Combat system is beyond saving.

[VeolE]

I'll be brutally honest, HW and SB was peak era, even though I never played HW, but I sure as hell played during SB. I loved DRK due to aesthetic, lore, and the gameplay during the time with abyss drain combo spam, along with quietus + blood price. It was a GOOD satisfaction once you pull it off right and makes you unkillable at times during multiple mobs. And that NICE change to soul survivor (bonus points for the animation as well). Was niche during it's time, but now you can apply it to still get value from it whether they're alive now.
Same goes for WAR with steel cyclone spam with inner release for those extra heals, and swap back to DPS stance for Decimate. Along with the awareness combo with Raw intuition? To get free parry procs? Yes please, I love that combo, but now that's GONE. And How I miss the good ol' tank stance. IT WAS ACTUALLY FUN! WHEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY OPTIMIZE IT.
But they TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, my DRK became an inferior WAR during SHB and double down on the 2min rotation + gameplay.

Hell, I even have fun with AST with it's cards, but took that away from me as well, along with SCH with it's dots + bane. And, I don't even know WHY they remove Aero 3 from WHM, but here we are, can't have FUN with all of these simplicities and homogenization.

I love SAM, but they removed Kaiten. Why? "Button bloat" But you got 4 other skills that could be "Merged and condensed" to NOT be a button bloat.

And SMN?


Yeah, it just speaks for itself, especially with the job class showcase.

And another thing, why the removal of cone AoEs for Tenka Gokken and WAR overpower? Still doesn't make any sense to me...
This game went to my Favorite MMO and now to my Least favorite MMO. Due to these changes alone, and I came for the combat and story, but all I got left is just the STORY.

Edit: I was also a Mid-core type of person as well, doing EX's and stuff, while optimizing the gameplay and adapting to it when I was new.