The new MCH is still a total joke

[KageTokage]

Flamethrower still being (literal) hot garbage is the thing that irks me most considering how many other dated abilities on other jobs got updates.

[Duskane]

yeah im not sure how they can look at flamethrower and be like "yep nothing wrong here"

it doesn't even suit the job anymore aesthetically

[Aravell]

Since they're giving Bioblaster/Drill 2 charges anyway, the least they could do was to rework Flamethrower into an instant conal AoE that ignites Bioblaster and removes the DoT, then it'll be a button worth pressing in dungeons at the very least.

[CKNovel]

You're telling me you don't care because it doesn't affect the job, which is fair enough. I'm telling you I care because it feels sloppy on the design side. It could have been so much more.

If you're using Gnashing or Confiteor as an example of why it's good, then you're definitely gonna convince me even less. And those examples have the basic decency to have at least some manner of difference between their steps. And if you're thinking about Fell cleave, delirium, and the likes, then yeah, definitely not gonna convince me of your point here.

Let's avoid strawman there, I'm not saying that I don't care. I'm saying that I don't see the basis for complaint.
I don't use Gnashing or Confiteor to explain why it's good, but I'm using these as an example to show you there was never any complaint about those skills in the first place. Why should it be different for MCH?

[Fryfor]

I cannot believe Flamethrower has been untouched for 3 expansions now

[Sylvain]

- Flamethrower is still the same garbage. Are you kidding me? Why is this skill even kept in the game if you don't intend to make it relevant in any way shape or form, or include it into the actual rotation? This is worthless, especially with the potency increases on the rest of the AoE kit!
.

Yeh, this one is just a head scratcher. However I don't see where you'd fit a 5s channeling into the single rotation without disrupting the whole thing.
But yes they could, at the very least, make it do a butt load of AoE dmg.

- Battery still has no AoE options. What am I supposed to do with my battery in AoE scenari? Sit and overcap on it and pretend it doesn't exist?

They could make flamethrower do it :3? but yes bummer too.

- Double Check and Checkmate are exactly identical in effect. Is this a typo, or the real thing? Not gonna lie, I kinda prefer it that way because the old gauss vs ricochet was just weird with one being AoE and not the other, but they are... the same? Isn't that a little lazy?

It's called a visual upgrade.
In the same way healer get Stone, StoneII, StoneIII, Glare, GlareIII
Like seriously you can't be mad a that? On SMN sure, a visual upgrade as lv90 skills sucked, but as a leveling thing? Who cares? it's pretty. Same thing just prettier.

- Excavator is just Chainsaw 2.0. Literally no difference beyond the AoE shape.

- Full Metal Field is autocrit, meaning that we can't even dedicate reassemble or anything to it, it's literally baked inside! Even if you want to fuck up the rotation, you can't anymore because the job literally plays for you! Welcome to MCH Kaitengate without even losing kaiten.

So? If anything it means you've more choice on where to reassemble instead of always reassembling this one skill.

And yeh excavator is a minor thing indeed. I feel they could have gone with a different follow-up than the chain saw.

[Valence]

It's called a visual upgrade.
In the same way healer get Stone, StoneII, StoneIII, Glare, GlareIII
Like seriously you can't be mad a that? On SMN sure, a visual upgrade as lv90 skills sucked, but as a leveling thing? Who cares? it's pretty. Same thing just prettier.

I think i'm expressing myself very badly. I was lowkey expecting nothing more than standard upgrades for those two and heat blast, and it didn't disappoint. They're as you say, basic upgrades, nothing more, but that's not the point.
The point I was making is that they're identical. They were also identical except the AoE part back then, which was odd, so I'm glad they both have cleaving now, but I'm calling it lazy because they essentially made them identical, that's it really. They do have a minor role as they still force you to alternate between 2 ogcd buttons instead of just one, so there is that, but I still do feel it's lazy, but again, it's better than when gauss had no AoE (actually curious to see if the base gauss has an AoE or not now).

So? If anything it means you've more choice on where to reassemble instead of always reassembling this one skill.

And yeh excavator is a minor thing indeed. I feel they could have gone with a different follow-up than the chain saw.

Yes, I know that FMF is specifically made autocrit to keep freedom on reassemble targets. But it also means like all those all flash no substance 2min skills that are unlocked by pressing your buff/burst button, the rotation just plays on its own when it comes to it without any form of other input for it. Just press a button, watch a nuke go on without any kind of effort. Perhaps my dislike of this was more aimed at those copypasted skills in general than FMF specifically.

[CKNovel]

Yes, I know that FMF is specifically made autocrit to keep freedom on reassemble targets. But it also means like all those all flash no substance 2min skills that are unlocked by pressing your buff/burst button, the rotation just plays on its own when it comes to it without any form of other input for it. Just press a button, watch a nuke go on without any kind of effort. Perhaps my dislike of this was more aimed at those copypasted skills in general than FMF specifically.

I don't understand what you're expecting.
All jobs are "press button to execute action, see action". It's even the basis of RPGs.
That's double down, that's shadowbringer, that's Midare... You need to think before you press the nuke, not after.

For example, the "combo" nature of FMF and Excavator allows the player to hold it to nuke adds that would spawn after a burst window without delaying anything outside of raidbuff.

[glamazon]

Like i've said before... this game is on auto. They reskin, up the potencies, the stats, shuffle the maze of a dungeon, raid, etc around and presto! New expansion. Healing in this game is broken. Combat is broken. No elemental damage that matters any more. No weaknesses that matter. No directionals that matter. Everything has been simplified to death to make their job easier. Not hard to balance if every job within a role is essentially the same. gear? It's all the same. Materia? Its all cookie cutter predetemined. Combat? Tag and burn it down. wall to wall. Every dungeon. All the time. Healers? When u learn the fight healing is trivialized. Then you smash your one dps button and your second now though you have to wait two mins because its tied to another abilitiy. joy!
I miss the old machinist from hw bring that back.

[glamazon]

this is a great idea synergy! so if a mob has bioblaster ticking away and we flamet them it immediate consumes the dot? or doubles the damage? Turns the flame green? Something!