Trying to explain how good glass makes a difference to someone who has not spent time with premium optics is like attempting to describe how fried shrimp tastes to someone who has never eaten seafood.
No, top-end glass is not needed for the majority of hunting situations. But if your shots typically come at the very beginning or very end of legal shooting light or perhaps you pursue hogs or varmints under moonlight conditions, good glass will often be the difference between you being able to take an ethical shot or having to go home empty-handed. When the ranges are a bit longer and the lighting at its worst, the superior resolving power and transmission of top-tier optics make all the difference in the world. But again, that's something one has to experience for themselves.
