The Feast is SO much better without chat

[Trotsky]

I've noticed some players have been campaigning to bring the chat back to The Feast, so I thought I'd offer a counter opinion. I actually like it much better this way. Now, I realize the PvP crowd has already readied their pitchforks, but I would like to plead my case nonetheless.

Back when The Feast was released, I jumped in enthusiastically, relishing the opportunity to test my skills in an unrelenting contest of arms. However, my enthusiasm waned as the general attitude took a turn for the worse. It seemed like some people went to the arena with the singular purpose of unleashing their frustration upon the fellow players. I'm not averse to constructive criticism, but that - that was anything but. The endless whining served no good purpose, it was just frustrated players venting. Now, after a lengthy break, I'm back, and I'm having a blast. The reason is simple - things are much better with chat disabled.

I'm sure even the most hardcore fighters would agree - people were chatting entirely too much. It's fine to discuss tactics before the match begins, but few stopped there. The arguing, the back-and-forth often carried on well into the heat of battle. And you're not fighting when you're typing.

At one especially aggravating occasion back in the old days, I, the healer, had both DPS pounding on me for the longest time while my tank was busy detailing how much we sucked. And sure, people often conduct themselves in a suboptimal manner. It's annoying to see a tank refusing to pick up even a single medal or a DPS attacking the obviously wrong target. But you're not going to fix things by typing a few short sentenced - those sentences, though, might have cost your team victory.

You also lose focus while your brain is switching from murdering mode to chatting mode and vice versa. The Feast requires precise concentration from the beginning to the bitter end, and in that regard chat was undeniably harmful. It's much less of a problem now that new auto-phrases are accompanied by distinct chimes. After a while you don't even have to look at the chat to know what's being communicated.

Of course, auto-phrases are not an ideal solution. A bit more variety certainly wouldn't hurt. As a healer, I'd like a "I'm totally out of MP!" option to warn my teammates that now might not be the best time to rush into enemy base. Still, shortcomings like these do not justify abolishing this system entirely and going back to the way things were. The Feast is not a place for idle banter, and some people just wouldn't understand any other way.