I’m curious. The WQ armor I see is ilvl 148. A crafted set of armor is 151. I’m just assuming that most people have at the very least a crafted set of armor once they reach level 60.
So I just do those quests for acquiring transmogs and fulfilling the calls from the covenants. I’m guessing that was what was meant by less armor available this expansion?
Or does that change at some point? Not complaining, just curious.
Renown ranks will up the ilevel of the WQ gear… but it still isn’t relevant, imo. At Renwon Rank 10, my WQ gear went up to 151. I’m in 151. 
That’s a big assumption. I didn’t craft or buy crafted gear for either of my toons. They are engi/alchs.
After leveling my shaman, I think I get what Blizzard is trying to do. WQ ilvl is tied to renown, largely, and renown has a catch-up mechanic. I was able to level my shaman, quickly get his renown up, and now WQs are all offering significant ilvl upgrades. It’s an elegant system, in my opinion. It has a satisfying cadence.
I see. Thanks for the responses. My first character is a skinner/leatherworker so she made her own mail armor and had it waiting to equip as soon as she hit 60. She made extras of some pieces while leveling her leatherworking and sent it to leather wearers that I will level later. This is the first expansion where the crafted gear was useful to me.
So this does look like a good system. Crafting my armor was useful to me but if I had leveled a different character then the renown/WQ system would be useful. Good to know.
Unlike BFA that gives you small incremental upgrades over your current gear, SL gives you about equal or less to what you have to fill in the possible gaps you may still have. I’m having a really bad luck with weapons, at ilvl 182 I got a WQ Chest upgrade from my previous 164 to 174. The majority of WQ rewards I’m seeing at 182 are around 171 to 174 and that’s with the first renown upgrade.
I’m at r12, seeing i164 gear, and I’m i173.
I only do them for the rep.
You assume incorrectly, sir and/or ma’am!
I use the wayfaring set or wild comb. chain. Some of the old school, I did get and transmog to like the tough scorpid armor, which is really old school and great.
I think World Quest gear also scales with your ilevel.
At ilevel 192 with Reknown 11, I’m seeing WQ rewards up to 174 ilevel. And last week I got a 177 shoulders from an emissary quest loot box.
Unfortunately, the WQ rewards to always be for the same few slots. I’m not having any luck replacing my crappy 164 chestpiece.
Not sure why. Crafted gear is cheap as dirt, even on low pop servers. So when you hit 60, crafting it or buying it makes sense.
Yeah, someone else said the same, which makes sense. Still seems like everyone’s rewards are below their actual ilevel, though. I wonder how useful it’ll be for me. I shall keep an eye on it! For casuals, it may work out just fine. 
I’m a LW. I can craft it myself, lol
But why waste mats on gear for myself when I can get equivalent armor for free through WQs?
Because I wasn’t getting decent armor to unlock dungeons.
So, I just bought it (or guildies were crafting it for each other) and was able to run dungeons.
I see. I did craft like 1, maybe 2 pieces to nudge me up 1 iLevel so I could do dungeons.
I sold everything else I made. I’ve been a Leatherworker since vanilla. When I saw that the crafted armor was not only selling, but selling for more than it cost to make, I HAD to jump on that. This is the first (and I’m assuming the last) chance I’ll have to make money on my profession so I threw everything I wasn’t wearing on the AH, lol.
But I already had the iLevel to do regular dungeons (mostly from questing armor) and saw the WQs would give me 148s to fill in as needed. shrug