Each expansion I get hyped and also worried about more skills.

[ReynTime]

Yeah no. There are other ways to address by simply enhancing current abilities. Swear to god noone learned any lessons from what Blizzard did over at WoW. Pruning sounds real great until it actually happens and you realize you are left with a bunch of jobs that are just copy and paste of each with literally no differences. We have examples of other MMO's where this has occurred and EVERY single time it was a disaster.

It is a childish MMO playerbase of people all in our 30's by now that cry for new shiny abilities like little kids. They could raise the level cap by 5 and change some of the potencies and I would be happy.

XIV already has a bunch of copy-pastes. Mainly in tank and healing roles. It's not the number of buttons, it's how roles get simplified and how the game throws any utility into the trash bin for sake of making the dps tunnel vision more clear.

[KarstenS]

They have already cleaned up with skills with the release of every excpansion, so that it stays playable with the controller.

Back in ARR you had on lvl 50 a similar amount of skill as you have today on lvl 80. Look how many you have today on lvl 50. And this will continue.

[Cithaerias_pyropina]

They have already cleaned up with skills with the release of every excpansion, so that it stays playable with the controller.

Back in ARR you had on lvl 50 a similar amount of skill as you have today on lvl 80. Look how many you have today on lvl 50. And this will continue.

Never had half of the weaponskills, spells or abilties they pruned on my hotbars anyway so it solved nothing. Some jobs are now screwed out of ever getting new abilities and are doomed to get generic upgrade traits to preexisting abilties/spells/weaponskills like Paladin where none of its kit goes unused and cannot be easily pruned except for maybe Cover and Shield Bash. I doubt anyone even has those two things on easily accessible keybinds on their hotbars in the first place with how niche Cover is compared to the other oath spender, Sheltron. And how Low Blow is superior because it's off the global cooldown, not sure if Shield Bash breaks combos but if it does it is even more useless (I don't even have that thing on my hotbar to find out), and mobs don't use interruptible actions enough to warrant an on demand stun.

[Shurrikhan]

They have already cleaned up with skills with the release of every expansion

The problem is when the skills that they "clean" allowed for more nuance, flexibility, or just generally more enjoyable gameplay (and often earlier) than what replaces it.

"So we lost X... just to get a more convoluted, less fun iteration... locked behind level (6 short of cap)? How's that a good thing?"

[Crowzer]

That why I main DNS. I wanted to invest on my SAM but too many skills.

[Lanadra]

That why I main DNS. I wanted to invest on my SAM but too many skills.

You main a Domain Name System?

[Payadopa]

All we need is a combo system like in PvP where (sensible) skills flow into the next but it's the same button. And I think I'll get my wish if the last MSQ in 5.55 is anything to go by (if I'm not mistaken).

[Bacent]

All we need is a combo system like in PvP where (sensible) skills flow into the next but it's the same button. And I think I'll get my wish if the last MSQ in 5.55 is anything to go by (if I'm not mistaken).

I don't think we'll actually get that. The battles where we're playing as other Scions they have super simplified hotbars so you know what to do without people going 'oh god what icon is that' so that anyone could really do it.

Some skills branch, and some can be used in reverse order, ect.

[Nyarlha]

I don't think we'll actually get that. The battles where we're playing as other Scions they have super simplified hotbars so you know what to do without people going 'oh god what icon is that' so that anyone could really do it.

Some skills branch, and some can be used in reverse order, ect.

Branching skills are always a false excuse, it's still pretty easy. Say you have a job that has 2 combos : 1 2 3 and 1 2 4. Just consolidate 1 2 3 and leave 4 separate, so that you just need to do 1 1 1 or 1 1 2(previously 4). That already cuts down hotkeys from 4 to 2. Hell, there may even be some plugins that do just that already.

As far as "reverse order", i have no ideas what you'd be talking about, do you have any exemple?

The only extremely niche thing it'd change is that you couldn't just spam 1 2 on some jobs in very specific situation (such as PLD where you could spam Fast Blade -> Riot Blade for more mana regen) and you'd have to commit to the full combo.

[Bacent]

Branching skills are always a false excuse, it's still pretty easy. Say you have a job that has 2 combos : 1 2 3 and 1 2 4. Just consolidate 1 2 3 and leave 4 separate, so that you just need to do 1 1 1 or 1 1 2(previously 4). That already cuts down hotkeys from 4 to 2. Hell, there may even be some plugins that do just that already.

As far as "reverse order", i have no ideas what you'd be talking about, do you have any exemple?

The only extremely niche thing it'd change is that you couldn't just spam 1 2 on some jobs in very specific situation (such as PLD where you could spam Fast Blade -> Riot Blade for more mana regen) and you'd have to commit to the full combo.

Dragoon has a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 that can also end up being 1, 2, 3, 5, 4. Would you suggest that become 11123 or 11132 instead

Also the combo being 1, 1, 1, or 1, 1, 2 would just feel kinda wrong? I would rather skills get upgraded as you level up, personally, like how they've been doing for a decent bit of them

And what you call a 'false excuse' is literally based on peoples' preferences. I honest hate the PvP combat. I need my skills laid out how they are now for me to actually register them mentally, so if they reduced the skills like how you're suggesting, I would honestly hate combat in the game and possibly start moving away from the game if it's handled any way I personally can't handle. Saying it's a 'false excuse' is literally shutting down what someone thinks about it.