How powerful would the spell/ability 'Stop' be in this game?

[Gemina]

First I will have to say that I have a lot of content to go through in the game, and am not aware if it already exists as a mob ability, but I remember in previous FF games, this spell was a great ally, and an even more powerful foe.

For those unaware, the spell typically rendered the target as "Stopped in time" meaning not only can they not act, with the ATB system of old, it would no longer fill until the spell wore off. In this game, this would translate to if you are inflicted with Stop, all of your gcds stop right in their tracks along with your inability to perform actions and move.

It differed from petrification in those games by still being able to take damage. In some previous FF games, if you petrified, you no longer take damage, but some bosses were nasty, and could crumble you causing KO (a mechanic I would like to see). Another difference between Stop and Petrification was if the last remaining player is stopped, the fight is over.

As an ability, I remember how much I loved using it on those regular mobs with ridiculous amounts of HP. It made the grinds just a little bit easier to deal with. I think implemented somehow in this game can follow the same suit. What do you think?

[Duelle]

Personally, I think it'd be better to implement it as a CC ability. Same caveats as Sleep (taking damage breaks the effect). The problem is who to give it to, since Time Mage would have benefited most from that, but AST is a time mage in everything but name, so...yeah.

[Emstidor]

Petrifaction and "crumbling" is actually a mechanic present in this game. You can see it in action in T7 Savage, if I'm not mistaken.

[Ariane]

Its called Celestial Opposition. Stuns all targets in range, and extends the timers on AST buffs.

[Jeycht]

Emstidor, yep T7 savage still have that mechanic with petrification. T7 too before the nerf.

About stop, alexander use it (Time stop), all buff have timer stop and you can't do anything except wait for damage (in savage). It's a mechanic too so not the end of the fight.
As an ability for players that would probably work like a stun with a stop on gcd/aa timer, like a enchanced stun. But will probably not work on MOST boss. That would be redundant.

[Dzian]

It'd probably be as usefull as sleep, repose, bind, heavy, pacification, silence and stun lol....

In other words absolutely useless.... whens the last time a bard ever had to shadow bind something (never) or a mage had to sleep anything (lol never).. or even the last time you needed to silence or stun anything. (requilling mist in weeping city maybe) pacify (lolwut?) heavy (LOL)

almost all the above is either spammed for a small dps increase not for its actual utitlity, or not even set on hotbars..

[JunseiKei]

Technically, Alexander uses Stop. If a player had it, it would probably be like stun (a timer with stacking resistance with each use). It might have niche uses, like slow did in some fights, but largely unused.

(Shadowbind used in T7, but many groups uses SMN's Miasma for the slow to effectively stop Renauds in place without removing their default Heavy debuff.)
(Silences used in T1, T2, T9, A6, HM-HM, Mhach, Mirka hunt, etc.)
(Heavy used in T5, T7 and I swear there was another time in Alexander.)
(Stun used in T5 and single add in Leviathan EX.)
(One Ilm Punch used in T4.)
(Pacification works on mobs who can be silenced or stunned out of their skills.)
(Sleep is useful in low level dungeons and Palace of the Dead.)

Unfortunately, SE said they don't want to make fights where you need a specific role to do something, so don't expect those skills to get much other uses. Likewise with Stop, unless it basically does the same thing as something else (bind, stun, etc.), it wouldn't really get actual use. Much how SE is reluctant to give players Haste (let's be real, arrow cards are basically Haste and most TP DPS hate it), I doubt we will see Stop as a normal debuff players would obtain.

Petrify and stoning exists in T7 and Mahees hunts. Before nerfs, tanking any damage while stoned in T7 caused instant knock out. Petrifaction (the skill that caused it originally) may stone, but it only gives stacking invulnerability now, like in Void Ark.

[Dzian]

Unfortunately, SE said they don't want to make fights where you need a specific role to do something, so don't expect those skills to get much other uses. Likewise with Stop, unless it basically does the same thing as something else (bind, stun, etc.), it wouldn't really get actual use..

exactly. why bother having them if they don't intend making use of them.... it's why a lot of the "redundant" skills se is looking at removing / changing are the skills that have these effects. redundant because the effects are never useful.

[Natashio]

A "Stop" ability will have only usefulness inside areas of pvp or open world trash. Even then, it will probably get nerfed for pvp. Inside dungeons or trials, it will have zero to no usefulness.

[Vanitas]

Useless since it wouldn't work on anything in endgame content :P