Why are skill speed & spell speed separate stats?

[Tupsi]

Uhhh ... what?

That was Yoshida's reasoning for this Skill/Spell system when Haste spell would simply solve all issues - He simply wanted to try to nip an issue before it crops up, but as proven with everything else he tried in that regard, it didn't help.

[Rikkustrife]

because skills are restricted by the gcd, and spells are restricted by their cast time

[Kyroc]

because skills are restricted by the gcd, and spells are restricted by their cast time

Spell speed reduces both cast time and GCD

[DefendPopPunk]

It might not be the reason why, but perhaps they had the same system in mind that they used in ffxi, where you had job traits like fast cast and job abilities that lowered weapon delay (and maybe in ffxiv's case, tp attacks' gcd), and then haste that would increase the speed both of those aspects at the same time. Maybe in the future we might get these types of things too, and a haste spell, that might make the separation make more sense.

[Dano]

cast time and GCD are two different things

[Edeline]

Probably because each stat has its own formula in the game codes and they don't want a single skill affecting two types of skills. They wouldn't want other classes casting stoneskin faster for example. That's my guess.

[Giantbane]

Probably because each stat has its own formula in the game codes and they don't want a single skill affecting two types of skills. They wouldn't want other classes casting stoneskin faster for example. That's my guess.

But every other secondary stat (save parry) already effects physical skills, spells and even auto attacks. Skill Speed/Spell Speed are the only stats that don't.

[Tupsi]

Tl;dr version of this:

"We don't want players to rely on spell Haste like they did in FFXI or other Final Fantasy games."

[Morzy]

BECAUSE REASONS!

-TORGUE

[Altena]

Perhaps to keep in mind for future content (perhaps NIN even, depending if Ninjutsu has a cast time) for melee/caster hybrids.
PLD is another example - since PLD doesn't have any spell speed gear (minus materia melds), it means that casting spells like Stoneskin will be at the default 2.5secs recast.