Frustrations with BLM immobility

[SerophisRagnarok]

Ever since the SMN update, I feel like BLM has become more frustrating to play comparatively due to its immobility. It used to feel like a trade off for the big booms but I feel like SMN provides big booms without a trade off in mobility. I feel like its time to make some adjustments to BLM to follow suit in this regard.

Most of my frustrations center primarily around Ley Lines, which is a cool ability and Between the Lines is a fun mechanic to exploit in certain situations but Ley Lines is too important to overall DPS while being too easily completely screwed over by too many mechanics in the game. It either has too short a duration or too long a recast, probably both frankly.

I suggest that they should be a permanent fixture until you get too far from them, at which point they vanish and the 2 minute cooldown begins. They should disappear manually by using Transpose and they should follow you when using Aetherial Manipulation.

Yoshi-P says no.

[Ggwppino]

Yoshi-P says no.

but anyone who has an interest in playing a video game. It's no fun spamming the same button without thinking about anything.

Although I agree that the smn in this expansion due to the total change of direction of the job becoming empty and a phys ranged should have been penalized much more, but I absolutely don't agree that other jobs should become boring as smn.

[Taranok]

but anyone who has an interest in playing a video game. It's no fun spamming the same button without thinking about anything.

Although I agree that the smn in this expansion due to the total change of direction of the job becoming empty and a phys ranged should have been penalized much more, but I absolutely don't agree that other jobs should become boring as smn.

From my own experience, Summoner is the direction they're taking casters in. RDM and BLM populations dropped massively compared to average, and both represent 2 of the 5 least played classes. RDM isn't quite as dire as BLM, but BLM is literally second only to Bard for least played class objectively, and isn't that much more played by the numbers. And for ultimates, BLM has such little representation that calling it a dead class in ultimates is fair outright regardless of anyone enjoying it in that content.

Both are played a lot less than AST, which is objectively in an awful state, which truly showcases that something is seriously wrong with the game for these classes.

And, I want to say I do not want this. I want my favorite playstyle of prepositioning for boss mechanics, and sitting still and casting, to be brought back into the game. This playstyle is valid. There should be more classes with this playstyle. Hell, healers should have their oGCDs massively pruned (mostly) and brought back to this playstyle as well. Trying to force BLM into ranged phys gameplay stands in stark contrast to the gameplay BLM and casters should have. And I hate endwalker for forcing this on all characters with cast bars. Oddly enough, including Samurai and Reaper.

Hell, thinking on it a little earlier, EW's design philosophy feels like they're trying to turn FFXIV encounters into a more action-based design, when FFXIV's biggest strength has always been slower, more methodical fights where you don't need to make fast adjustments to mechanics. A pace where slidecasting on BLM is valid for dodging mechanics even in ultimates (YMMV.) I miss the encounter designs of SB/early ShB. I like slow, methodical, and thoughtful regardless of how well I can do current encounters.