Request for Improved Character Animation Transitions (Movement & Combat)

Request for Improved Character Animation Transitions (Movement & Combat)
Hello,

I’d like to bring attention to character animation quality—specifically the lack of smooth transition animations during movement and skill usage.

Right now, movement can feel a bit “floaty” or disconnected. For example:

There’s little to no visible acceleration when starting to move (instant full speed).
Stopping lacks weight—characters halt abruptly instead of naturally decelerating.
During combat, when moving and using abilities at the same time, characters often appear to “slide” across the ground while performing animations.

This creates a noticeable visual disconnect, especially on high-end displays where fluidity and detail matter more.

I understand that earlier design decisions—especially around A Realm Reborn—likely prioritized responsiveness and gameplay clarity. In fast-paced content like raids and dungeons, removing animation delays (such as acceleration and deceleration frames) makes sense from a gameplay perspective.

However, I believe there’s room for improvement without negatively impacting responsiveness.

A good example is how Diablo IV handles this:

Characters have visible acceleration and stopping animations.
These transitions do NOT affect actual movement speed or responsiveness.
The result is smoother, more grounded motion without sacrificing gameplay precision.

Something similar in FFXIV—where animation transitions are purely visual and not tied to input delay—could significantly improve immersion and modernize the feel of the game.

Additionally, improving blending between movement and skill animations would help eliminate the “sliding while casting/attacking” effect.

To summarize:

Add visual-only acceleration and deceleration animations.
Improve animation blending during movement + skill usage.
Preserve current responsiveness (no gameplay slowdown).

FFXIV has made huge strides visually over the years, and improving animation transitions would be a major step toward making character movement feel as modern and polished as the rest of the game.

Thank you for your time and consideration.