The earning is not in being given something just for doing something. it is earning items to be used to purchase said items from the vedors.. and that is where your logic is failing you. You were never meant to get the best items easily or quickly just for repeately doing the same things over and over again. Those tasks were to gain rep and currency for the vendors to go buy the items. Not have them be handed to you just for doing abx for xyz times in a row. The earning was in earning the currency to buy the items. Or else the vedors are pretty much pointless in the game.