What are your thoughts on FFXIV's combat?

[Shurrikhan]

I'm a little concerned that people think it's still bloated when we've had 2 expacs that have been simplifying the holy hell out of the game. I seriously do not know if they can go any further without it becoming a 1,2,3 fest. They'll find a way though.

Those same expansions also showed, very clearly, that button count is not a great indicator of depth.

And yes, there is bloat. That doesn't mean the only solution is to crop button-count, but there are existing abilities that add virtually (Anatman) to literally (F4 separate from B4; Flare separate from Freeze) nothing.

And then there's XIV's idea of "combos" --rigid linear sequences with zero reason to restart a given combo, such that they could be replaced with a single button each without any decrease in complexity-- in place of actual combinable skills (i.e., actual combos). Again, that's not an issue that can solely be addressed by reducing button count, but it is an issue of bloat.