Quote Originally Posted by jonimated View Post
This isn't entirely true, but I see the point you're trying to make. Perhaps it would have been more accurate for me to specify the problem not simply being the pattern recognition, but the completely static scripted fights.

Everything in a FFXIV fight happens exactly the same way every time. So it's not just about recognizing individual patterns in a randomized set, which many game do. The entire fight is just one big script and once you get it there's nothing else to learn. You can switch your brain to muscle memory mode at that point.
I think the second boss of that last dungeon is a step in the right direction because while pretty simple, every role has to engage with the boss differently. I wish we had more of that, but it would be even better if your experience as a DRG was vastly different from engaging with a boss as a MNK.