Since the release of OneTamriel, there have been a few posts on the official forums that discuss the competitiveness of the crafted sets versus all of the new zone and monster sets.
In reviewing these discussions, I’m most in agreement with STEVIL.
While developing thru levels, crafted sets now a filler rather than focus in no small part because of the drops being found scaling over and over…So crafted equip is not “done” or “useless” but it is now IMO less often the centerpiece and more often the extra.