Quote Originally Posted by CGMidlander View Post
Clemency is way too slow. In situations where I can probably use it, I usually get interrupted or the target (i.e. Myself or a party member) gets topped off by a healer anyway before my cast finishes.

It's only useful in PvP. (Except, I don't play PLD in PvP; I play WAR/WHM)
A lot of people echo that sentiment, but I find most people who get interrupted using Clemency are using it spur of the moment rather than for planned executions. I have almost never been interrupted in a Clemency cast, but that's because I time my casts for Tank busters and Boss AoE's. Between the two, the AoE's are more difficult to time Clemency for because the boss often continues their auto attacks or there is some other form of incoming dmg, and can interrupt your cast if your timing is off, but you can still get the cast off for most of them. Tank busters are typically easy to Clemency your way through (A4 being an exception, given that the Tank Buster is actually multiple smaller hits in rapid succession). Short of canceling the cast or not casting it early enough, I have never been interrupted on a Clemency cast during a Tank Buster.

The issue with the long cast timer (which is a little long) is the heal potency. A well timed Clemency that hits right after a tank buster can outdo the potential self-heal of a War in a single burst, especially if used when under the effect of Convalescence. If you get a Crit, the healer can outright just ignore you and heal the party. I don't think they wanted Pld throwing around that kind of power at the drop of a hat. If they shortened the cast timer for Clemency, they'd probably have to reduce the potency as well to compensate for Pld's who use it in ways that it was not intended for.