Thought Experiment on AoE Buttons

[Renathras]

DNC is one of the Jobs in the game I don't play and don't know on even a cursory level (I'm still sore over it not being a Healer and so still semi-boycott it as in haven't leveled it), but I'm trying to get at what you're asking, so may I ask a question to see if I'm understanding your intent?

I'll use RDM as an example because everyone and their grandma's pet dog has played it and is at least passingly familiar with it.

RDM has a single target rotation consisting of (I'll omit the Ver-s):

Jolt 1/2, Fire, Stone, Thunder 1/3, Aero 1/3, Enchanted Reposte, Zwerchhau, Redoublement, Holy/Flare, Scorch, Resolution, with Fleche and Contre Sixte being oGCDs to weave throughout the rotation, and Enchanted Reprise for a minimum use movement tool.

RDM has a AOE rotation consisting of:

Impact, Thunder 2, Aero 2, Enchanted Moulinet, Holy/Flare, Scorch, Resolution, and Contre Sixte being an oGCD AOE attack (though you'd also use Fleche because why not)

Strictly speaking, one can see most of this rotation is very similar. So one could propose a system where all the AOE attacks are AOE attacks that do full damage to the first target, and the "extras" could be single target only. So, for example, let's PLAY PRETEND (this is a hypothetical for illustration purposes, NOT A PROPOSAL) and make a hypothetical RDM like so:

Impact does Jolt 2 damage to the first target and has falloff for additional targets. (Scatter can presumably do the same with Jolt 1)
Aero 2/Thunder 2 do Aero/Thunder 1/3 damage to the first and falloff equal to Aero/Thunder 2 current damage.
Enchnated Repost does 280 to the first target and 130 to all other targets (Moulinet's damage), and can be used 3 times in a row OR can be combo chained into Zwerchhau and Redoublement.
Fire/Stone remain unchanged.
Holy/Flare, Scorch, and Resolution remain unchanged.
Fleche and Contra Sixte remain unchanged.
Enchanted Reprise remains unchanged.

Remove Jolt 1/2 (or make Scatter and Impact those or ...whatever so that it's just ONE button on Hotbar, I don't care which name we land on)
Same with the Aero/Thunder line, they can just be 3 upgrades to the core (now always AOE) spells.

So what did I just do?

Well, you have your AOE rotation buttons. These are the same as the core of your single target rotation, just the single target rotation has a few additional buttons (Stone/Fire, Fleche, and Reprise) that wouldn't be used in AOE situations of 3+ targets. The buttons pull "double duty" in that you use the same AOE buttons as the "core" of your single target rotation, but it's simplified for burning trash or more hectic situations while the single-target rotation has the added buttons to make it more interesting to do for longer fights (bosses) and for more optimization.

Your single target rotation will be:

Jolt/Impact (whatever name we land on, this is the short cast non-elemental spell that generates Mana of both types) into Aero/Thunder, using Stone/Fire in place of Jolt for SINGLE TARGET ONLY (maybe it does the Acceleration Impact +50 damage if you use Impact instead for AOE), then you build up to your 50/50+1 mana and use Enchanted Reposte, Zwerchhau, Redoublement, Holy/Flare, Scorch, Resolution. Basically, you play just as you play single target now, and in single target, notice no difference since the AOE spells do the same damage to their primary target.

Your AOE rotation will be:

Impact into Aero/Thunder (swapping the current AOE order, but this is fine), and repeat this (no Stone/Fire) until you get 60/60+1, then Enchanted Reposte...Enchanted Reposte, Enchanted Reposte (three times), Holy/Flare, Scorch, Resolution. So you're using the single target rotation, just leaving out Stone/Fire procs/using the proc on Improve Impact, and using Reposte 3 times for the extra AOE damage (at a cost of 10/10 more Mana).

You've removed 3 buttons (not huge, but as I say, RDM already has a ton of overlap) and the AOE rotation is now the "simplified core" of the single target rotation.

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Another example, let's pick...hm, I'd pick WAR but the second hit of its 1-2 AOE does the Storm's Eye thing. NIN has a similar problem. Hm...how about Old PLD?

Suppose that the 1-2 of the melee combo were Total Eclipse -> Prominence. But for -3, you had the choice of Royal Authority or (old) Goring Blade. These would be DPS gains on a single target, but DPS losses on AOE. So in AOE situations, you'd hit 1-2-1-2-1-2, but for single target/boss fights, you would use 1-2-4-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-4-1-2-3-1-2-3; repeat. (and the caster bit and all that, but this is just for illustration simpler than the RDM example).

In other words: The AOE buttons would again be the "core" of the rotation, and you'd use them alone for AOE situations, but once you got to the single target situation (or probably less than 3 targets for Royal and less than 5 targets for Goring), Royal and Goring would become part of your single target/boss rotation since they'd be a DPS gain. But for the wall to wall pulls, you're only worried about the 1-2 since the -3/4 would be DPS losses for all those targets, so you'd just clip your rotation short to that "core".

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So what does this accomplish?

Well, it reduces button bloat (for Jobs like PLD, that struggle is real), while still allowing the AOE rotation to feel distinct (-ish) from the single-target one, and while still allowing the single-target rotation to feel more involved and advanced. It also allows keeping those single target buttons for use in situations where you'd need to grab a lone enemy from a group (in RDM's case, some additional change would be needed like Fire/Stone being available if out of combat, or maybe available all the time but do less damage than Jolt without the proc with the proc increasing their potency to the current form - whatever, it doesn't matter, this isn't a proposal, it's just an illustration) in Deep Dungeons since you're generally not going to conduct the ENTIRE FIGHT right next to the enemy, you just need 1-3 hits to pull them and maybe smack them a few times as they close into melee with you. (Not to mention, as many abilities already do AOE splash damage like Circle of Scorn or VerHoly/Flare/Scorch/Resolution, you'd be pulling other mobs using them anyway)

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Is that kind of what you're suggesting here?

Again, I don't know DNC, so I'm not sure if it is or not, I'm asking if that's what you're going for or if it's perhaps something else...?