Current problems with machinist and being constructive.

[Ameela]

I know some people are iffy about some sort of "complexity tax" (for the harder end), but if as it is today, MCH would be bumped to BLM levels of rdps, it would literally seize DNC and BRD for the phys ranged spot, and people would certainly prefer a full mobile ranged dps with a braindead rotation for the flex spot.

For that to happen, MCH would need a bit more meat and skill ceiling to their gameplay. Well, they have an opportunity in 7.0...

Just bring back HW Gauss Barrel.

[Raikai]

Just bring back HW Gauss Barrel.

You gotta be kidding! If HW Gauss Barrel was the same from SB (I didn't play MCH before that) that was the most pointless job mechanic ever. You had to re-equip GB just to access your normal things, it wasn't even like an exciting button to press like Kaiten (rip) or Reassemble.

[Ameela]

You gotta be kidding! If HW Gauss Barrel was the same from SB (I didn't play MCH before that) that was the most pointless job mechanic ever. You had to re-equip GB just to access your normal things, it wasn't even like an exciting button to press like Kaiten (rip) or Reassemble.

Oh nah HW Gauss Barrel gave you more damage at the cost of forcing you to cast when you didn't have ammo.

[Raikai]

Oh nah HW Gauss Barrel gave you more damage at the cost of forcing you to cast when you didn't have ammo.

Wait... is that so?! How in Thal's balls they managed to turn that into SB Gauss Barrel? ._.

[Ameela]

Wait... is that so?! How in Thal's balls they managed to turn that into SB Gauss Barrel? ._.

The cast times were something that were imposed on both MCH and BRD in HW.
While MCH was designed with it from the start since it was an HW job and it had the ammo mechanic to play around with it BRD wasn't as fortunate and the casts just felt kinda tacked on, so a lot of BRD players complained for them to change it which they did in SB, but if you remove BRD's casts you also have to remove MCH's to make it fair, but since MCH was already designed around its cast times it got a bit of an identity crisis as a result.
And that's the story of how Machinist was reworked 3 times in 3 consecutive expansions.

[Blueyes]

The cast times were something that were imposed on both MCH and BRD in HW.
While MCH was designed with it from the start since it was an HW job and it had the ammo mechanic to play around with it BRD wasn't as fortunate and the casts just felt kinda tacked on, so a lot of BRD players complained for them to change it which they did in SB, but if you remove BRD's casts you also have to remove MCH's to make it fair, but since MCH was already designed around its cast times it got a bit of an identity crisis as a result.
And that's the story of how Machinist was reworked 3 times in 3 consecutive expansions.

Having cast times on its attacks never bothered me with Machinist. It was a new job and, as you mentioned, it was designed with that mechanic in mind. Though I do think it should have been introduced at an earlier level instead of 52 just because they didn't want to add cast times to Bard before that level. Then they got rid of cast times from both. It honestly kind of annoys me that both BRD and MCH have cast times on their basic weaponskill in PVP. I'm not sure why SE has an obsession with those two jobs sharing a mechanic like that. Either they both have cast times or neither of them do. Just let each job be distinct.