Quote Originally Posted by Big-Isaac View Post
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the new gauge enforce more or less the exact same sequence of buttons you were doing in EW already?
Can't speak for the difference in feel between "gonna press button 5 next because otherwise Demolish will drop" and "gonna press button 5 next because the gauge is empty" yet, of course, but I don't imagine it'll be that big a deal.

Speaking for myself, I never jived with MNK mainly because managing buffs during Perfect Balance always felt janky to me, so I'll tentatively call this new gauge a good change
More or less. Right now, your choice is:

spend leaden fist via bootshine if you have it, else dragon kick
Twin snakes to apply/refresh buff, else true strike.
Demonish to apply/refesh dot, else snap punch.

Now it will be something like:
Bootshine if you have an opo opo stance charge, else dragon kick to apply it (1 charge)
True strike if you have a raptor charge, else twin snakes to apply it. (2 charges)
Snap punch if you have a coeurl charge, else demolish to apply it. (3 charges)

In theory, you're going from managing a dot, a buff to keep up and a temporary empowering of one attack via a different buff. To managing three distinct but very similar function wise charges.

But in practice, it's still 'do I hit button A or B, C or D, E or F' as you cycle through your stances. You're still, more or less, making the same choices between three pairs consisting of 'setup attack attack and filler attack.'

It's just that what those three setup attacks do is being homgenized, and the visual information you need to keep track of is consolidated now instead of spread around on you and the enemy's status bars.

At least that's how I understand it.