Quote Originally Posted by Shurrikhan View Post
No, it doesn't. It would make no difference except that the dps check would now arrive anywhere between some 7 and 10 minutes based on how sparingly your healers used MP. Healers afking between damage intake would be not only viable but often required. (And I've no idea what to say to you if you could possibly think that a system which requires you to spend significant time doing nothing or almost only ever using the most modest and MP-efficient mini-heals is somehow a good thing.)

You'll have moved the enrage, in all likelihood, earlier, while demanding less activity or clarity of purpose from players. "Should I sacrifice uptime to further reduce damage taken from these flare mechanics?" "Well, how good are your healers and tanks, and did you forget to bring PLD-DRK and WHM-WHM to extend healer MP for as long as possible?" "I, uh, don't know, and we have AST-SCH." "Well, I guess enrage will be around 8 minutes if they're good?"
Who said healers would be AFKing? Damage spells don't have to cost MP, and as I noted it would require a change in Healer design and the rate of outgoing damage.

Also, players will always value damage, the game does not need to do that for them, what it does need to do is give them a reason to value other things like mitigation (beyond the binary 'will it kill us'), resource management / regen, non-damage buffs and debuffs (again beyond the binary), and damage applied at the right time.

As for your example, that is for individual groups to work out, and sure there may be a few wipes while they do, but how is that really any different to now... except of course if people’s expectations of 'high-end' content is to go in, place some markers, play to a script, roll on loot, gg. (which at this point it probably is).