Quote Originally Posted by Mahayana View Post
The problem is that i should be able to function well as a mage without it. The gap between materia and no materia is too large.
It's actually in a good spot, because Materia is painfully easy to get, however it's a long process if you don't buy it. It's a slippery slope though to say that you should be able to function normally without materia, because then DoW/L/H will state they should be able to function without materia as well and surprise -- SE wasted time and resources implementing a system that's supposed to power you up.