Quote Originally Posted by Taranok View Post
And as the last, actual caster left in a game that wants to turn casters into fake-physical ranged DPS, this entire role needs to not only be saved, but actively catered to.

Summoner is popular not because it's explicitly easy, but because it's the only caster designed to exist in the fights the devs are actually making.
There's a long essay in my head that I won't type out now, but I think this is both true and a phenomenon not unique to FFXIV. It's something I frame as "fighters vs mages". The gaming landscape shift of "oh thank god, Action Combat is here to finally provide real, good battle content" is a product of catering to people who prefer twitch reflexes and having 2-3 buttons to mash (fighters) over strategic placement, spell fencing, chess fights (mages). Action combat isn't "better", it's a preferred playstyle hip-checking mage players to the wayside by designing combat systems to favor high mobility and button mashing, turning RPG combat largely from an INT check to all DEX checks.

Needless to say I'm not fond of the industry shift to Action Combat, but here we are. Your mages are no longer reality warping turrets with powers both mysterious and gross. They're sparkle archers. You will alternate ze attack and dodge roll button and you will like it.