Quote Originally Posted by Mortex View Post
Yes the choice is the same but it had consequences and draw backs. Some one might say it was a “skill ceiling” that cleric stance had.
You can arguably claim that there was some skill gap there, even if it was overwhelmed by "ping/packet_loss gap", but... there was no more "choice" of whether to use Cleric Stance than was already had in the choice between using Glare and using Cure II.

It just let you choose which part of your kit you were allowed access to. It's the still the same kit; it is not enlarged by locking it out, nor are its nuances deepened through a mere single extra GCD of locking out a given tool's opposite part of the kit.

Apply that to any other role. You want to switch from a combo opener to a sequential/RNG-procced action? Gotta hit your Infantry Stance. True Thrust, Infantry Stance, Disembowel, Chaos Thrust, Release Infantry Stance, Wheeling Thrust, Infantry Stance, Fang and Claw, Raiden Thrust, Vorpal Thrust, Full Thrust, Release Infantry Stance, Fang and Claw, Infantry Stance, Wheeling Thrust.

Stormbite, Caustic, Infantry Stance, Refulgent Arrow, Barrage-Refulgent Arrow, Release Infantry Stance, Burst Shot, Infantry Stance, Refulgent Arrow.

Fail to make those swaps, and you lose the vast majority of your output.

Skill gap there? Sure. But choice? None. And you could have that exact same degree of skill gap, or more, by... being expected to type in a specified 4-digit code between each GCD, to note whether it's an odd GCD or even GCD, etc., etc.. It's bloat.

The skill ceiling we have as healer now is mapping ogcd for the entire fight and hoping if you pug you have a decent co healer that doesn’t use either medica 2 all the time and deals dmg or the polar opposite just doing dmg and not using all his ogcd/healing tools at all.
Yes, it's so bad that we... must add several 0s to our choice and significant clunk to our gameplay? Surely that'll fix it??

No "it's bad, so let's throw fecal matter at it," does not work.

I miss having consequences in final. Back then a tank fail was a entire party wipe because the boss would often kill the entire party if the tank fukked up. Remember god kefka having double drill and killing the party when a tank was either dead or missing and no one sacced. Or o12 where the tanks had too be fast with pulling m and f apart or they would be one shot. Now tankbuster are just stay decently safe, use cds and voke/shirk and done. Self responsibility in this game just goes down the drain and it’s pretty sad
None of which has to do with Cleric Stance, nor would be helped or complimented by Cleric Stance. By all means, let's bring back some of that degree of danger... but there's no reason to ask for clunk back.

:: That said, tanks are just 1 in 4 players. Given the increased prevalence of body-checks, it's not as if the rest are increasingly getting a free ride or seeing no consequence for their failure.