Personally i'm all about the stats...
I can see how players can get into the whole stat deal as the game is controlled under-the-hood by stats. Plus if you play competitively every .00 % helps.
When I played WoW way back when I was caught up in the main point of that game: "its all about the stats & getting the next item to boost your stats." I'm so glad I quit that Merry-go-Round type of game play.
If my success or happiness in a game relies on a .04% upgrade then I'd rather quit. And if a game requires I HAVE to HAVE that .02% to win then it's also not for me.
In LotRO you can actually advance clear to level 70 just by using items from the in-game "trash" drops & not the superior crafted or boss kill items- go figure! I admire those players who go the Iron-man route. (Surprisingly my wife has an alt she's purposely Iron-Womaning; won't let me craft a dang thing for that one but she's having fun surviving alone "off-the-land".)
Now, when I hit a new level I'll look at what new items I can craft (if I even remember I leveled) and if it looks better I'll make it. But I never go into much detail anymore of checking to see if I get a minor % of a boost in all the dozen or so stat items in anything but a couple of main stats.
If i don't see an items better right off say in Agility going from 40 to 50 I don't look much farther & I may not even swap weapons.
I have skipped getting a "better" weapon because it looks worse than what I'm already using or doesn't fit my characters back-story. My Dwarf only uses Hammers & my Healer only Maces no matter how much better any other weapon at their level is, even one I can make. They just have to wait until I can make a better Hammer or Mace for them at a later level.
The last thing I want to play in Middle Earth is "stats" when I'd rather just be playing to help defeat Sauron. It's more of a role-play style than a game-play style for me.