Are role actions a nerf?

[Nicodemus_Mercy]

these are good posts that make me worry if role actions are a nerf. Also I am concerned about DPS output balance. Can brd keep up without blood for blood and internal release? MCH without blood for blood and hawk eye for wildfire? I do understand MCH is likely much different then we know now, but does SE truly understand what we can do with rotations? will this lead to no x job allowed to do x content?

Why are healers losing protect and esuna as default? that makes no sense at all. (and maybe losing mp recovery tool and dive seal?) does this make AST too op with synergy on top of it?

The idea was that there should be a uniform toolkit for each role. Certain skills that these roles were expected to have such as Provoke for all Tanks. Unfortunately they are mixed in with optional skills in the new system, and quite a few "essential" skills eat up those 5 slots. Keep in mind though that "healers" aren't losing protect... Conjurers (and by extension White Mages) are. AST and SCH currently have to cross-class it so nothing changes for them in 4.0 regarding Protect. WHM on the other hand will have to use up a slot for it. But you are correct that all healers are losing their default "cleanse" skill and have to allot one of their 5 picks to have it come 4.0.

Protect is something all healers are currently expected cross-class. I doubt that will expectation will change in 4.0

Esuna is a skill all healers get in one form or another though SCH has to wait far too long for theirs due to it being a job skill gained at 40 and not a default skill gained at 18. I'm fairly certain it will be expected for all healers to have this skill as well.

Lucid Dream is the "one size fits all" MP management tool replacement for Shroud of Saints, Luminous Aether, and maybe Aetherflow as well (I am unsure if SCH are keeping Aetherflow or if it will still recover MP). needless to say, healers are generally expected to be able to manage their mp without outside help. If SCH keeps Aetherflow as is, then Lucid Dream is an optional (and likely useless) ability for them freeing up a pick. WHM and AST absolutely need this... and SCH will too if they lose mp recovery via Aetherflow. SCH is already guaranteed losing mp recovery from Drain (which is becoming a caster dps role skill).

I don't think skills like Blood for Blood, Raging Strikes etc are essential. Those skills are merely short term self buffs that can be made up for by numbers tuning for each job. If BRD or MCH dps is seen a too low by the devs without those buff they can simply increase the potency of their skills to compensate rather than add more buff actions for them. But most people expect healers to be able to provide Protect, instantly res,and remove debuffs, just as they expect tanks to be able to taunt loose mobs or be able to pick up a boss for a tank swap.