What are your thoughts on FFXIV's combat?

[EnigmaticDodo]

I think it's fine. Too bloated with unnecessary skills, but otherwise it's fine.

Can you name some???

Just ask because this game tends to remove more and more skills. Do you want it to be purely 1,2,3 for everything?

[Shurrikhan]

Can you name some???

Just ask because this game tends to remove more and more skills. Do you want it to be purely 1,2,3 for everything?

There's a large gap between the likes of "Having separate buttons for Flare and Freeze, and Anatman in general, feel kind of bloated" and "I only want 3 buttons".

But, yeah, some examples wouldn't hurt.

[EnigmaticDodo]

There's a large gap between the likes of "Having separate buttons for Flare and Freeze, and Anatman in general, feel kind of bloated" and "I only want 3 buttons".

But, yeah, some examples wouldn't hurt.

I'm a little concerned that people think it's still bloated when we've had 2 expacs that have been simplifying the holy hell out of the game. I seriously do not know if they can go any further without it becoming a 1,2,3 fest. They'll find a way though.

[Shurrikhan]

I'm a little concerned that people think it's still bloated when we've had 2 expacs that have been simplifying the holy hell out of the game. I seriously do not know if they can go any further without it becoming a 1,2,3 fest. They'll find a way though.

Those same expansions also showed, very clearly, that button count is not a great indicator of depth.

And yes, there is bloat. That doesn't mean the only solution is to crop button-count, but there are existing abilities that add virtually (Anatman) to literally (F4 separate from B4; Flare separate from Freeze) nothing.

And then there's XIV's idea of "combos" --rigid linear sequences with zero reason to restart a given combo, such that they could be replaced with a single button each without any decrease in complexity-- in place of actual combinable skills (i.e., actual combos). Again, that's not an issue that can solely be addressed by reducing button count, but it is an issue of bloat.

[Ralphe2449]

Can you name some???

Just ask because this game tends to remove more and more skills. Do you want it to be purely 1,2,3 for everything?

Huraijin, why did they add a button solely in the case someone screws up and loses huton, it is extremely situational, if you fail you are meant to be punished for that failure so creating an entire skill just to lessen the punishment is kinda weird

[drtasteyummy]

I for one am not really a fan of the FFXIV combat system for many reasons.

1. It's absolutely bloated as hell with skills that could be combined to a point where I ask myself how people can play without MMO mouse

2. It's very static and therefore very boring by nature due to lack of surprise

3. Jobs are designed after a set basic guideline which makes every job category feel the same with different skills e.g. every melee has a dot, every melee has positionals [...]

4. Positionals are just a stupid concept, it's not very fun by itself but even less if you consider the boss randomly turning

5. Jobs have no good concept of flow they often just designed to go full piano mode once you reach the 60s or 120s burst phase which leads
to you focusing mostly on having no drift between those bursts

6. Simple drifts destroy the whole FFXIV combat concept which leads to an abuse of third party tools to fix the abysmal animation lock concept

7. Some cooldowns were forgotten in the 60s and 120s concept, leading to drifts due to their natural cooldown and therefore must be precalculated to be used correctly

[Voltyblast]

Can you name some???

Just ask because this game tends to remove more and more skills. Do you want it to be purely 1,2,3 for everything?

I can't make many because I haven't leveled all jobs, so I'll say what I know for now, and I'll most likely forget some and it's not like you'll agree with me, so here we go: I'm currently playing Samurai but I ask "why having a button that does the same skill I did again when it could be just one button?".
I forgot the skill, but there are two 120s skills that share it. Why not just have one that encompasses both? Seems overkill to have several CD that, in essence, do the same thing.

As for examples that come to mind: Warrior's extra rotation is only needed for that 10% more damage. It used to be a secondary rotation for dps, and before for 10% less dmg. Why even have it now? It's not like PLD that gives a dot, or OGCD rotation from GNB. DRK don't even HAVE a rotation but they still get that 10% extra dmg. I don't get it.
Orogeny is also kinda meh. you press it when it's up, don't when you need upheavel. Its only benefit is being OGCD, otherwise it's the same strength as Mythril Tempest. I even forgot it exists.
Also since Primal Rend only Activates during Inner Release, why not make Inner Release turn into Primal Rend? One less button to press already

Bard also feels kinda the same: most of their skills used to synergize with their dots, like Sidewinder or Shadowbite, but now the extra skills don't so all they do is more raw damage. You could just encompass them together instead of having one more button to press, especially when most other skills seems to be fine so far? Also I'm not a fan of the whole "stance dancing" of the songs, especially when I liked their older versions like MP recovery or Foe Requiem, but that's on me.
And while we're at it, I wish they'd give more importance to dots already...or just remove them altogether. They're barely important now and don't even proc Mage's Ballad or Army's Paeon. Either put more focus on them or just get them out. I personally want them to stay but now I digress.

Also as a BLM I feel that now that you must use High Fire and High Blizzard in your aoe rotation feels needless when you didn't need that before. It was okay to use Freeze to switch out and continue, but now I have 2 more aoes to keep in mind which is "meh". Not hard by any means, but just "meh". It's not like my aoe dmg was that important to begin with.
Also Blizzard III is still separated from Blizzard I. Very annoying when doing low-level queues. Can't they be just one already? Or will I have to constantly switch them out? I know Fire I doesn't get replaced but that skill is an integral part of your dps rotation (especially when you get Paradox) but Blizzard I doesn't feel the same away. I think something could be done by now?
Also Is Scathe still important or I'm just using it wrong? As in, practically never?

And in general I don't understand why so many AoEs: Most jobs had like, 2 or 3 at best and maybe jobs like BLM had more, but they were black mages so you kinda wanted that huge amount of fire power.
But for other jobs, why do we need so many aoes? Especially when aoes are mostly used during trash pulls and in some bosses for adds. I'm not saying "give us one button for aoe (which was the case for some jobs, like Warrior or Paladin in ARR)", but sheesh I feel like I need to remember what aoe goes after what. I think 3 or 4 is fine, which is why I like Monk (The beast Mantra skills are optional), or Machinist.

Again, Im most likely forgetting some, but I think you could merge some skills into one and not feel the difference. Or do something like pvp and have one button do multiple actions at once - I know, the blasphemy, it's not like GNB had 3 of their skills merged into one like in pvp!

Or maybe I'm just clueless, who knows?