Quote Originally Posted by Arrius View Post
Having tank mitigations/emergency healing being tied to a global cooldown sounds like not a good idea, as we got a slow one and being unable to respond in a timely matter when a sudden situation demands immediate action.

And all this sounds more like giving tanks and healers a harder time while the DPS, yet again, are mostly unaffected by it.
I understand the concern, and I agree that emergency mitigation or emergency healing should not feel slow or unresponsive.

But that is not really what I am asking for.

My point is not “turn every tank defensive or healer tool into a normal GCD and make the role clunky.” That would obviously be bad.

What I am asking is: why can’t some core tank or healer actions be designed as part of the job’s GCD rhythm in a way that feels natural and unique?

A good example is Dancer.

Standard Step and Technical Step are tied to the GCD structure, but they do not feel like they ruin the gameplay. They temporarily change the rhythm of the job, create a different gameplay moment, and still feel like part of Dancer’s identity. You are not just pressing your usual combo while weaving everything else. The job itself changes pace for a moment, and that is part of what makes it distinct.

So why can’t tanks and healers have more of that kind of design?

Not emergency buttons that must be instant. Those should stay responsive.

But core defensive, healing, or support actions could interact with the GCD in a more job-specific way, instead of everything being reduced to “keep your damage GCD rolling and weave all the important tools between it.”

For example, one tank could have a defensive GCD sequence that changes its rotation during mitigation windows. Another tank could convert defensive timing into stronger follow-up attacks. A healer could have healing actions that are not simply “lost damage,” but are built into the job’s damage/healing flow in a way that feels intentional.

The issue is not that oGCDs exist. oGCDs are necessary.

The issue is that FFXIV often treats oGCD as the default solution for almost every meaningful action, because the GCD must never be disturbed.

I think the game would be more interesting if some jobs had unique GCD-based mechanics that create identity and trade-offs, the same way Dancer’s dance steps create a distinct rhythm without making the job feel bad.