Useless spells

[Dale]

En-spells are the only spells in the game I can think of that have a second tier that doesn't always beat the first. When you learn a second tier to a spell it is normally a pure upgrade, becoming better in every way than the original. En-spells have two spells that do similar and yet very different things in the end, which results in them situationally trading off. It's a very weird design for them, unlike anything else in the game I can think of in that regard. Honestly, En-spells shouldn't be this way though, IIs should be a pure upgrade, not a situationally superior enhancement that only serves to make us weaker as a whole when we already need as much as we can get in melee damage on the front lines as it is.

Another example: phalanx 2 isn't a pure upgrade from phalanx 1. It just serves a different purpose, allowing us to cast on other party members. So I don't see why a new tier always needs to be a pure upgrade. In fact I think it's better that it just allows a different usage of the spell, that way neither spell becomes useless or obsolete.

Also, considering the vast amount of support utility this class has now, I think our melee damage is fine. So I don't share your opinion that we are weak. Nor do I understand why you feel the tier2 en spells make us weaker. They just provide us with a way to reduce resistances while at the same time adding some damage to our melee attacks. It doesn't weaken the class.