All story battles up to this point have been easy with communication due to the fact that they were largely tank and spank with mechanics. Steps of Faith is pretty different from that, the coordination required is different and as a result, even with communication it's a difficult fight. As a result, a large amount of people haven't been able to clear it due to the fact that people aren't used to this type of battle, and as a result, it's nerfed. While this type of encounter may be seen in Heavensward, this is the first of its kind.

While many people argue that challenge is a good thing, and I agree, a story trial is not the right place or time to have this, especially when ALL players, hardcore or casual, have to pass this. We can maybe have a Hard mode version of this in the future for those that would like it, but for now, in my opinion, the nerfs were necessary.