Are role actions a nerf?

[Ultimatecalibur]

Currently, Swiftcast is mandatory. Shroud of Saints and Esuna are mandatory. Protect is mandatory. That's four of the five role-based slots taken up for a White Mage. We have received absolutely NO indication that SE has gone and modified things to make these abilities less crucial (reduced Raise cast time, reduced need for MP / enmity management with Shroud, fewer fights with nasty status effects, etc.). You can hazard a guess that they have done so, but that's an assumption on your part, one that - as I stated before - places an awful lot of faith in a development team known for making boneheaded mistakes. I don't personally have such faith in SE, nor, it appears, do a lot of other people.

Many of your "must haves" currently are not necessarily "must have" when you actually look at the whole list.

• Swiftcast is only mandatory if someone dies.
• Lucid Dream (Cross Role Shroud of Saints) will only be "necessary" if you have enmity and/or MP troubles.
• Esuna is only necessary if there is a debuff that must be removed by it.
• Protect will only be mandatory if a party needs the damage reduction gained from it. (a fair amount of content does not need it when current but it is nice)
• Cleric Stance will be nice but not necessary being a 5% damage for 15s every 90s.
• Affection (Cross Role action with Divine Seal icon) with only be mandatory (if it is a direct copy of Divine Seal) only when you need the boosted heals to keep your party alive.
• Eye for an Eye will be useful when raiding like it currently is.
• Surecast is getting buffed to stop Sleep, Stun, Knockback and pulls in addition to preventing interruptions. Be prepared to join Paladin's in cheesing fights like Sophia.
• Rescue will be useful when you have dps that do not dodge AoEs.
• Break will be useful in any fight that you need to slow down an advancing enemy like in T5.