Haste and spell casting - how does it work?

[Fevelle]

If fast talker is your answer, then all our magic casting enemies must have REALLY fast mouths since their cast speed is always faster than ours.

I don't think enemies need to chant anything to use their abilities. Especially primals, I think they just focus their energy, since they're made of aether.

[MilesSaintboroguh]

I don't think enemies need to chant anything to use their abilities. Especially primals, I think they just focus their energy, since they're made of aether.

You have humans/spoken mages you fight, you forgot?

[AutumnHarvestwind]

I'm going off on a limb here, and pointing out that the line in Palace of the Dead does mention 'humours'. I'm sure it's just flavor-text, but perhaps that has a role in how Haste works?
I'm talking about the four temperaments: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, and phlegmatic.

I'm pulling up wiki in reference to this, so bear with me.
Sanguine: Optimistic, social -Air
Choleric: Short-tempered, irritable- Fire
Melancholic: Analytical, and quiet -Earth
Phelgmatic: Relaxed,Peaceful -Water
(insert Avatar, the last airbender reference)

I'm going off on a limb here and saying in 14's verse each Humour represents a certain class: DD/DPS, Healing, and Tanking, but perhaps not strictly exclusive. If this were the case, perhaps stimulating the humors gave the appearance that you're speeding up time, but just flooding your humours with aetheric-based adrenaline...or something. So it FEELS fast, but it isn't? (Dunno about the chipmunk voice though)

As for seperate job spells, the humours can also fit. Such as the 'Presence of Mind' spell can only stimulate Phelgmatic,Sanguine and Melachonic based humours since conjury more or less represented by those elements...and stuff.

[Wolfandre]

Remember that there *is* an aiming component involved in spellcasting. I'd imagine the entirety of a cast goes something like this: Begin chanting/invoking > channel aether > manifest spell > literally hurl it at your opponent. Maybe Haste cuts down on your need to channel as much or cuts down on the time it takes to either draw aether from your surroundings into your focus or from your inner aether reserves into your focus. It could do that by making it easier to focus or pay attention to detail. The other thing it could do is eliminate your need to aim quite as precisely, allowing you to shave time from manifestation to casting.

I imagine Haste could be closer to just 'FFXIV Bullet Time' rather than actually making you physically faster. It could potentially cut down on how long it takes for your brain to process stimuli and quicken decision-making time.