A QoL/Balance Shortlist for DPS (Tanks/Healers only as additional context)

[Shurrikhan]

Even in your variant, losing out on 60% bonus damage, even with Ice potencies mirrored for equity, doesn't change the final product in any comparable way to the amount lost. B3's potency increase doesn't matter, because it's cut in half when moving into AF. B4's potency increase is...alright, but if we're talking high pressure movement with unprepared procs or cooldowns, we skip B4 anyways. The intent behind the change doesn't match up with reality.

To preface, I don't mean this merely as a defense of what I've written. As you've said, that list could be pared down considerably by leaving the stack system in its current nonsensical state as at least people are used to it as is and nothing about gameplay over level 40 would necessarily change as a result. A shortlist has to do with immediacy available to usage/implementation, not to actually being short -- comparable to a "green-light list" or "final pass list" -- but even I'll admit we could easily go without those changes. They're there because I like intuitive design, and it has little (and, in my opinion, a solely positive) effect on BLM gameplay.

However, what you're saying here is wholly nonsensical. Losing out on potency from just a 100% modifier rather than a 160% or 180% is still 100% of the gap in base potency -- which is a gap in potency. You MUST use Blizzard III, even if as rarely as possible. Optimal play DOES use Blizzard IV. Potency buffs to either will be buffs in themselves.

If I intended merely to nerf Black Mage and call it a day, those two points would sufficient. If I intended to make Speed inferior on Black Mage after having just made it as closely balanced as possible on all others, those two points would be sufficient. But I don't.

As I said before, I don't expect the changes to be all that significant to gameplay (though, again, I do imagine what change there'd be would be beneficial). But, there is no change more easily accomplished than number-tuning, be it to potencies or buff percentiles. In terms of implementation, only one design change contains a significant hurdle -- the unpaired UI tick. I'll admit the changes seem perfectionistic -- they are, since I am -- but I think we can at least agree that there is no benefit to the current wonkiness of the UI/AF systems (save perhaps the 40% first tier on AF, which makes the Fire-obsession more obvious to a narrow band of players who can understand numbers on screen and change accordingly but cannot read tooltips). And its being made intuitive is a mere number entry each for a small span of tables.

[Kabooa]

As I said before, I don't expect the changes to be all that significant to gameplay (though, again, I do imagine what change there'd be would be beneficial). But, there is no change more easily accomplished than number-tuning, be it to potencies or buff percentiles. In terms of implementation, only one design change contains a significant hurdle -- the unpaired UI tick. I'll admit the changes seem perfectionistic -- they are, since I am -- but I think we can at least agree that there is no benefit to the current wonkiness of the UI/AF systems (save perhaps the 40% first tier on AF, which makes the Fire-obsession more obvious to a narrow band of players who can understand numbers on screen and change accordingly but cannot read tooltips). And its being made intuitive is a mere number entry each for a small span of tables.

And I'm saying that other than the much shorter list I just pointed out, the rest of it really has no impact.

You don't have to adjust AF, because we don't make any considerations other than MP cost in regards to our AF/ UI states, which didn't really change.

You don't have to adjust AF to try and curtail Black Mage. You just reduce F4 potency.

You don't have to heavily rework the current MP Schemata. UI ticks does that alone, but then, so does "No mp cost in Ice" that's been brought up here and there.

You don't have to make the AF/UI notches more 'intuitive' because they are already intuitive. 1 is for emergencies, otherwise always be max.

That's what I'm telling you. You don't have to do a majority of this, because two changes nullify the need of the rest. That's it. That's all. Don't make a change for the sake of making a change.

a 3% F4 nerf and a UI tick accomplishes everything your list wants to. It lowers the top end damage, which in turn squishes the damage range closer together, and the UI tick solves every single MP issue.