Thank you for increased difficulty

[Maeka]

You seem to have misunderstood. I said nothing about requiring the mist dragon to be hard core or difficult, I said people should be able to handle these mechanics at this point or they should not progress.

Considering we're two expansions in, and in the post-expansion, it's more than reasonable to start expecting players to know how to stay out of the fire.

This is not hardcore. This is merely applying some standards so I need to kick fewer underperformers.

This isn't a mere "stay out of the fire", it's "We're going to give you less than 2 seconds to dodge, and if you don't dodge you are almost guaranteed dead" and if that guaranteed dead is your healer, then it's a guaranteed wipe unless you got a RDM or SMN in the group and even then, a party-wide damage spike happened and you're still gonna die unless you're very quick about getting everybody back up.

And that's the problem I have with that fight. It isn't about YOU and YOUR skill, it's about YOU getting put into a good group with ONE under-performer who causes everybody to wipe because the mechanics are that unforgiving. I don't like wipefests, I don't like blowing 30 minutes+ (especially with that insane distance from the 2nd shortcut) on the same fight because the fight allows almost zero room for error.

[SewDough]

... And that's the problem I have with that fight. It isn't about YOU and YOUR skill, it's about YOU getting put into a good group with ONE under-performer who causes everybody to wipe because the mechanics are that unforgiving. I don't like wipefests, I don't like blowing 30 minutes+ (especially with that insane distance from the 2nd shortcut) on the same fight because the fight allows almost zero room for error.

Literally the only problem I can think of in this instance is if your tank is a DRK.

As a WAR/PLD, I can get out of deliverance / sword oath and easily heal myself through the rest of the encounter.
It is about your skill.