How to fix FATES (and to a degree marks) in three easy steps

[Felis]

FATEs only need 2 things

1. more chain FATEs
Like the one in northern Thanalan, where it start easy and the difficulty increase with every next FATE in the chain. And at the end a hard boss fight.

2. more variety
In moment we have gathering FATEs, escourt FATEs, protect FATEs and "hitting the enemies with the weapon until they die" FATEs. There need to be more mechanics in the FATEs. The one during christmas was interesting where you need first a buff from a tree before you can attack the enemies. Maybe also a FATE like the battle against the spriggan golem in copperbell mine HM. An NPC would give you a bomb that need to be placed at the feet of the boss to do dmg on the boss. A tank need to tank the boss (of course) and another group kill the adds so that the bomb group can do the work.

I can't be the only person still upset they never made anything in this game as cool at the THM ARC fire arrow combo they had in the 1.0 cut-scene.

That was an CNJ, not THM.
THM spells were Astral element and Umbral element. Fire, Lightning and Ice were originally CNJ spells.

I think that scene symbolized the Battle Regiment.