Quote Originally Posted by Archwizard View Post
I fail to see how it would do that, in part because our Mana generation has already increased this last expansion thanks to Scorch and Enhanced Manafication, and based on the rest of our leveling experience, I expect that will continue to be the general upward trend for us in the future.
You've alluded that the only way to make the sword more relevant is to increase how often the mana bars hit 80/80 to use the melee combo. The problem I have with this is that the melee combo by design is a finisher. If the "finisher" happens more often, it loses its significance from a mechanics standpoint and begins raising the question "why does this mechanic even exist? This might as well just be a regular ability". That's not mentioning that nerfs would be in order (this assumes you're not just increasing damage dealt across the board, as that would lead to power creep).

While Scorch helps, it isn't much in the grand scheme of things. It'd be a different story if Scorch generated something like 11, 13 or even 15 b/w mana per use.
If the spender phase maintains its position as the capstone of our damage, then increased Mana generation doesn't necessarily diminish the phase itself, just makes it more frequent. Like if BLM somehow got a way to speed up Polyglot charges, for instance... or like any melee job's resource gauges.
It's not as simple as just making something happen more often. For example, speeding up Polyglot would require nerfing Xenoglossy and Foul, as their current design relies on their restricted use via a timer. And that would in turn be detrimental because you're reducing the allure of the mechanic. Sort of like how, hypothetically, nerfing Fire/Blizard IV would make the Enochian mechanic seem superfluous because you're not gaining as much by going along with that mechanic.
Like I was saying, all you're essentially doing is mashing another free swing into the combo we already have
I don't see it that way, since I use it between Dualcasts if Fleche and Contre are on cooldown. It's the closest thing to the type of gameplay I wanted out of RDM since there's sword swings and spells used in tandem while standing in the front lines. As a redesign is not on the table, I'd like more of that because it's the next best thing.
I'm not sure that tangibly makes a positive difference in terms of our gameplay, at least no more than tacking another capstone onto the end of our combo.
Speaking for myself, the benefits are that it uses the sword, it's in melee range, doesn't involve me needlessly jumping around and is not restricted by the mana bars. Also, an ability that can be used at any time isn't comparable to combo extensions, since the latter are restricted by the mana bars (along with the problem with mobs becoming untargetable or dying early and how those screw you out of the mana refunds).

Beyond that, there are possible mechanics that can be weaved in between dualcasts if you insert melee oGCD skills. I mentioned one possible example earlier with a melee skill that deals damage and upgrades the next Verstone/Verfire to a bigger spell. I've also toyed with the idea of turning Fleche and Contre into contextual abilities that change depending on your distance to the target mob (Fleche turning into a melee skill when within 3y of the mob, remaining its usual self when beyond 3y from the mob, with melee Fleche possibly dealing less damage but having some other mechanical benefit).
It's exactly the kind of "superfluous" melee skill you were just warning against.
You're equating oGCD fillers with reducing the impact of a finisher by making it happen more often (which, as I've said, would also require additional changes and adjustments). They're not the same thing as both affect gameplay in different ways.

As I said, my aim in asking for these things is that I get a facsimile of what I wanted out of RDM while avoiding having to do a redesign of the job (which would basically put off anyone that is looking for a caster without the SMN spinning plates or BLM timers).
Without some other utilitarian element, once we get to the point the devs need to start trading out skills for us, it's at the top of the list of skills to chop, not build off.
We'll have to wait and see on that one. I don't see Engagement going away without the devs doing something about Displacement first. And altering Displacement means you're fiddling with a part of the "hop in and out" thing the devs have saddled RDM with, which may or may not necessitate other changes.