From a purely personal experience, and when pitted against heavensward scholar dps (my one big reference), I feel like sage is a good step forward. The feeling of 1 button spam is less present despite being still there : Eukrasia feels good to use, and Phlegma is a strong 45s dps skill, and slotting it in during burst windows adds a (very) small layer of complexity, which I like.

I love shields in essence as they are preventive and tactical and with the fast charging addersgall you often find yourself using the oGCDs even with moderate damage. The job definitely feels busier than scholar because of its construction.