Quote Originally Posted by Archwizard View Post
1. "Symmetry" is a strange concept in this context, considering their phases do two objectively different and diametrically opposed things, and these differences are what define their use. If having opposing spells that do the same thing is what you're after, might I suggest RDM instead?
Fire 1 and Blizzard 1 have identical base potencies, cast times, and MP costs. Their differences come from stances and traits. The same is true of F3/B3 and F4/B4. So, it'd be elegant if Fire 2 and Blizzard 2 also had identical on-paper stats but were differently useful thanks to stances and traits.

2. Fire 2 and Blizzard 2 don't need to give 3-stacks each, and to be honest it wouldn't make them more attractive if they did. Not only do F3/B3/Flare/Freeze/Despair already provide it (so we would officially have more tools to instantly cap stacks than builders, after which they have no value beyond refreshing), but 80 potency for an AoE is pathetic, which Fire 2 only gets away with early on thanks to AF. Since you mentioned "late game traits" I have to assume you mean to provide a place for them post-50, even though there is presently no place for them in our AoE rotation, which is in a very comfortable spot right now without them.
You missed that I think they should have 2.5s cast times and 800mp costs - same as F1/B1. That means that before level 68 (when "Improved Umbral Heart" allows you to double flare each fire cycle) Fire 2 would be your generic AoE attack vs. 4 targets or more, (vs. 3 or more prior to 60). Between 60 and 68, you might still use F2 instead of F1 to refresh Astral between F4s if there were exactly three enemies.

Past 68, Flare definitively outpaces F2, so what's the use of F2? Well, that's when a trait makes F2 work like F3 when it comes to granting AF3 immediately - you'd use it instead of F3 to swap from UI to AF, so that you never had to cast a "cold flare". Others have suggested this above. Make sense?

3. Putting a spell with a lengthy cast in the UI phase means its value will plummet before you finish casting. Freeze being an AoE is largely a courtesy compared to capping UI and a UH stack, since the damage of ice phase pales to fire phase; you basically just want to hit UI3 and pump out as much quick damage as you can before your MP caps and you go back to AF (and once we get Flare, we don't even need to cap!). The only time Freeze spam is attractive is for the period during leveling before you get Flare, and that's mostly because -- again -- Fire 2 is terrible.
Remember, AF3 halves ice spell cast times. So, you'd still use Freeze after Flare to swap to UI. However, you wouldn't be Freeze for AoE damage between levels 35 and 50 or whatever it is, and you also wouldn't use Freeze to instantly get to UI3 after death or other mishap, instead favoring B2. The idea is to give every single spell some kind of logical use case at every level you have it for.