got to experience most of the content. It's one of the best things XL Games has ever done for the game.
Now I'm pretty sure 6.0 coincided with the release of AAU and it's probably one of my favorite patches. I think a lot people liked that patch and I've a feeling that many former players will return to ArcheRage when you finally get it. Because AAU is nothing more than a toxic, bot infested nightmare. But we need that gear!