Quote Originally Posted by Archwizard View Post
I hardly know where to begin unraveling this.
Flare started as a finisher. Its design hasn't changed, it's additional traits that have expanded its use.

You will always finish with Flare, just as you always finish with Despair, and both of those 'finishers' maximize AF so there's no chance of dropping AF before going to UI. In every expansion prior to Shadowbringers, Flare also had small windows where it could be a finisher in single target rotations.

F2/B2 have phased out of usefulness, but they still have purposes when leveling. A trait upgrade to phase them out is no less viable than simply making them have a relevant place moving forward.

Example: F2 increasing the damage of the next spell that hits targets damaged by F2.

B2 giving the Black Mage a damage shield scaling for each enemy hit.