Quote Originally Posted by jazzcatte View Post
This is a really odd way to put this. People playing non-standard aren't using non-standard lines 100% of the time (that isn't usually possible or optimal). Non-standard lines provide additional flexibility to the rotation and allow players to fit it better into fights with downtime or phases that aren't friendly to a purely standard rotation.

It would feel bad to lose that flexibility, which is why it would be nice if the devs would implement this (good! useful!) change in such a way that would still allow players to use more flexible lines on occasion (e.g. allowing t3 or xeno to restore mp in addition to b4/b1/umbral soul).

Even if they don't, it's likely that some non-standard play will still exist, it'll just be much more niche (and likely a lot harder to execute and use, which I think goes counter to their intentions). We'll have to wait until we see media tour and/or the launch version of the job to know for sure, there are still open questions (does any mp at all restore from ticks when in ice, or is it 100% spells now? Does lucid dreaming restore mp? How much and when? etc.)
Sounds way too complex to me, good thing it is being removed so everyone can strive to play their job to the fullest instead of just 0.0001% of the playerbase. Downtime should just be as simple as casting umbral soul to maintain full hearts and keep enochian running. It is downtime after all.

If you can do more, there is pressure to do more. Having it your way makes high end content more exclusive and that's not a good thing. More people should be able to access the top level of play on all jobs. What you want is like, a really small and elitist high end community. It's different in PF, but top level statics will pressure their players to do everything they can and if it is too much then people will simply play a different job to get by in their statics, or not engage in the high end community at all because they would rather play black mage. This is why jobs like summoner are so popular in high end.

It's almost like the elite couldn't care less about player engagement, because they are willing to do what it takes to get by and it only takes 8 people for a static. Doing what leads to a more active endgame playerbase is just better for the game's health. If sacrificing a really complicated flexibility that optimizes your potency will lead to greater player engagement, that's for the best even if it upsets a minority at the top a little bit. This is why capitalism is great in some ways, the majority rules because it's not like the elitists pay a higher subscription fee. Just look at how popular summoner has become if you want to know how it works.

If you lose all charges of the new fire buildup upon switching to umbral ice and the potency is too strong to miss out on, that pretty much does it.