Lack of utility combat actions across classes

[Sanicek]

I am quite new to the game, leveled bard to 50 and now starting to explore the other classes. What struck me as odd is the utter lack of "utility" actions.
There are almost no situational actions to take, no tools at your disposal to control the battle, help with positioning, crowd control and so on.
I thought the bard very limited since the most I can do is sing a few songs and bind a target or interrupt a spell once every 40 or 30 secs.
Then I realized this is on the more generous side of things as FF XIV utility actions go.

I don't expect the level of say WoW where each classes' toolbox is full of tricks but even compared to a lot of other MMOs the toolbox is quite empty. Heck I feel I can get more utility on D3 chars that only let me equip 6 actions in total.

I would gladly trade some of my DPS cooldown or DOT actions for more utility ones.

Can somebody explain the philosophy or reasons for this?
Can I expect more utility to come with future expansions?

[Ophie-Mio]

I find that a lot of Bard's utility and where its uses truly shine is honestly more in Coil. A lot of the fights have things that bards are desperately needed for. You need a bard to sing songs or you might wipe and the fact that they can dps and move around makes them the #1 person to go to when there is a mechanic that needs to be moved around.

For example, bards (or smns) were kiters in T7. They were the kiters because they could hit the renaud and then go back to dpsing something else without it lowering their overall dps. With T8, same thing. They had to lead missiles away from the group and do brainjack. Things that required movement and not lower overall dps.

In T10/11, I know that we need a bard for singing.

Even fights like Ramuh are easier with a bard because they have the ability to move around and bait and get on adds all without lowering their dps.

For most of this game, helping with positioning is a situational thing for bard but is usually left to the tanks. Crowd control is both bard and BLM. I think you just need more experience with different fights to know for sure what a bard can bring to the table.

[GodAlmighty]

All of the DPS classes are this way. Boring, generic rotations with a stun thrown in. It's an issue that's made it very hard to keep my friends playing the game unless there playing Tank or Healers. Even then, there's only so much to do.

It amazes me that the company that created the Red Mage with 100+ spells in FFXI has been reduced to this 3-5 skill rotation dryness.

[Ophie-Mio]

All of the DPS classes are this way. Boring, generic rotations with a stun thrown in. It's an issue that's made it very hard to keep my friends playing the game unless there playing Tank or Healers. Even then, there's only so much to do.

It amazes me that the company that created the Red Mage with 100+ spells in FFXI has been reduced to this 3-5 skill rotation dryness.

Amen to this.

[Ryamatsu]

All of the DPS classes are this way. Boring, generic rotations with a stun thrown in. It's an issue that's made it very hard to keep my friends playing the game unless there playing Tank or Healers. Even then, there's only so much to do.

It amazes me that the company that created the Red Mage with 100+ spells in FFXI has been reduced to this 3-5 skill rotation dryness.

Yup. Battle system needs to be re-designed with a hybrid of FFXI and FFXIV. I liked building TP through hitting the monsters, not just having it like a MP pool. I cannot keep my friends playing either, they don't like the boring combat.

[Sanicek]

Hmm, seems I am not alone in the sentiment.

@Ophie-Mio Thanks for the end game heads up, good to know there is at least some kiting going on But to be honest, pardon my WoW comparison, I was kiting Drakki in UBRS or Razorgore adds 10 years ago in vanilla WOW and had a pet, Feign Death, Traps, Distracting and Concussive Shot, Wyvern and Viper Sting, Aspects, Flare etc on top of it. That was vanilla. Over the years the toolbox only grew (Disengage, Misdirection, Camouflage, Master's call...). Those are the kinds of abilities I am talking about. So that when shit hits the fan I have tools to get it under control or when planning a combat strategy going beyond tank&spank.

Well I hope they will add some utils in the future and that the endgame fights are interesting even using the current options.

[Geryth]

I guess I can understand on the "utility" side of things that there is little that your skills do other than damage.

If you're bored though, play Dragoon. Your jumps add in bit of "utility" flair you will certainly not be lacking on having to think about what your most optimal moves are. Your buffs and debuffs are all on different timers so there's no set rotation that you can really blindly follow (and fight mechanics that make you stop attacking like AoE's really throw any "rotation" idea for a dragoon out of the window). Even if you could stand still and wail all day, your rotation is something like 30 abilities used before you "repeat" (where your buffs/debuffs end at the same time your "rotation" starts from scratch again). Definitely keeps you on your toes.

You get a stun, a slow, and three jumps that change your position. Otherwise everything else you do just does damage, though you do apply a debuff that increases other lancer's and bard's damage.

Also, PvP has a whole section of PvP-specific abilities that almost all revolve around utility (lancers get a throw that removes sprint, an attack that reduces intelligence, an attack that increases critical hit rate, a "purge" that removes all debuffs, a "ward" abilities that prevents you from being CC'd, a % heal etc. etc.) So if you want those "utility" abilities then PvP is where you want to go.

[Lemuria]

You've pretty much voiced the same concerns I've had about ARR from the beginning. I hate citing FFXI as a source, since they're both very different in how they approach gameplay, but while most people will admit it had a ton of useless spells, each job had a lot more utility than their FFXIV counterparts.

[AckersFury]

I don't really want 1000 different abilities taking over my screen that are situational and useless 99% of the time, most mmo's are moving away from that and streamlining things, less abilities that you actually use alot of the time...instead of tons of abilities you rare ever bother with...and im sure we'll get a few new ones with the new level cap

[Mizore_Canaan]

I totally agree with that this games combat gets boring/repetitive very quickly, it makes me miss SW:TOR combat a little bit (but not SW:TOR cuz FTP TOTALLY RUINED IT)
At least there I could choose between a repetitive sustained rotation or a "BWAHHAHAHAHAH DIEEEEEE" burst combo that leaves my resources depleted and the mobs very dead and me out of the fight a minute, because personally I find it fun to have options!
Right now the only thing that chews up our TP or MP uber quick is aoe rotations, which for some class's is just 1-2 buttons...BORING